Childcare at The Children's Hospital at Westmead

The Centre caters for 40 children from 0-5 years of age. The Centre is open from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm, Monday to Friday, 50 weeks of the year.  

We provide an educational program based on the Early Years Learning Framework in a happy, safe and challenging environment for the children.

Add your name to the Waiting list

Location

The Child Care Centre is in the grounds of the Children’s Hospital near the Oval car park, next door to Westmeadow Child Care Centre.

The Service may be accessed via Redbank Rd, driving over the blue bridge, following the road as it curves around (do not go up or down, stay on the level road).

You will pass two small white petrol bowsers on your right before coming to a pedestrian crossing.

Turn right immediately after, by-passing the first centre (which is Westmeadow) we are the Centre at the bottom of the driveway.

Hours

• The Centre is open Monday to Friday 6:30 am to 6:30 pm, 50 weeks of the year.
• Late fees are charged for children who have not been collected from the centre by 6:30pm.
• The service is closed for all public holidays and for two weeks over the Christmas/New Year period, plus two cleaning days.
• Parents will be advised at least one (1) month in advance of the shutdown period. Fees will not be charged over this period.

Child Care subsidy

• Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is a payment made to eligible families to assist with the costs of child care. All Australian residents are entitled to receive a minimum payment of the Child Care Subsidy (CCS).
• To receive this you must register with Centrelink. For more information contact 13 61 50.
• Once you have registered with the Centrelink you will receive CCS as either a fee reduction, a fortnightly or quarterly payment or a lump sum payment following the end of the financial year.
• Centrelink will notify the Service of your nominated method.

Fee structure and payment

Fees are set at the following amounts. At least one month’s notice will be given if there is any change in fees.

On enrolment you are required to pay a bond equivalent of four (4) weeks fees that will be held in the Centre’s Special Purpose and Trust Account. The bond will be used as fees when four weeks’ notice of withdrawing a child is given to the Director.

Child care fees are to be paid four weeks in advance. Fees are charged for all public holidays except over the closure period over Christmas/New Year. No fees are charged for the two week closure over Christmas/New Year. Nor for the two cleaning days which are held in June/July and in December.

Methods of Payment

• Payroll Deduction – for Children’s Hospital staff
• Cheque – made payable to The Children’s Hospital Child Care Centre
• Cash – to the Children’s Hospital cashier on level 2
• Credit Card – to the Children’s Hospital cashier on level 2.

Priority of access

The priority of access is as follows:

• 1st priority: Staff employed by the Area Health Service on the specific site of the Child Care Service are to receive first priority.
• 2nd priority: Staff employed by the Area Health Service are to receive the second priority with places given to staff at the sponsoring Hospital.
• 3rd priority: Staff employed by other Area Health Services and other Health System Services are to receive third priority.
• 4th priority: Should the Service be unable to fill all the child care places from with the above categories then places will be available to the community.

With these categories length of care provided is to be in accordance with work hours and reasonable travel time, e.g. 15 minutes either side of shift, 30 minutes if off-campus.

Special consideration shall be given to:

• Families with sibling(s) currently attending the centre
• Shift-workers
• Families on lower incomes
• Single parents and families in which both parents are working
• Aboriginal families
• Parents or children with ongoing disabilities
• Families from a non-English speaking background.

Waiting list

• Register online or complete an application at the Centre.
• When a place becomes available, parents will be contacted by phone.
• The waiting list is updated once a year via a mail-out. It is imperative to return this form by the nominated date in order to keep your name on the waiting list.
• Places are allocated in accordance with the Priority of Access Policy. Siblings of children already enrolled at the Service are given first preference.
• When allocating new places, within these priorities, the place is offered to the family who had their name placed on the list at the earliest date.

