WIDEVIEW OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS CARE W.O.O.S.H.C.
(Updated 8/2008)
WOOSHC
TELEPHONE: 9456 6513
SCHOOL OFFICE: 9456 1655
WOOSHC is located on the school
grounds of
HOURS OF OPERATION
The Centre is open at 6.30am until morning playground time before school, and from school finishing time until 6.30pm.
The
Centre is closed on Public Holidays, all
School Holidays and Staff Development Days
unless otherwise notified.
The
Centre is open on School strike days
unless otherwise notified.
Any
child that is attending
Children
can be in any grade from Kindergarten to Year 6.
Children
can start attending care from the start of their Kindergarten year.
OUR AIM
We
aim to provide a fun, warm, caring and safe environment for the children, and
also a program of craft and activities to encourage personal growth and the
development of good self-esteem.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
·
To provide quality before and after school
care facilities for children between the ages of 4 and 13 years of age at
premises within the bounds of Wideview Public School.
·
To provide a community based, non-profit
service.
·
To structure the fees to assist disadvantaged
members of the community.
·
To remain totally non-profit and
non-sectarian
Our Centre Co-Ordinator is Ani Khachaturian who
holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent development. Ani is
responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Centre for all sessions. We
also have other staff members whom the children will become familiar with.
As recommended by the Department of Health &
Community WOOSHC maintains the ratio of 1 staff to 15 students
Every session there will be staff rostered on who
have a first-aid certificate. ,
We have several
staff trained in epi-pen usage.
All Kindergarten children will be
collected from the Infants area near kindergarten rooms and walked up to
WOOSHC.
An Enrolment Form must be completed prior to a
child’s attendance at WOOSHC Notification must be given immediately if any
details change. This is particularly important if you have any custody orders
in place.
All medical information must be correct and kept up
to date at all times including allergies and current medications taken. This is
particularly important should a medical emergency arise.
FEES
Per child $15.40($14 plus $1.40 GST) or
Per family $25.40($24 plus $2.40 GST)
(Per account - if 2 separate accounts are required).
Morning Session
Permanent $11
Casual $13
Permanent $14
Casual $16
Late Pickup $1.00 per minute
Non Advise of attendance $5.00
Please note that these are the current fees.
Fees will be reviewed at the end of each financial year.
BOOKINGS
Bookings can be made in the following ways:
Ø
Directly to the Centre on 9456 6513 during
Centre hours (preferred option)
Ø A message may be left with the School office during school hours on 9456 1655.
Ø
Email your
request to wooshc@optusnet.com.au
emails are not usually checked until the
following business day.
It is a condition of the Centre that all children are booked into sessions. Do Not Send your child/children to the Centre without a booking. Children can be accepted in EMERGENCY situations when the school or parent advises WOOSHC if positions are available subject to our licensed operating capacity
A
permanent booking is a weekly
session/sessions your child/children are automatically booked into each week.
All permanently booked sessions incur the full session fee, regardless of a
child’s attendance
A
casual booking is where your child/children
attend a session on that day only..
PAYMENT OF FEES
Regular
and/or permanent bookings are to be paid at least once a week. Children
attending on an irregular or casual basis MUST pay on the day of attendance.
Payments
should be made by cheque or direct deposit
using the below details: -
Account name –
BSB Number -
633000
Please insert your child’s
name in the reference name
If you anticipate that you will have difficulty-paying fees, please contact either the Centre Co-Coordinator or the WOOSHC Treasurer as soon as possible.
Timely
payment of fees is required weekly for permanent bookings. Fees are the source
of wages for our staff. Operating the centre relies on accounts being paid
promptly. In the event that there has been no arrangements made for financial
difficulties and fee payments are not received, the Sub-committee will provide
three warnings and then exclude the child from attending WOOSHC until outstanding
fee payments are made. This is essential to ensure the ongoing financial
viability of the Centre.
