Supporting Your Child's Journey

Montessori School Handbook

Dear Parents & Guardians

We welcome you and your family to Ashleaf Early Education. The information contained in this Parent Handbook is very important for you to read, understand, and abide by. We take great pride in both of our services which are built to the highest standard and satisfy all regulations.

All of our rooms are tastefully decorated and equipped with your child's safety and comfort in mind, and are designed for adventure, soft play, arts, crafts, drama, music, baking, quiet time and messy play. Our outdoor areas are secure and offer ample scope for your child to play and learn regardless of sun or snow!

For children who may require additional assistance, we participate in the AIM programme which involves one to one support for those children who meet the criteria of the programme. We will work with Parents / Primary Care Givers in every way possible to ensure that your child receives all of the support they need. All staff are Garda Vetted, trained in Paediatric First Aid and Child Safety and are very familiar with our policies and procedures.

Our Staff are always available to discuss your child's day or any special requirements you may have. Just give a call to arrange a meeting. We look forward to getting to know you and your family and watching your child thrive and develop along with us.

Opening Hours

7.00am – 6pm, Monday to Friday.

We are closed on all Public Holidays, for two weeks during July / August, one week at Christmas and one week at Easter – please refer to the provided calendar for exact closure dates.

Services Available

Service Type

Sessional care

After school

Before school

Part-time care

Full-time care

Extra hour(s)

Hours Per Day

9am -12pm

12pm - 6pm

7am - 9am

Up to 5hrs per day

Up to 8hrs per day

1 hour or part of

Cost

€18 per day

€6 per hour or part of

€30 per day

€48 per day

€ per hour or part of

Staff Ratios

Sessional / ECCE

0-1 years

1-2 years

2-3 years

3-6 years

1 adult : 11 children

1 adult : 3 children

1 adult : 5 children

1 adult : 6 children

1 adult : 8 children

Communication

We use WhatsApp to communicate our weeks activities and photos etc to parents / guardians. Please note that we can only add one Parent / Guardian for each child.

Please do not share any information in the WhatsApp group to any individual who is not a Childs Parent / Guardian.

Homework

Our staff will facilitate children to complete their written work but will not enforce children to complete homework and are not expected to understand or interpret school curriculum. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to check children’s homework on a daily basis and to sign their homework journal.

Government Funded Schemes

We participate in both the National Childcare Scheme and in the ECCE Scheme for all qualifying children.

Personal belongings checklist

Please ensure your child is provided with each of the following (where appropriate), clearly labelled with permanent marker. Labelled zip lock bags are preferable for food items.

Nappies & wipes

Supply enough for one month in a labelled zip lock bag.

Spare clothes

All children must have at least 2 full changes of clothing, clearly labelled which will be left in the school and returned to be laundered when necessary.

Sunscreen

As the weather dictates, please ensure your child has Sunscreen applied each morning before coming to School. Please provide Sunscreen labelled with your child's name that will be left in the school as we will reapplyduring the day.

Outdoor clothes

Please provide wellies, rain jacket and leggings for outdoor play clearly labelled with your child's name – these will be left in the school.

Scrap book

All children are required to bring a Scrapbook, A3 Size. Food and Drinks - All children are to bring their daily food in a labelled zip lock bag which will be stored in a fridge. We do not have storage facilities for lunch boxes. Children's drinks bottles must be clearly labelled.

Velcro shoes

We recommend that all children unable to tie their own laces wear shoes with Velcro fastenings. This is to enable children to be independent when changing into outdoor gear.

Our policies and procedures

Our full set of Policies and Procedures (listed below) are constantly updated as regulations and legislation dictates, and are available to you to read at any time. Please email donna.cullen@live.ie with “Parent Policy Request” in the subject line with details of any policy you wish to read or discuss with us, and we will forward you a copy of relevant documents.

