Sessions

Pre-School meets from Monday through to Friday.

Rainbow divides the children into two groups with the 2 to 3 year olds (Explorers) in one and the 3 to 4 year olds  (Adventurers) in tne other). This helps the differentiating of activities and length of time spent, appropriate to each child. This also ensures we adhere to the strict adult to child ratios for the differing ages.

We recommend younger children do not attend less than 2 sessions per week. Our skilled practitioners fully understand the varying needs of children and the changing requirements as children develop to preschool age. By your child attending 2 or more sessions a week they find the transition less stressful. 

Explorers and Adventurers can attend for the following sessions:

• 9.00 am to 3.00pm (Doors open at 2.45 pm)

• 9.00am to 12 noon

• 9.00 am to 1.00pm (you provide a healthy lunch)

• 12.00 noon to 3.00pm (You provide a heathy lunch. Doors open at 2.45pm)

Term Dates

Rainbow Pre-School follows Essex County Council School Term and Holiday Dates for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools..  The Pre-School is able to allocate 5 INSET days per academic year.   You will find up to date term dates and INSET dates in our Useful Information (please note that we have a two week half term in the Autumn rerm.)

Arrival & Departure Routine

Parents/carers are required to wait by the gates until they open.  A member of staff from each room will welcome them at the gate. All children will be supported by other members of staff to enter the building, find their peg, hang up their belongings, and then enter their room. Adventurers will be supported to find their name on the internal board, remove it, and place it on the white registration board.

At the end of the day parents/carers are requested to enter Rainbow, collect their child’s items from their peg and see the practitioner on their child’s room door so that their child can be called.

If arriving individually at other times parents/carers are requested to press the call button to alert staff to your presence. We will then bring your child out to meet you.

It is essential, should you wish your child to be collected by anyone other than the known parent/carer that we are informed of the details, which will be entered in a book and signed, by parent/carer. Should there be a reason that this cannot take place and arrangements are made over the phone then an agreed password will be given.

Feeding and Rest Arrangements

We  supply a drink of milk or water and a healthy snack . Child use real porcelain plates and glasses during snack time. They pour their drinks and help to prepare snack.

We ask for a voluntary contribution towards the healthy snack.

We do not have a separate room for resting. However, we do have fold out sleeping mats and blankets for children that may require a nap. These are placed on the floor in Explorers and the room partitioned to aid sleeping. A member of staff is always in the room with the children that are sleeping and makes regular observations. Sleeping arrangements are discussed with children who still have an afternoon nap at the Key Person meetings.