Kinda Kapers aims to encourage healthy eating habits, by supporting children, staff and families to understand the benefits of providing and eating nutritional, well balanced meals in conjunction with regular physical activity.

Kinda Kapers believes that “Education and Knowledge” of healthy eating and nutrition is a collaborative task between parents/guardians and staff. We believe this will promote a positive viewpoint towards healthy foods and establish sound food habits for the future.

Kinda Kapers services that only provide morning and afternoon tea:

The Department of Community Services regulations do not allow staff to give children foods high in sugars, fats or artificial flavours, colours and preservatives. This is not a decision made by staff and they must enforce this regulation.

Staff will encourage and support families to provide varied food that will meet a minimum of 50% of the recommended daily intake of nutrients.

The service will provide morning tea and afternoon tea that consists of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables with savoury snacks being offered after the children have eaten their fruit.

Families will be asked to pack lunch for their child each day. Families will be provided with a brochure on orientation on suitable healthy foods to include in their child’s lunch box.

The service will provide milk and water to children at morning tea and lunch. Water will be provided for afternoon tea.

Families are also encouraged to pack a recognisable, labelled drink bottle filled with water for easy access when children require a drink. Staff will refill the bottles after a thorough rinse.

Staff will also display a drink cue card for non-verbal children to utilise if they are thirsty throughout the day.

UNSUITABLE FOODS – Scones, muffins, cakes, chocolate/chocolate products, jelly, fruit bars, muesli bars, breakfast bars, lollies, chips, flavoured milk or yoghurts, rollups, cream or chocolate chip biscuits.

These foods (along with any others staff consider high in sugars, fats, artificial flavours, colours and preservatives) will be sent home, and your child will be offered an alternative if possible.

Kinda Kapers services that provide morning and afternoon tea and lunch:

Children will be offered three meals per day – morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.

Menus will aim to meet a minimum of 50% of the children’s recommended daily intake of nutrients. Menus will aim to cater for any cultural, religious or any special dietary needs of children on their days of attendance at the centre.

Menus will be evaluated on a daily basis by staff to review the likes and dislikes of the children for future menu planning.

Menus will be displayed in the foyer of the centre and parents/carers will be encouraged to document their ideas, suggestions or concerns on the menu.

Staff will provide milk and water for the children to drink at morning tea. Water only will be provided at lunch and afternoon tea.

Staff will also display a drink cue card for non-verbal children to utilise if they are thirsty throughout the day.

Families are also encouraged to pack a recognisable, labelled drink bottle filled with water for easy access when children require a drink. Staff will refill the bottles after a thorough rinse.

Medication Policy

Medication may be administered at day care but must have a prescription label on it stating:

Child’s name
Dosage
Doctor’s name
Expiry Date

Parents/carers are required to fill in a medication form on arrival. Please ensure you hand the completed medication form and medicine to a staff member.

When a doctor has prescribed antibiotics to a child he/she should be kept at home for a minimum of 24 hrs from the commencement of the medication.

If your child has been on asthma medication he/she should be kept home for 24hrs before attending day care.

Medication will only be administered for 1 care period, which equals 7 days unless you have a letter from your doctor stating that the medication is to be administered for longer than this time.

Panadol – The Centre will not administer Panadol. If your child becomes unwell through the day, staff will make every attempt to contact parent / carer or the emergency contacts. You are then required to come and collect your child.

Non-prescribed or over-the-counter medicines will not be administered to your child, with the exception of teething gels, nappy rash cream, powder etc. These may be administered only if they are accompanied by a doctors letter / certificate stating that the child may have it applied.

Sun Protection Policy

It is recommended by the Cancer Council that sunscreen is applied 20 mins before children play outside, this is to ensure children have maximum protection against the sun. You are required to apply sunscreen before you bring your child to the centre. Sunscreen is reapplied by staff regularly throughout the day.

Children are required to have a wide brim / bucket or flap hat that covers their face, neck and shoulders. Please ensure that your child has a wide brim hat in their locker each day and that it is clearly labelled.

Please send your child in clothes with sleeves and collars to protect them from sunburn.

Smoking, Alcohol and Illegal Substance Policy

Kinda Kapers is a smoke, alcohol and illegal substance free zone. Please do not smoke in the car park or in the vicinity of the Centre. This is a health issue for your child.

If staff think that a parent / carer / staff member is under the influence of smoking / alcohol / illegal substance when they come to pick up a child, the police and DoCS will be called.