It
is condition of using the Centre that should your child/children be unable to
attend their booked session, that you notify the Centre Co-Coordinator. This is
essential to ensure that all children are accounted for. Without your
assistance, we are in a position of not knowing if your child is safe.
If your child goes home
ill from school (on their WOOSHC day) it is your responsibility to notify
WOOSHC that your child will not be attending otherwise a $5.00 fee will also be
charged for NON ADVICE of attendance. For privacy reasons the school cannot
notify WOOSHC when children go home sick.
After
all children are signed in (this should be around 3:30pm)
If
we have a child/children missing we will:
Ø
Phone the Parent/Guardian to
see if they know the whereabouts of the child.
Ø
If contact cannot be made
with the parents, the emergency contacts will be called.
Ø
Call Police if contact cannot
be made with parent/guardian or emergency contacts
A $5.00 fee is payable for Non Advice of attendance.
You will still be charged for the session even if
your child does not attend.
You must Sign or initial attendance records each time your child is absent from care
CHANGES TO
BOOKED SESSIONS
Please advise the coordinator of any changes to your session. e.g. Your child will be away on holidays or visiting with friends.
The coordinator will write your child’s name in
WOOSHC diary and the date we were advised.
The coordinator will request you to sign the diary
next to any changes made
Changes can be phoned in, however we request that
you sign the diary next time you are at WOOSHC.
You will still be charged for the session even if
your child does not attend.
You must Sign or initial attendance records each time your child is absent from care.
CANCELLATIONS OF BOOKED SESSIONS
If you no longer require a permanent session please
advise the Centre Coordinator. You will be asked to complete a:
“Cancellation of permanent session form”
7 days notice is required when removing children
from permanent sessions.
You will still be charged for each permanently
booked session, during these 7 days, even if your child does not attend and you
will not receive CCB.
You must continue to Sign or initial attendance records each time your child is absent from care.
Encouragement
will be given to any child with special needs who comes along to the Centre.
Operations and activities conducted by the Centre will be adapted appropriately
to the child’s needs.
PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
The Co-ordinator will prepare a program of
activities suitable to the age and interests of the children who attend the
Centre. The programs will include craft, music, drama and sporting activities.
There will be themes of special interest, and a variety of activities will be
available during the session. A weekly program is displayed on the Notice
Board.
Only "G" and “PG” (at Coordinators
discretion) rated videos/films/games are shown/played at the Centre.
Surveys will be carried out periodically to assess
our programs and to include the children and parents’ ideas.
If parents or other interested parties have
special talents or interests that they would like to share with WOOSHC please
talk to the coordinator to arrange a time.
Photos and videos of your
child/children may be taken when doing activities or special events at WOOSHC.
These photos and videos will be used for displays at WOOSHC only, copies of
these photos or videos cannot
be purchased, copied or borrowed. Permission is required from parent/guardian
on our Enrolment form before photos or videos can be taken.
Should
you or your child have an activity or suggestion for WOOSHC please complete the
“Kids suggestion form” or ”Feedback Sheet” WOOSHC welcomes your ideas.
FOOD
We provide breakfast, which is predominantly cereal and toast until 7:45am
Afternoon tea is vegetable sticks and/or fruit together with bread and/or savoury biscuits.
Drinks are provided at all sessions
The Centre focuses on providing a nutritious diet. Variations will occur when; cake baking and cooking sessions form part of the programme for the session.
Parents and children are encouraged to
share family and multicultural values, ideas and recipes.
Children and parents are encouraged to
contribute to the menu ideas.
Allergies
If you child suffers from food allergies, it is your responsibility to advise the Centre of this on the Enrolment Form. .
Peanut
butter, honey and Nutella are not served at WOOSHC, however we request that you
ensure that if your child is allergic to these food items, that the Centre is
advised so that we can consult you should we be aware of traces of theses items
in more complex foods such as commercial cake mix.
It
is requested that you do not send peanuts, peanut butter, honey or Nutella
products with your child to consume at WOOSHC (irrespective of their having/
not having allergies), due to the risk of contamination for all students.
