• Little Loves staff should aim to verbally communicate with parents daily. Greetings are the appropriate way to start the conversation.
• Notices are installed near main entrance and ensure to update regularly with updated information.
• Regular newsletters specific to the Centre are written monthly. These are made available to parents through printed and electronic copy.
• E-mail is used as a tool for positive communication.
• Little Loves will organize parent teacher conversations meetings at least twice a year where staff will meet with parents to discuss their child’s development and any issues of importance.
• Little Loves also invite individual meetings or discussions in private if requested by parent.
• Feedback and complaint forms are available at the entrance so parents are welcome to provide their feedback.
• Parents and whānau are invited to meet with management and staff to share ideas in meetings.
• Information is regularly updated to the Centre website www.littleloves.co.nz
• Our facebook page is online and parents can contact the Little Loves management through the messenger.
• Parents can contact through phone or email. Our phone number, email addresses are available through website or sign boards.
• Nappy changes, toileting and sleep times are recorded in the books and these are available for parents to check the routine of their child.
• Each child’s portfolio is created and regularly updated the child’s learning and development and parents are encouraged to contribute to their child’s portfolio and they are able to take that home when required.
• Parents are encouraged to communicate with teachers and management freely and we greatly value their contributions to the service.
• Parents will be informed of any accident or serious incident that concerns their child on the same day and in a timely manner.
• Teachers will discuss the child behaviour with their parents and keep them update about the development of their child.
• Little Loves is bound by privacy policy and confidentiality so we are not permitted to release any information concerning another child’s behaviour or health.
• Little Loves will organize education evenings, excursions, cultural festivals or Christmas functions throughout the year where parent and whānau will be invited to be part of Little Loves family.
• We welcome suggestions from parent and whānau on any topic to create best possible environment for staff, children and families.

Reviewed: January 2019

• Fees schedule is available on request or published on our website.
• Parents and whānau are required to reserve a minimum of 12 hours per week for the attendance of their child, for a minimum of 2 days per week.
• Enrolment of child spaces is subject to regular weekly booking. Casual child spaces are to be arranged with management. Parents and whānau are not able to swap hours or sessions. Little Loves required 2 weeks of notice to withdraw the child from service.
• Parents and whānau will be required to pay two weeks bond in advance (stay 2 weeks in advance) upon confirmation of enrolment.
• WINZ – If, for any reason, a WINZ subsidy is cancelled or suspended, it is the responsibility of the parents/ whānau to maintain fees in full until WINZ subsidy is granted again.
• Fees are to be paid via direct debit or automatic payments. If you pay by any other means, you will be charged a $15 administration fee. This is due to the extra administration hours required to bank money and keep track of payments.
• Fees will be charged for any sessions that are not attended, for any reason. Fees will be charged for public holidays.
• Fees will be charged at a holiday rate only when two weeks written notice has been given. The holiday rate is based at 50%.
• Families may claim the holiday rate once a year for a maximum period of 3 weeks per year. For example, an enrolment of 4 days per week is eligible for 12 days at the holiday rate (4 days per week x 3 weeks).
• Parents and whānau will be required to give two weeks written a notice of intention to cancel or change their allocated child space.
• Fees will be required to be paid in full when enrolment of the child space ceases.
• Any charges incurred by Little Loves to retrieve unpaid accounts will be met by the parents/whānau.
• Enrolment may be cancelled at Management’s discretion in the event of continuing fees arrears.
• In the event of a parent continuing to be late in collecting their child outside of their enrolment hours, a late fee will be charged at a rate of $10 for every 10 minutes.

Reviewed: January 2019

• Teachers must at all times follow this policy and the instructions of the Centre Manager and Directors regarding health and safety.
• All teachers will take every precaution to ensure children, other staff, students, parents and visitors to the building are safe from harm.
• We aim to train all permanent teachers at Little Loves with current first aid certification.
• Centre cooks hold a current food safety certificate that is updated every two years.
• Records are kept in the form of accident, medicine, illness and maintenance books. Earthquake, fire and civil defence drills and strategies are in place.
• Teachers check the grounds at the beginning and end of each day. Any dangerous items are removed or isolated until they can be repaired or replaced.
• A maintenance record is kept detailing every repair and maintenance job done on any facility or equipment.
• To protect their backs, all teachers must follow correct procedures for lifting equipment and children.
• In line with the Early Childhood Regulations, all staff must monitor their personal health to ensure that they are fit to work with children.
• Poisons are kept in teacher-only areas. First aid kit is replenished as needed.
• A bleach solution will be used on all high-risk surfaces.
• Staff and management will follow all procedures to keep compliance with the Health and Safety in Employment Act.

