Introducing A New Child To The Setting

Before a child starts at The Kids’ Club or The Little Kids’ Club, we recommend that he/she have an induction period.  There is no charge for these induction visits.  The first visit will be with the  parents/carers and child/ren to view the Club, this will give everyone the opportunity to meet each other, see our surroundings and ask any questions. The Little Kids’ Club will still be set up as a pre-school environment until the start of the said holiday.  If we feel it will be of benefit to help with the settling in and time scales allow, other visits can be arranged during the holidays.

If due to start with The Kids’ Club, the second visit the child can be left for a couple of hours.  This will enable them to become familiar with the new surroundings, make new friends and enjoy and participate in the activities.  If attending our after school club opportunities are given for the child to experience our ‘pick up’ schedule depending on their school prior to officially starting.

To make the children’s introduction to The Kids’ Club and The Little Kids’ Club as smooth and enjoyable as possible we aim to:

• Ensure the introduction period  is flexible, adapted to each individual child so they can feel secure in our environment
• Enough time is given for staff and parent/ carers to discuss their child’s interests, skills, needs and circumstances
• To continue to offer these visits depending on the child and time frames
• On the child’s first day at Club we will show them again where everything is, including where they put their belongings and where the bathrooms are located!
• Give them a tour of the Club and introduce them to the staff
• Depending on where they would like to start their day, ensure the staff members in that area are aware that it is the child’s first day and if necessary provide one to one support to ensure they feel safe and secure
• Make sure they are aware of all routines
• During the course of the day, at regular intervals, ask how they are doing and react accordingly

Although we do not operate a Key Worker system at The Kids’ Club, our team of staff are always on hand at the start of the day and also at pick up time to discuss your child’s day and any queries you may have.  We encourage the staff and children to form natural relationships with each other.   If your child has formed a close relationship with a particular member of staff, they will be introduced to you in order to give you first-hand what kind of day your child has had.

Parent/carers can call at any time to see how their child is settling in, we all want to but are unsure of whether we should! Please do…

(Reviewed/ Revised March 2020)