Arrival and departure

• Drop off zones are provided in the parking area outside the Centre.
• The Centre has a security system at the front door for access to the Service.
• Simply press the buzzer for the appropriate room for your child to attend, and staff will respond in that room by answering the buzzer, and on identifying the person at the door, will release the catch for the front door to be opened for you.
• An electronic sign in/sign out is provided, please ensure you sign your child in - on the way in and sign out - on your way out.
• In the case of an emergency, such as fire, the registered attendance is a record for staff of the children in the Centre at the time who must be accounted for.
• Sunscreen is available in the foyer for you to apply on arrival each morning.
• When you arrive please take your child to his/her teacher.
• Place your fruit in the fruit basket and your child’s bag in his/her locker.
• If your child is wearing a nappy, please change him/her before leaving the centre.
• If the person collecting your child from the Centre is unknown to the staff then they will be asked to show a photo ID to a staff member at the Service.
• We will not allow your child to leave the Service with anyone under the age of 18 years or with someone unknown to us without a photo ID, or who does not have authorisation.

Daily routine

Wombat Room (0-3 year old)

6:30 am - Family grouping time. Set up in/outdoor activities
7:00 am - Breakfast in /outdoors (depending on weather). Quiet activities
8:00am - Breakfast finishes. indoor/outdoor play
9:00am - Morning tea/ nappy changing/ toilet time
10:00am - Indoor/outdoor activities
11:00am - Language group time - Pink group and Green group
11:15am - Lunch. Nappy changing/ toilet time
11:40am - Quiet activities before bed
12:00pm - Bed time
12:00-2:30pm - Alternating staff lunch breaks
1:00pm - Quiet indoor activities. Sunscreen application
2:30pm - Music group time - Pink group and Green group
2:45pm - Nappy Changing / toilet time
3:00pm - Afternoon tea
3:30pm - In/outdoor activities (depending on weather). Family grouping
5:30pm - Join up with the Possums in the Possums room
6:30pm - Centre closes

Possum Room (3-5 year old)

6:30am - Indoor activities in Wombat room or breakfast on the verandah or outdoor activities (weather permitting)

8:00am - Outdoor activities / Indoor activities (depending on weather)

9:00am - Progressive Morning tea. In/outdoor play (depending on weather)
9:35am - First group for group time
10:00am - Second group for group time
10:25am - Third group for group time
10:50am - Pack away time. Children go outside for play (depending on weather)
11:30am - Lunch time (children self-serve meals)
12:00-2:30pm - Alternating staff lunch breaks
12:10pm - Language and literature groups
12:20pm - Toilet time
12:40pm - Sleep/Rest time (catering for individual needs)
1:10pm - Quiet activities in the room including craft
2:30pm - Sunscreen and shoes on. Indoor Activities
3:00pm - Progressive afternoon tea. Indoor / Outdoor free play
4:30pm - Pack away indoors. Outdoor play. (weather permitting)
5:30pm - Indoor time- DVD’s, books, music and movement, construction
6:30pm - Centre closes

Food and nutrition

• The Service provides breakfast for those children in care prior to 8am, morning tea, a hot lunch with dessert and afternoon tea.A variety of foods is provided from the five food groups.
• More than half the recommended daily dietary intake of nutrients is provided by the service. Any suggestions for the menu from parents are welcome.
• The menu is displayed in the foyer. It incorporates food from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Our Cook provides alternative meals for children with food allergies and/or restrictions.
• Babies on formula will only be given their bottle with the formula already made up from home, if the bottle is labelled with the date and the child’s name and placed in the bottle fridge in the Wombat room.

Sample menu

Breakfast

Weet bix and Puffed Rice
Milk and Water

Morning tea

Grilled cheese and tomato on wholemeal toast
Fruit and vegetable platter
Milk and water

Lunch

Thai beef noodle salad
(Green beans, rice vermicelli, cherry tomatoes, Lebanese cucumber, red onion and mixed lettuce leaves)
Fruit platter and water

Alternate meals

Chicken or Vegetarian Thai noodle salad
Mashed vegetables for babies

Afternoon tea

Apple triangles served with natural yoghurt
Vegetable platter
Milk and water

What to bring

• A bed sheet

• Two spare sets of clothes

• A piece of fruit

• Gum boots in wet weather

• 5 labelled disposable nappies if required for children in the Wombat room

Please label your child’s disposable nappies and place them on the shelf in the nappy change room. Let us know if your child is toilet training and include numerous pairs of training pants.