Parent/Carer Grievance and Constructive Feedback Policy

Kinda Kapers has a Complaints / Constructive Feedback Policy. We welcome and encourage complaints / constructive feedback at all levels. Often your opinion / feedback can lead to a positive change in the centre.

How to make a complaint or give constructive feedback:

Talk to Room Supervisor

The Room Supervisor will listen to and acknowledge complaint / constructive feedback respectfully and will respond to your concern

If you are not satisfied with the response please refer to the Services Manager

Notify the Services Manager – Alexis McInnes (02) 4947 8479.

Services Manager will listen to and acknowledge complaint / constructive feedback respectfully and will respond to your concern.

Make an appointment to meet with the Services Manager and complete a Complaint / Constructive Feedback Form
If you are not satisfied with the response please refer to the Licensee (Michelle Peden)

Notify Licensee (Michelle Peden)

Formalise your complaint / constructive feedback by completing Kinda Kapers Complaint / Constructive Feedback Form (you can either give this in person or mail it to Michelle Peden PO BOX 5126, KAHIBAH, NSW 2290)

Make an appointment to meet with the Licensee – Michelle Peden (02) 49 445 888

If unresolved by the Licensee, please use the following contact numbers:

Department of Community Services
(Children’s Services Advisor)
7 Smith street
CHARLESTOWN NSW 2290
(02) 4943 8811
Ombudsman’s Office
580 George Street
SYDNEY NSW 20014
1800 451 542

Department of Fair Trading
Level 2 Harbourpark Centre 2
251 Wharf Road
NEWCASTLE NSW 2300
(02) 4929 5362

Withdrawal of your Child from the Centre Policy

When withdrawing your child from enrolment at the Centre, two weeks written notice is required. Ideally your bond should cover these two weeks, but if there is a difference you will need to pay the difference.

Please ensure all fees are paid up to date before leaving.

Behaviour Guidance Policy

PURPOSE:

To provide a supportive environment where children are given consistent opportunities to learn socially acceptable behaviour

To develop and maintain positive, respectful and accepting relationships and to provide experiences in which children can practise a variety of self control strategies

For staff to consistently use reinforcement and accept all approximations of children (taking into consideration their age / developmental stage) by utilising a wide variety of approaches and strategies where children can feel confident to express their emotions, wants and needs.

Kinda Kapers staff will be supported to use a variety of strategies which are individualised but fair and consistent with all children. To do this staff will have knowledge on what is behaviour guidance, discipline, punishment, consequences, approximations, expectations and consistency.

Behaviour Guidance is all the practices you implement and communication methods used to demonstrate acceptable behaviour. The primary or ultimate aim of behaviour guidance is for children to be able to guide and control their own behaviour and rely less on adults to guide them.

Discipline is always respectful of the child. Discipline is an integral part of behaviour guidance. Discipline is about supporting children to learn to do the right thing and to want to do it. Discipline has its foundation in the warm caring relationship between the adult and the child.

Punishment is very different to discipline or behaviour guidance and has no place in the child care environment. Punishment is doing something negative to a child when they have done something that the adult does not approve of or deem to be inappropriate.

It is very disrespectful to the child to teach through punishment. Children may learn the philosophy that if you are a person with power you can use that power over others. Punishment teaches children to be deceptive and to avoid getting caught.

Approximations – Children should be reinforced and praised for attempts / approximations at things. Behaviour guidance is not about all or nothing. If a child attempts or starts to follow an instruction or partially demonstrates positive social behaviour then positive reinforcement or praise will increase the chance of this behaviour being followed through or repeated.

Expectations – It is also important that what you expect from a child or how you expect them to behave is achievable or “doable” by the child. If a child can not fulfil an expectation or is never praised for fulfilling an expectations then what is the point? They will simply see themselves as failures. Expectations need to be developmentally appropriate and achievable for each individual child. A child’s approximations or attempts at expected behaviour need to be recognised. Expectations must be consistent but may vary from child to child. This way we treat all children respectfully and equally although not necessarily the same.

Consistency – A consistent response to a behaviour assists children to learn more quickly which behaviours are acceptable or appropriate. Your response may vary from child to child depending on your expectations of each child. Consistency does not mean we have the same expectation for reach child but rather we have the same response each time a child demonstrates a particular behaviour. For consistency to work it is also important that all adults involved with the child use similar if not the same behaviour methods. Eg You would not expect a 3 year old to attend an activity for as long as a child of 5 years old.