Reviewed: April 2019

• Little Loves will implement procedures to ensure that children records and other confidential information is securely stored.
• Permission is sought on enrolment via a signed enrolment form for the use of children’s digital images for the purposes of programme planning and newsletters.
• Only collect information, the business needs to have. Obtained information from individual concerned through lawful, fair and reasonable methods.
• Student teachers are required to seek and gain signed permission for assignments when documenting their experiences with children at Little Loves.
• Real names would not be used in Student teachers’ assignments or observations.
• Little Loves employees recognise the privacy of their colleagues and will seek consent before using images of their colleagues on social networking sites such as Facebook.
• Little Loves employees recognise the privacy of the families attending Little Loves and will not use images of children attending Little Loves on social networking websites such as Facebook, unless they are their own children or permission is obtained.
• We ask that parents also do not place images of other Little Loves events on social networking sites if children other than their own are visible in the picture.

Reviewed: January 2019

• Staff will not use or possess drugs, or supply drugs to others, at any time.
• Parents/Whanau should not have consumed drugs before coming to the Centre. If they cannot maintain alertness due to drugs or similar, staff may refuse to send the child with the parent and can contact the second parent or another contact listed on the records to pick up the child.
• Little Loves may provide for disciplinary responses to drug, alcohol and tobacco use, possession or supply.
• Staff may be required to urine testing where Little Loves has reason to suspect that a person is (or has been) using or in possession of drugs, or involved in supplying drugs to others.
• Staff will co-operate and assist with the enforcement of this policy.
• Staff may be interviewed by the Management in relation to the suspected use, possession or supply of drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
• Management may search the person or property (including drawers, desks, bags, lockers) for drugs, alcohol or tobacco or any times associated with the use of drugs, alcohol or tobacco.

Reviewed: May 2019

• Smoking is not permitted at all in early childhood Centres or on Centre grounds including indoor, outdoor, parking etc. The international No Smoking Symbol will be displayed throughout the Centre. Alcohol is not prohibited on the premises during Centre opening hours.
• This policy also applies while taking part in any field trip or co-curricular activity organized by the Centre, while representing the Centre in any activity or in any circumstance in which the staff could reasonably be identified as a Little Loves employee, including at Centre social events and outside of business hours.
• No staff are allowed to smoke anywhere on the premises. If staff members choose to smoke off-premises, they must wash their hands and freshen their breath before attending any child.
• Any person entering the premises smoking will be required to extinguish all smoking materials, or they will be asked to leave.
• Any complaints regarding this policy should be directed to the Centre Manager.
• This policy complies with the Smoke-Free Environments Act 1990 and will be reviewed annually.

Reviewed: May 2019

• All visitors to the centre will be required to sign in & out on the Visitors’ register upon entering and departing the Centre. The reasons for their visit must be clearly stated.
• Little Loves is not responsible for and damage or loss to personal items.
• Visitors agrees to our all policies, specially No Smoking Policy.
• No visitor will be left to supervise a group of children or area alone with any child except their own.
• All the visitors are required to read Emergency Procedures.
• Visitors are not permitted to be involved with the toileting/changing of any child other than their own.
• The Head Teacher and/or Centre Manager must be made aware of any visitor and where possible the visitor will be introduced to other teachers/staff and reasons for visiting.
• Visitors are not allowed to remove children from the Centre, unless authorised in writing.
• Visitors or staff under the influence of alcohol (or any other substance that has a detrimental effect on their functioning or behaviour) will not be allowed to enter the premises.

Reviewed: September 2019

• Signage will be displayed prominently to inform staff, children, families, visitors and the general public that security cameras are in operation on the Centre building.
• Surveillance cameras will not be used where people might expect to have privacy, such as toilet areas, nappy changing, shower or sick bay areas.
• Video from surveillance will be kept safe and only designated staff will have access to that.
• Under the terms of the Privacy Act, people will be permitted to access the personal
• information held on themselves. However, such a request will be refused if it would
• also involve the release of personal information on another person that could be in the recording.
• The video which shows that a criminal act has occurred, will be passed onto the Police. In such cases, if the children or parents are involved then they will be informed.
• Any footage won’t be released to the any person unless it is required by law.

Reviewed: January 2019