Please toilet your child on arrival for those children who are toilet training. Wet clothes will be placed in a plastic bag in the laundry for parents to collect.

Please label all your child’s clothes. Although staff will look for any lost items, we cannot take responsibility for them.

On enrolment, families are required to purchase a legionnaire style hat for their child as part of the sun protection policy. This hat will then remain at the centre for your child to wear all year round when playing outside.

The children are encouraged to bring an item for ‘show and tell’ on designated days, and to put them in the appropriate show and tell basket.

Please do not bring anything that is precious, valuable or too large to fit in the show and tell basket.

Staffing levels

The Service is staffed according to The Education and Care Services National Regulations under sections 301 and 324 of the Education and Care Services National Law, at all times of the day – inside and outside.

Under 2 years of age

• 1 adult : 4 children

2-3 years

• 1 adult : 8 children

3-5 years

• 1 adult : 10 children

Wombat room (maximum 15 children)

Five permanent full-time staff are rostered to work in the 0-3 year-olds Wombat room each day, which includes two Early Childhood University Trained Teachers, two Diploma of Children’s Services and one Child Care Certificate III certified worker.

Possum room (maximum 25 children)

In the 3-5 year-olds Possum room, three permanent full-time staff members are allocated to work with the 25 children, plus one permanent part-time staff member.

This comprises of two Early Childhood Trained Teachers, one Diploma of Children’s Services and one part-time Diploma of Children’s Services staff member.

Staff qualifications

• The Service has a trained full-time permanent relief staff member (Diploma of Children’s services) and a permanent part-time staff member (Child Care Certificate III certified) to cover for staff when they are on leave.
• The Service has a Trained Cook who prepares the meals for the children and also a full-time Administrative Officer.
• The Director of the Service (Nominated Supervisor) holds a double degree in Early Childhood Education. 

Learning in the centre

Our educational program aims to contribute to the following learning outcomes:

• The child will have a strong sense of identity 
• The child will be connected with and contribute to his or her world 
• The child will have a strong sense of wellbeing 
• The child will be a confident and involved learner 
• The child will be an effective communicator. 

Children are offered a choice of experiences that the staff have planned or the children initiated. Staff respect the child's right to choose not to participate at times. Staff are flexible and change planned or routine experiences according to the interests of the children, to cope with other situations eg; weather changes. Staff allow frequent opportunities to have friendly spontaneous interaction with all children individually and to respond to them warmly. Routine tasks are incorporated into the curriculum as a means of furthering children learning self-help and social skills. All children need to feel they are valued as individuals and capable of achieving to their full potential.

Programming and planning

The Centre has implemented the Early Years Learning Framework, which aims to provide a high-quality program that reflects the interests of every child. Children will be encouraged to be actively involved in the learning process, to experience a variety of activities and materials.

Staff observe the children’s behaviour and skills and use this as a basis for individual program planning. Staff plan realistic curriculum goals and objectives for individual children and each room displays a written weekly program for parents to read.

Modifications are made in the environment for children with exceptional development and when necessary staff make appropriate, professional referrals in conjunction with families.

The curriculum refers to all activities during the day and provides children with balanced opportunities for quiet times and group times, adequate rest periods and small and large group activities. The program and individual objectives are evaluated weekly. All the materials and equipment within the curriculum reflect the cultural diversity that exists in our society and avoid stereotyping of any group.

Goals are set with the parents and staff at the beginning of the year and evaluated with parents and staff at the end of the year.

The curriculum also includes, on a daily basis, the opportunity for children to experience:

• Indoor and outdoor activities
• Opportunities to strengthen and enhance fine and gross motor skills
• Experience concepts of maths and science through activities such as cooking, block play, water play, collecting nature items, board games, etc
• Language development is encouraged through staff modelling, play, language groups, songs, finger play, games, poems, drama and child to child interaction
• School readiness, social/emotional and independence skills are strengthened through a wide range of activities designed to enhance a child’s auditory, visual and tactile senses; and
• Music/movement activities are offered daily to encourage physical, social/intellectual and fun areas of child’s development.

