Settling In Policy Settling
In Policy
EYFS: 3.27, 3.73
3.26, 3.72
At Brookdale Day Nursery we aim to support parents and other carers to help their children settle
quickly and easily by giving consideration to the individual needs and
circumstances of every child and their families. Our aim is for children to
feel safe, stimulated and happy in the nursery and to feel secure and
comfortable with all staff. We also want parents to have confidence in both
their children's continued well-being and their role as active partners, with
the child being able to benefit from what the nursery has to offer.
Our nursery will work in partnership with parents to settle
their child into the nursery environment by:
·
Allocating a key person to each child and
his/her family, before he/she starts to attend. The key person welcomes and
looks after the child ensuring that their care is tailored to meet their
individual needs. He/she offers a settled relationship for the child and builds
a relationship with his/her parents during the settling in period and
throughout his/her time at the nursery, to ensure the family has a familiar
contact person to assist with the settling in process
·
Reviewing the nominated key person if the child
is bonding with another member of staff to ensure the child’s needs are
supported
Providing parents with
relevant information about the policies and procedures of the nursery Encouraging parents and
children to visit the nursery during the weeks before an admission is
planned. Planning settling in
visits and introductory sessions. These are provided free of charge and
children and families can have as many as they need, dependent on
individual needs, age and stage of development Welcoming parents to stay
with their child during the first few weeks until the child feels settled
and the parents feel comfortable about leaving their child. Settling in
visits and introductory sessions are key to a smooth transition and to
ensure good communication and information sharing between staff and
parents Reassuring parents whose
children seem to be taking a long time settling in to the nursery and
developing a plan with them Encouraging parents, where
appropriate, to separate themselves from their children for brief periods
at first, gradually building up to longer absences Assigning a buddy/back-up
key person to each child in case the key person is not available. Parents
will be made aware of this to support the settling process and attachment Respecting the
circumstances of all families, including those who are unable to stay for
long periods of time in the nursery and reassure them of their child’s
progress towards settling in
This policy was
adopted on
Signed on behalf of
the nursery
Date for review
May 2016
Esther Meechan
May 2017