PRIVACY
Information collected from the
enrolment forms will be entered into our computer system and will be used to
care for your child or contact you.
The original enrolment form will
be stored securely in our storage room
Information you provide us will only be used for WOOSHC purposes any information you provide to us will not be passed on to any third party.
Occasionally we
will have requests from Commonwealth Departmental Officers to view our files we
must adhere to these requests
Should you wish to review the
information you have provided us please speak to the Coordinator
CHILD
CARE BENEFIT (CCB)
Child Care Benefit (CCB) is a payment made by the Australian Government to assist families with the cost of childcare.
The amount of CCB you get depends on:
Ø Your income
Ø
The type of care you use (approved or
registered) WOOSHC is approved care
Ø
The amount of care you use
Ø
The reason you are using care
Ø
The number of children in care.
To register for
CCB please contact the Family Assistance Office on 136 150 you will need to
quote the following number when asked. School Reference Number 555 014 712B
The number of places available for Child Care Benefit is limited by Government funding. The entitlement for parents to receive Child Care Benefit Funding is subject to the Centre continuing to maintain Accredited Standards of Care. If standards of Accreditation are not maintained, then the childcare benefit may be withdrawn. Therefore, it is the responsibility of all parents to be involved with the Centre in ensuring National Accreditation is achieved.
ABSENCE
DAYS
Each child has 42 allowable absence days which attract the Child Care Rebate. This means that the Australian Government will still pay the Child Care Rebate (CCB) for up to 42 absent days per child per financial year. If a child has more than 42 absence days full fees will be charged and no CCB will be deducted from the fees. These days are counted as per the CCB requirements.
ADDITIONAL
ABSENCES
After the 42 absence days have been exhausted, CCB can still be paid on additional days for the following reasons:
Ø
An illness (with a medical certificate)
Ø
An outbreak of an infectious disease, when the child is not immunised
Ø
Any other absences due to sickness of the child, a parent or sibling,
supported by medical certificates.
Ø
A parent being on a rotating shift or rostered day off.
Ø
A temporary closure of a school or a pupil free day
Ø
Shared custody arrangements due to a court order, consent order or
parenting order
Ø
Exceptional circumstances
WHAT
ARE MY RESPONSIBILITIES FOR RECEIVING CHILD CARE BENEFIT (CCB)?
When receiving CCB you are responsible for keeping the Australian Government and your carer up-to-date and notifying them when your circumstances change.
Ø
Sign or initial attendance records daily to show when your child starts
care (‘time in’) and finishes care (‘time out’) – do not sign blank attendance
records
Ø
Sign or initial attendance records each time your child is absent from
care
Ø
Provide your child care service with documents where necessary:
§
Days your child is absent from
§
An increase in the number of maximum hours you can get paid CCB
§
Special Child Care Benefit
Ø
Advise the Family Assistance Office when changes happen that may affect
your CCB. These include when:
§
Your child starts with a new child care service
§
Your child leaves a child care service
§
Your child stops using child care
§
Your child starts school
§
You change partnering arrangements (for example, if you get married or
divorced)
§
Your address or bank details change
ACCREDITATION / CCB
WOOSHC is an accredited OOSH facility with NCAC (National
Childcare Accreditation Council Inc)
WOOSHC is eligible to receive Child Care Benefit payments on behalf of
the parents of children in our care. The number of places available for Child Care
Benefit is limited by Government funding. WOOSHC is currently licensed for 40
children in the morning and 50 children in the afternoon The entitlement for
parents to receive Child Care Benefit Funding is subject to the Centre
continuing to maintain Accredited Standards of Care. If standards of
Accreditation are not maintained, then the childcare benefit may be withdrawn.
In order to keep our accredited status WOOSHC is required to maintain a satisfactory standard of quality child care, including continuing improvement to the standard of care in accordance with the Quality Areas and Principles set out in the OOSH Quality Practices Guide. Therefore, it is the responsibility of all parents to be involved with the Centre in ensuring National Accreditation is achieved.