Our educational program aims to contribute to the following learning outcomes:

• The child will have a strong sense of identity
• The child will be connected with and contribute to his or her world
• The child will have a strong sense of wellbeing
• The child will be a confident and involved learner
• The child will be an effective communicator

Children are offered a choice of experiences that the staff have planned or the children initiated. Staff respect the child’s right to choose not to participate at times. Staff are flexible and change planned or routine experiences according to the interests of the children, to cope with other situations eg; weather changes.

Staff allow frequent opportunities to have friendly spontaneous interaction with all children individually and to respond to them warmly. Routine tasks are incorporated into the curriculum as a means of furthering children learning self-help and social skills. All children need to feel that they are valued as individuals and capable of achieving their full potential.

Health and safety

Our Health and Safety policies have been developed in consultation with staff, parents and paediatricians to minimise the spread of infection within the Service. When children spend time in child care and are exposed to a large number of children, infectious diseases can spread. However, most childhood illnesses are relatively mild and can even boost a child’s immunity.

Our hygiene procedures and policy for exclusion of sick children plays an important role in minimising infection. Our policies set out what procedures the staff will take if your child falls sick at the service. Staff monitor the children very closely in this regard and always contact the parents should there be any concern regarding the child’s health.

• Administration of authorised medication
• Immunisation and disease prevention
• Medical conditions policy
• Emergency management and evacuation policy
• Child protection policy
• Health, Hygiene and safe food policy

Further information

• NSW Health Immunise Australia Program
• Kids Health
• Kidsafe NSW

Service goals

We aim to work as a team of families, educators and children to provide high-quality child-centred care, in a warm, supportive and educational environment.

In respect of children

• Providing a range of culturally diverse experiences and activities in the day to day curriculum.
• To encourage physical activity and development of gross motor skills through the ‘Munch and Move’ program within the curriculum.
• To continue to base the curriculum around the Early Years Learning and National Quality Frameworks.

In respect of families

• To encourage parental involvement in the Service, curriculum, routines etc.
• To acknowledge the uniqueness of each family and the significance of their culture, customs, language and beliefs through resources, visual aids and experiences, supporting parents in the care and wellbeing of their children.

In respect of educators

• To make sure that all work colleagues treat each other with respect and work together as part of a team, ensuring the smooth running of the Service, day to day routines and education curriculum.
• To recognise and utilise each educators expertise in the Early Childhood field through the use of professional reflection, whilst providing a quality curriculum.

In respect of the community

• To encourage sustainable practices within the Service and encourage the children to follow the three “R’s”.
• To develop children’s knowledge and appreciation of environment and water conservation.

Management and philosophy

The Director of the Service manages the day to day operation on the Service and reports to the Delegate of the Service, Manager of Corporate Services.

The Service is managed in accordance with the NSW Health Department Child Care program Manual.

The Parent Advisory Committee meets bi-monthly and provides parents the opportunity to have input into the operations of the Service.

Legislation

A National Quality Framework (NQF) has been established under an applied law system, comprised of the ‘Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010’ and the ‘Education and Care Services National Regulation 2011.’

The National Quality Framework along with the Early Years Learning Framework set the national benchmark for the quality of the service.

Parental involvement

Parents are welcome at the Centre at all times. All staff recognise the importance of parent input in order to foster all aspects of their child’s development. Suggestions are always welcome.

Newsletters, whiteboards and noticeboards in the Centre are all used as additional ways of communicating with the parents, as well as verbal communication when you pick up or drop off your child. Parents/Educator interviews can be arranged annually. They are a great opportunity to discuss your child’s development but you are always welcome to make time to talk to the staff as the need may arise.

The Service also holds family functions such as barbecues and breakfasts throughout the year to which everyone is invited.

