Our Policies & Procedures Keeping Your Children Safe

We have COVID safe measures in place during this time:

• You may sign in with our QR code.
• Wear a mask when entering our centre.
• Sign in/out promptly to avoid prolonged stay and minimise risk of infection.
• Call / email us at any time for information about your child. We are trying to reduce face-to-face interactions to minimise risk of infection.
• Do not enter the room – you are able to access your child’s belongings and sign in / out.
• Sanitise upon entering the service.
• Do not attend if you have ANY symptoms. Your child will be sent home if they are coughing, have a runny nose, sneezing, or show any symptom.
• Social distancing is maintained as much as possible between educators, and with families. It is unavoidable to maintain distance with children as they require hands-on assistance (toileting, nappy change, refilling water bottles, settling upset children, settling to sleep, changing clothes etc), but we will where we can (outdoor play, when seated at 
• the tables etc).
• Regular hygiene practices for both children and staff throughout the day.
• Regular cleaning the throughout the day.
• Optimal ventilation.

We thank you and our community for keeping us safe and following our COVID safe procedures.

Toys and items of value should remain at home. All items of clothing should be labelled with your child’s name.

Please ensure your child has a backpack, this is to be stored in their locker. Each child should have in their bag a change of clothing, a hat, a pair of socks and a spare pair of underwear. Children will get dirty.

During the day the children are allowed to take their shoes off and place them in the shoebox. So please ensure your child’s shoes are labelled with their names to prevent any confusion.

Children should be appropriately dressed. They need to wear play clothes. (Not to be dressed up).

The children need to be comfortable and not restricted by the clothes so please make sure that your child’s is not wearing overalls or belts as they are not easily managed by a child who’s in a hurry to get to the toilet.

While packing your child’s bag keep in mind the weather at the time, in winter always make sure there’s a jumper in his/her locker in case the wind picks up through the course of the day.

Do not send an umbrella to Little Stars Kindergarten, as these can be dangerous with the children.

THINGS TO REMEMBER: –

• Remember to LABEL all items of clothing.
• Provide a COMPLETE CHANGE OF CLOTHING DAILY.
• Remember to SUPPLY A COTTON SHEET for your child, as there is a sleep/rest period after lunch.
• Please PUT AN APPROPRIATE SUN HAT in your child’s bag.
• Lockers are provided for your child’s belongings. Please check them daily and clear them out at the end of every week.
• Please NO lollies, sweets to be included in your child’s bag for snacks or lunch.
• Please read information sheets, they are there to keep you informed with your child’s development.
• Please sign your child IN and OUT daily – we are legally required to have accurate records of all children on the premises, and it is important for safety purposes.
• Please do not bring toys from home, except cuddly toys for sleep/rest time.
• Wash your child’s sheets weekly, and don’t forget to bring them back the following week, as we do not carry spares.
• Please keep sheets in good order and repair as a comfortable sheet helps make sleep come more easily.
• Please be sure to pick up your child before 5.30pm – remember the late fee penalty.

Children should be provided appropriate practical clothes for the activities i.e., painting, arts and crafts and sandpit activities and weather conditions prevailing both daily and seasonal.

Consideration should be given to ensuring their clothing is suitable for without concern for soiling that may occur during activities. They should also have a warm sweater in case the day turns cold as happens when a Southerly change moves through Sydney.

From time to time, we will publish a newsletter or attach notes to the emailed Weekly Invoice.

A summary of the day’s activities is available to read in the “Daily Journal”, which is located on the front counter.

We strive to achieve strong partnerships with families through open communication. There are many ways which we communicate with our families including email, phone, written notices, and face-to-face interactions.

Excursions are an important part of our Emergency Evacuation process.

Excursions, such as KindiFarm, offer children a rich learning experience. We endeavour to inform our families of excursions as early as possible. Parents are welcome to attend on the day of the excursion.

General Principles

Children should not be brought into the centre unless they are able to cope with normal centre routines and activities, as we cannot always give one-to-one attention with regard to sick children.

A comprehensive list of Conditions, Exclusion of Cases and Exclusion of Contact can be obtained from our staff.