As part of our continuing improvement children and parents will be asked
to complete surveys to provide information on how we are doing and to find ways
to improve our service. Feedback is always welcome.
SIGNING IN AND OUT OF
WOOSHC-
It
is a requirement of accreditation that all children must be signed into WOOSHC
by their parent/ caregiver. A child must be accompanied by a parent/caregiver
into WOOSHC and that parent/caregiver must sign the child/children into attendance
using the roll-book (signature and time)
Children
must NOT be dropped off and allowed to find their own way to WOOSHC.
PICK-UP
ARRANGEMENTS
If your child/children are to be collected by someone else other than yourself or a person nominated on the emergency contact list; (older sibling, family member or friend) a letter stating the date(s) must be given to the Centre Co-ordinator. Verbal messages with children are not acceptable.
Parents are not permitted to use the staff car park between the hours of 8am and 4pm.
Parking is available outside the school grounds after 8am and before 4pm. Please note that the safety of staff, parents and children is of utmost importance when using the carpark. A maximum speed limit of 8kms per hour must be observed together with careful reversal and motoring skills. If parents do not abide by these rules then the privilege of using the staff carpark will be withdrawn.
LATE PICK-UP FEE
A late pick-up fee is
payable when a child/children is left at the Centre after 6.30pm. A fee of
$1.00 per minute per family is applicable, unless otherwise notified by the
Co-ordinator.
For
parents who have not contacted the centre we ring them at closing time. If no
contact can be made the emergency contacts are rung. If there is no success
with either of these and it is 15 minutes after closing DOCS are rung and
notified. The local police are then rung and we will follow their direction.
Once DOCS are notified it becomes an issue of neglect under DOCS regulations.
HOMEWORK
Children may do their homework whilst at WOOSHC, however this may not
usually occur until after 5pm, as afternoon tea and outside activities occur
early in the afternoon.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
The
Centre practices emergency and evacuation procedures at least twice a term.
INSURANCE
WOOSHC
is covered by a Public Liability Insurance policy as a sub-committee of the
Wideview P & C Association. However, this does not extend to personal
accidents and injuries, which may occur such as a fall from the play equipment.
Arrangements for additional Personal Accident Insurance are the responsibility
of the parent or guardian. It is strongly recommended that families consider
Personal Accident Insurance to cover them for any medical costs should an
injury result while attending the Centre. In accepting a position with WOOSHC,
you agree that the P & C Association of Wideview Public School operating
the WOOSHC Centre is not liable for personal injury as a consequence of
attending the Centre
AMBULANCE FUND
WOOSHC
has an Ambulance Fund policy for emergency cases.
SICK CHILDREN
AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
If the staff feel a child is either contagious,
cannot cope with being at the Centre because of illness or would benefit from
going home, the parent/guardian or emergency contact will be telephoned and
expected to come and collect the child immediately.
Children will not be permitted to attend the Centre
if they have an infectious illness.
The Co-ordinator at her/his discretion has the right
to refuse any child they feel may have an infectious disease or illness and the
parents will be contacted immediately
WOOSHC will only administer prescription Medication under the policy guidelines. Please discuss this with the Co-Coordinator.
ASTHMA
WOOSHC is an Asthma friendly OOSH
In
the event of your child, with no previous medical history of asthma, displaying
symptoms of asthma, staff will administer as first aid practice, the Asthma 4
step plan.
If
your child suffers from Asthma please complete an Asthma management plan (See
Coordinator)
SUN PROTECTION
Hats
are to be worn at all times when outside. The school ruling of "No hat, No
play" is also followed at WOOSHC. It is suggested that children apply
sunscreen prior to leaving home in summer and carry a compact roller to reapply
sunscreen on summer afternoons. Trees and the Centre provide adequate shade.
FIRST AID AND ACCIDENT
PROCEDURES
Should your child have an accident at WOOSHC they will be given first aid.