Admissions & Enrolment Policy
Statement of Purpose and Function
Complaints Policy
Recruitment
Staff Absences
Staff Training and Supervision
Confidentiality Policy
Record Keeping Policy
Settling In Policy
Managing Behaviour
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy
Healthy Eating Policy
Outdoor Play Policy
Use of the Internet and Photographic and Recording Devices

Physical Activity Policy
Afterschool Care Programme
Administration of Medication Policy
Accident and Incident Policy
Infection Control Policy
Safe Sleep Policy
Risk Management and Safety Statement
Drop off / Collection of Children Policy
Fire Safety Policy
Visitors Policy
Sun Protection Policy
No Nut Policy
Food Safety Policy
Pest Control Policy

Fees and Payment Information

Weekly Fees, including any deductions for participation in NCS or ECCE schemes, will be communicated to individual families prior to commencement. This fee document will outline fees due, the duration they are applicable for and our full fee policy.
Fees are to be paid weekly or monthly on Thursdays.
Fees cannot be returned for absences.
We require a 4 week notice period of cancellation, or reduction in hours. Reinstatement of additional hours will be subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed.
Ad-hoc additional hours will be provided where possible, and will be charged at €6 per hour, or part of, unless 4 weeks notice of extension of hours is given.
Children will not be permitted to attend until overdue fees are paid.

Non Payment of fees

In order for us to maintain staff/child ratios as determined by the NationalGuidelines, and for the comfort and safety of all children and staff, it is essential that children are dropped and collected at their pre agreed times.

Early Pick Up

The fee will be charged based on the booked times. Please advise us in advance if your child will be collected earlier than the scheduled time to enable efficient handover.

Late Collection

All children must be collected by their pre agreedcollection time. Late collection will incur a charge of €6 per hour, or partof, which is non NCS deductible.

Early/Late Arrival

All children should be in attendance at theirscheduled start time. If your child will be late arriving, please contact us inadvance to discuss their arrival plan.

**Payment details will be provided on enrolment.**

Health, Safety & Wellbeing

We aim to provide a safe and healthy environment for all children and staff in compliance with all relevant health and safety legislation.

Unwell Children

If a child attending our service becomes unwell or upset, we will contact the authorised people listed on the Enrolment form to pick up the child as soon as possible. Please keep children who are unwell at home until fully recovered (i.e. at least 48 hours after symptoms have gone). If a child has been booked in but will be unable to attend due to sickness, please inform us before 9am that day.

Medical Conditions & Requirements

At the time of enrolment, the parent/guardian must advise of any medical conditions, such as allergies, anaphylaxis, diabetes and asthma that the child has been diagnosed with and indicate if any medication is to be administered to a child during any
session of care.

Medication must be provided in its original bottle with the child’s name, appropriate dosage and frequency, date of dispensing and use by date. A specific care plan will be completed between relevant staff and parent / guardian.

For any ad-hoc medications to be administered, a step by step plan must be submitted by Parent / Guardian to their Childs Educator clearly stating Medication type, storage requirements, frequency of administration, dosage to be administered and method of administration

Infectious Diseases

We ask if an infectious disease becomes apparent at home that the parent/guardian contacts us so appropriate action can take place. If this becomes apparent at our service, we will contact parents/guardians or emergency contacts about the child’s symptoms, and the immediate need to collect the child from our service. Some common childhood infections requiring exclusion are: See www.hpsc.ie for full table of exclusions.

Chicken Pox:

Diarrhoea and/or Vomiting:

Flu (Influenza):

Until scabs are dry

48hrs from last episode

Until full recovered

Meal Requirements

We operate a strict Healthy Eating Policy and do not allow children to consume crisps, nuts, any food containing chocolate, or fizzy drinks.

Full Day Care (Over 5 hours)

Two meals (one hot) and two snacks, e.g. Breakfast (from 7am to 8.45am), Snack (11am), Lunch (1.30pm) and Snack (4pm). If children are present for a long day, an evening meal will also need to be provided.

Part Time Care (Up to 5 Hours)

Two meals and one snack, e.g. Breakfast (7am to 8.45am), Snack (11am), Lunch (1.30pm), Snack (4pm). It is not necessary to have a hot meal.

Sessional Care (Up to 3.5 Hours)

One meal and one snack – e.g. Snack (11am) and Lunch (1.30pm) or Breakfast (7am to 8.45am) and Snack (11am).

ECCE Only (9am to 12pm)

Healthy snack served at approximately 11am.

Birthdays / Celebrations

As per our Healthy Eating Policy, we do not allow chocolate or dairy based confectionary items. If you wish to provide treats for your child's classmates, please discuss with us in advance, and consider fruit-based treats.

Specific Food Alergies

At times we may have children with specific food allergies or needs, thus we will notify all families of the foods that will not be able to be provided to children. We have a strict no nut policy.