Minor Ailments, Fever

Children’s body temperature often fluctuates markedly during an infection. A very common pattern is for a child to develop a high temperature during the night, but to appear perfectly well the next morning.

During the day, however, the child’s temperature may once again be on the rise. Parents should inform staff that the child has been FEVERISH.

Staff members suspecting that a child has an elevated temperature may measure the child’s temperature. If the temperature is above 38ºC the child will be considered unwell.

Parents will be asked to take their child home.

Parents will be notified before we administer Panadol to bring the temperature down. This action will be written down on the Medication Form for parents to sign.

If your child is taking antibiotics you must keep them at home for the initial 24 hours after commencement.

Prescribed Medication – Short Term

Little Stars Kindergarten can only administer medications provided the item of medication is in its original container, is valid and made out in the child’s name with dosages mentioned.

The child’s name, type of medication, dosage-required use by date and time of administration are to be entered the Medication Form are also to sign the Medication Form after administration of the medication.

Prescribed Medication – Long Term

When medication for the treatment of long-term conditions or complaints such as asthma or epilepsy is needed, either intermittently or on a continuous basis, the above conditions will also apply.

In addition, parents should acquaint staff with the manifestations of the condition as they apply to their child including such details as likely severity of attacks, warning signs, methods of acute care, etc.

A Medical Conditions / Action Plan from the child’s doctor or specialist is required detailing the medical condition of the child.

Emergency Treatment

In the case of an accident or emergency resulting in the need for medical attention every effort will be made to contact the parents/ guardians before attention is sought.

Our license with 1st Meadowbank Scouts Group requires us to vacate the premises on time in the evenings for Cub/ Scout use. A late fee may apply for pick-ups after 5.30pm, therefore we highly recommend an additional family member / friend to pick up your child to avoid this fee. 

If someone other than yourself is to pick up your child from the centre and they have not been nominated as an “authorised” person, you must provide written authorisation stating who it is to be by letter or email, along with a copy of their photo identification.

Parents, please do not authorise anyone who is under the age of 18 years to pick up your child unless an “AUTHORITY FOR COLLECTION/ DROP OFF PERSON AGED UNDER 18 YEARS” form has been completed beforehand.

We will not give a child to any person who is not known to us or authorised to collect the child by the parent in writing.

From time to time we take photographs of children participating in activities at the centre. These photographs are sometimes displayed around the centre or placed in an album. For more information about how these photos are used, please speak directly to our team. 

It is a requirement that you sign your child “IN” and “OUT” when dropping off or picking up your child as it is critical that we have accurate records. It is essential for attendance purposes and in case there is an emergency, and for obtaining correct CCS.

In an emergency evacuation situation, a member of staff will remove the Daily 2-3 Year-Olds and the 3-5 Year-Olds Attendance Sheets and take them to the assembly point for a head count.

The Attendance Sheets are located on the counter at the entrance to the hall.

The role is checked at no later than 10:30am, so if your child is going to be absent, we would appreciate it if you would ring Little Stars before this time.

Children should wear hats throughout the year. The best hats should be wide brimmed to provide protection for the face, neck and ears when exposed to the sun. Children without hats will be provided with a clean Little Stars spare hat. It will be sent home with the child to be cleaned and returned. The centre incorporates awareness activities for sun and skin protection in the teaching programmes for all age groups.

Our team support this strategy by: –

• Encouraging wearing protective hats and appropriate outdoor clothing e.g., broad brim hats and long-sleeved shirts, blouses.
• Direct children to use shaded areas were possible.
• Adopt a flexible approach to planning that we promote optimum use of shaded areas.

When enrolling a child, parents or carers will be:

• Requested to provide a hat with abroad brim.
• Provide younger children a tie-on hat to ensure that the hat stays on.
• Encouraged to apply SPF30+ broad-spectrum sunscreen to the child before leaving home, particularly in spring, summer and autumn.
• Encouraged to apply SPF30+ at the centre upon arrival. Sunscreen is available in the foyer.

Educators will follow up with more applications during the day.

If exposure to the sun in unavoidable, the procedure is to apply SPF30+ to the face, neck and ears, back of hands and feet 20 minutes before going outside.