In the event of an accident or illness while at
WOOSHC it will be necessary for authority to be given for WOOSHC to notify the
school of what has happened.
If the incident happens during the morning session
and you are not required or cannot collect your child, WOOSHC will make every
effort to contact you and get permission. Should they be unable to do this a
copy of the accident and illness form will be given to the School office staff.
If the accident happens in the afternoon session
your signature will be obtained and the following day a copy will be given to
the office staff.
An accident form will be completed
confidentially. A parent/caregiver will be required to sign the form and a copy
is to be given to the Wideview Public School office staff. The completed
accident form will be filed in Accident record folder.
DISCIPLINE
The Centre focuses on respecting each other,
property and one’s self at all times.
A list of centre rules is displayed and new children attending the Centre will have the rules explained to them.
The general procedure followed in the event of a
child displaying unacceptable behaviour is they are separated from other
children and given "time out" in an appropriate place in the Centre.
The child is not left unsupervised or made to sit for a long period of time.
Staff members will talk to the child afterwards in a
calm manner making sure the child has the opportunity to put across their point
of view, and that the child is reminded of the basic rules of WOOSHC.
WOOSHC adopts the Wideview Public School policy on
bullying and harassment. WOOSHC also considers the safety and wellbeing of all
students, parents and staff as paramount. If student or parents behaviour is
unacceptable, and is considered to be of detriment to any party in relation to
the Centre, the Centre has the ability to refuse an offer of placement (that
is, a student may be refused a place of care within the centre).
FEEDBACK
WOOSHC would like to hear any comments or suggestions on how we can improve our program/s services and care. Please take this opportunity to tell us how we are doing by completing a feedback sheet or by speaking to our coordinator, Ani.
COMPLAINTS & COMPLIMENTS
PROCEDURE
WOOSHC
welcomes complaints and compliments. Complaints forms are available from the
centre Co-ordinator and committee members. If a complaint is received, it is
tabled at a committee meeting and discussed so a resolution can be found. For
compliments, please let the staff and committee know. It is important that the
merits of employees, children and volunteers are recognised.
THE MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
A Sub-committee of the P&C Association of
Wideview Public School working with the Centre Co-ordinator, manage the Centre.
This Committee is predominately parents of children using the Centre.
The Wideview P&C WOOSHC Sub-Committee along with the Centre Co-ordinator are responsible for:
1.
General and financial administration of the Centre;
2.
The formation of general policies in relation to the Centre.
The Sub-committee meets each month and all parents
and guardians are welcome. Dates of meetings are advertised in the School
Newsletter and on the WOOSHC notice board. An Annual General Meeting to elect
Office Bearers is held annually each October.
Refer to Appendix A for a list of committee
positions.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Please contact the Centre Co-Coordinator or a Committee member who will be pleased to assist you further.
POLICIES
This
information book provides an overview of many of our policies.
To
view our full policies please speak to the Coordinator Ani.
APPENDIX A
The Sub-committee is governed by duly constituted
by-laws adopted by the P&C.
The office bearers and roles held for the current
Sub-committee are:
Chairperson
Treasurer
Secretary
Committee
Members (3)
All of these members are approachable to receive input in respect to the running of WOOSHC, however the best and most appropriate means to discuss all issues is at the monthly Committee meetings. Please note that whilst we refer to the monthly meetings as committee meeting s, they are open forums for attendance and input by all parents/ caregivers and interested parties. Your attendance would be appreciated and is strongly encouraged.
For information relating to assisting the
Sub-committee, attending meetings or questions you may have, please leave your
name and telephone number at WOOSHC.
A list of current committee members is displayed on the WOOSHC noticeboard.
A new Sub-committee is elected
annually at the Annual General Meeting in October. Should you wish to
contribute by being on the Sub-committee please advise us - you are always
welcome!
DATE
ENDORSED: September 2008
DATE
FOR REVIEW AND EVALUATION: September 2008