Rightstart Childcare

Ages: 12 & 36 months, from here they move on to pre-school! Open daily from 07:00 till 17:00, closed only 4 weeks in a year!

Thank you for looking to “Rightstart Childcare” for your tiny tot. As our name suggests, we cater for the needs of children, basically between the one and three year age group.

We will be doing a curriculum with the children in the mornings with a basic Montessori Philosophy:-

During the third year of childhood, the foundation for self-esteem, growth and development on many levels is laid down. The two year old child is ready for group interaction and stimulation, but still needs a lot of individual attention, affection and emotional security, all of which can be provided within a small group. The one year old child will interact with the older group and learn from them.

It is a time when children are fascinated with the world around them and they will seek opportunities to express feelings and thoughts through speech and movement. The more opportunities children have to express themselves, the happier and healthier they’ll be. This is what we aim to give your child at Rightstart Childcare.

We also aim to provide a secure bridge between home and pre-school, so the playgroup is set up in a home-based environment. Through creative activites, stories, songs, games and lots of fun, your child will gradually be introduced to routine and structure within a group. This will make the adjustment to “big school” much easier. Being a “small” playgroup / daycare facility, the group is relatively small with approximately 25 children in total and 4 carers, each child is given the space to express their individuality.

It is our belief that applying lots of rules to children of this age, is counter-productive and also completely ineffective. We use positive reinforcement to encourage safelty, hygiene and basic good manners and we try lead by example. If or when conflict arises between children, we encourage the little ones to resolve things their own way, under supervision, as far as is possible.If the conflict appears that it might become physical, we do intervene by helping the children to express their feelings verbally & encourage good manners in resolving the issue. If this proves ineffective, we adopt the “timeout” approach as a last resort (the child sits quietly for a period of one minute per year of age). This timeout period is not enforced as a punishment, but rather as a cooling off period for the little ones if squabbles arise. When it comes to enforcing the few house rules we have, we explain the natural consequences of actions and surprisingly enough, this usually works, as the child feels empowered for having been given a choice. Again the small numbers in the group, enables us to pre-empt many issues of conflict and this makes for a peaceful environment.

There will always be a rest period in the middle of the day for all the children, a nutritional meal at lunchtime, and then old fashioned play in the afternoons.

Your child will probably take a couple of weeks to settle in here. We do our best to make the adjustment period as comfortable as possible for the little ones, but they will have some moments of insecurity initially and it’s best to be prepared for this. Although it may be tempting to stay here with your child if he/she is feeling insecure, we don’t encourage this as it only hinders the adjustment process. During the first few weeks it is very common for a child to start crying when a parent leaves. This usually stops shortly after the parents departure and playing commences.

Some children even start crying again when a parent arrives to fetch them.This is completely normal and although it may be difficult for you to deal with, rest assured that we will let you know if your child isn’t coping.

First day away from mom / home and here at our daycare facility is a big event in your little one’s life (and in yours) and how you handle it can make a big difference. Here are some tips to make things a little easier:-

· On the way to Rightstart, chat to your child about where you are taking him / her and make sure that they understand why they are spending the day here while you go to work and that you will fetch them straight afterwards.

· When you arrive at Rightstart, settle your child in briefly and then say goodbye firmly and cheerfully and say something to indicate that you will be back soon, eg, straight after work!

· Try not to stay longer or hesiate if your child starts to cry ~ it’s important that you show your child that there’s nothing to worry about and that you are confident that they will enjoy & have fun & be safe untill your return.

· When you fetch your child, ask them to show you what they did during the day and encourage them to tell you about their day.

Rest assured your little one will settle in within a couple of weeks and will look forward to coming here each day!

Home away from Home

“Learning through play in a safe, warm and secure home environment”