This page contains information about various topics that parents of children starting at Hamble Village Playschool may find useful.

What to Wear
In order to feel free to explore and experiment with all kinds of materials, including messy ones, it is best for children to wear Playschool t-shirts or sweatshirts* that are easy to wash or alternatively old clothing. It is good for children to practice the skills that make them independent; simple clothing, that children can handle themselves, will enable them to use the toilet when they want to and remove outdoor clothing without being dependant on other people’s help.

*These can be purchased from the pre-school at the beginning of the morning sessions.

Amazing Achievements
We recently introduced “Achievement Chequebooks” and it has proved very popular! Each time your child does something you’re proud of, or something they’ve never done before, just fill out a cheque with their name, what they’ve done and who you are. Next time your child attends pre-school, send the cheque in with them and we’ll read it out during registration so that all the other children can hear about it and congratulate them and then we’ll keep it in their development record. Some examples include: managing the toilet unaided, rides a bike or trike, interacts in new ways with adults or other children, participates in activities outside of pre-school, goes on holiday or takes a trip to the zoo, Paulton’s Park etc.

   Click here to download an Amazing Achievements slip
The First Days
A child who is tense or unhappy will not be able to play or learn properly. It is important for parents and staff to work together to help children feel secure and confident whenever they are at Hamble Village Playschool. This may take longer with some children however parents should not feel worried if their child takes a while to settle.

Similarly, whilst ideally most children will be ‘dry’ by the time they start pre-school, we fully understand that some children may not be quite out of nappies.

If your child is ‘toilet training’ and using ‘pull-ups’ we will encourage them to use the toilet. Should your child fail to make the toilet in time our staff will change the soiled pull-ups/clothing.

The Role of the Parent
We recognise parents are your children’s first and most important educators; our pre-school aims to support parents carry out this task. Parents are welcome to:-

• Spend a session in the pre-school with their child.
• Assist with fundraising.
• Take part in the management of the pre-school by way of becoming a member on the Committee.
• Provide feedback and ideas for the Pre-school.
• Represent the pre-school at branch and county activities of the Early Years Alliance.
• Attend training courses, workshops and conferences organised by the Early Years Alliance.
• Adhere to the Policies.
• Adult Resources
  We are proud of the high ratio of adults to children at the pre-school. The ratio ensures that individual attention is given to the individual needs and development of each child.
  
  The Parent/Carer Rota
  Research shows that children learn better when their parents/carers are involved. Our rota system involves all parents helping in the pre-school on a regular basis; this helps to maintain the high adult to child ratio, guaranteeing individual care and attention for each child. It also gives parents the opportunity to take an active part in the pre-school, to see what happens there, and to talk about it with their children. Moreover, the rota system provides a valuable opportunity for children to see their parents/carers in a new role and taking an interest in what they do.
  
  Record Keeping
  All children attending Hamble Village Playschool will have a personal on-line Learning Journal which records photos, observations and comments, in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage, to build up a record of your child’s experiences during their time with us. We use a system called Tapestry, which is hosted on secure servers in the EU. You will have secure access (via email address and password) to your child’s Learning Journal and, in addition to viewing our contributions, we encourage you to add to it by uploading photos and comments, or commenting on observations made by us .

Special Needs
Each child is able to progress at his or her own rate in all areas of development, this holds true for children either with, or without, special needs. Our full Special Needs Policy is available on request.