Philosophy

Children

• We respect the rights of all children as per the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and strive to provide the best quality of care and education they are entitled to.
• Educators value the importance of forming warm relationships with children to ensure they develop a sense of Belonging in their world, encourage their Being in the moment and guide them to becoming the best they can be.
• Education and early childhood is essential to the development of children and their later lives and is therefore promoted by our service through inclusive and equitable practices that are child-focused.
• We encourage children to establish and maintain respectful and trusting relationships with other children and to place value in others and their perspectives.
• Our service aims to be sustainable through role modelling practices for children and their families.
• We aim to provide natural resources and recycled materials where possible, encouraging children to reduce, reuse and recycle.
• We believe that the future state of the environment would benefit from early education in relation to sustainability and caring for the planet.

Families and community

• We value and respect all families, building strong partnerships and encouraging them to share their experiences, knowledge and skills with the service and the children.
• We believe that a main component to bridging the relationship between a child’s home environment and child care environment is based on this partnership and parental input in every aspect of the service.
• We understand the value of our hospital community and its resources, along with the local community.
• Educators aim to demonstrate the importance of belonging to a community with the children and their families, connecting our worlds.

Curriculum

• Our service aims to provide a play-based curriculum which is responsive to children’s ideas, interests, knowledge and experiences to enhance learning opportunities within the environment.
• We aim to provide a curriculum that encourages each child to build their confidence and identity whilst incorporating lessons to develop literacy and numeracy skills, school transition preparedness, collaborative group work, creativity, and respect for themselves, each other and the community as a whole.
• We believe the curriculum is created by incorporating spontaneous moments and interactions along with purposeful intentional teaching. Educators guide children to learn new skills and concepts, supporting all children to participate regardless of their cultural background and ability.
• This is based on the National Quality Framework, practices outlined in the Early Years Learning Framework; Belonging, Being & Becoming, policy reviews and feedback received by families and stakeholders.
• Our service promotes and implements effective hygiene practices to prevent the spread of germs and infections in the environment and advocate for Munch and Move in fostering a healthy lifestyle and learning through play, supporting the development of fundamental movement skills.
• Educators believe that a safe and caring play-based environment is paramount in optimising children’s learning whilst providing children with opportunities to make choices, attempt new challenges and participate in the program.

Educators

• All Educators are dedicated to providing consistency through the highest quality of program and its delivery within a safe environment.
• Our service is committed to providing professional development opportunities for Educators, supporting and encouraging further development of their skills and knowledge in the Early Childhood field by attending in-services and further studies to upgrade qualifications.
• As Early Childhood professionals, we advocate for continuous improvement through self-assessment and quality improvement processes.
• All Educators work collaboratively towards a common vision of pedagogy by encouraging and supporting each other whilst constructing a program that is underpinned by the Early Years Learning Framework.
• We embrace the multiplicity of Educators and families celebrating cultural diversity as an anti-bias opportunity for inclusive practice.
• We believe having Educators and children from diverse backgrounds strengthens the workplace culture and cultural competence, sharing values and beliefs within the service, families and children making these practices part of Belonging in our service.
• Educators value and respect the rights of each individual child by facilitating their needs and interests, encouraging them to scaffold their learning and achieve their fullest potential by promoting their agency.
• Our Service aims to focus on the development of the whole child, by offering a curriculum that promotes exploration of the environment, whilst encouraging children to participate in the curriculum at their own pace, as we recognise that each child is unique and valuable.

Newsletter

The newsletter is distributed to parents quarterly. The newsletter contains information about the Service activities e.g. visitors to the Service, any staffing changes, and also news about what activities have taken place in each of the playrooms. There may also be information about the latest fundraising project.

Parent Committee 

There is a Parent Advisory Committee which meets bi-monthly. The committee consists of up to 12 members and is an opportunity to have input into the Service. Parents also have an opportunity to discuss any matters concerning the Centre.

The minutes from the meetings are displayed on the notice board in the Foyer at the Service.

Quality Improvement

The Service has an ongoing policy of quality improvement. Areas are identified which may need improvement and strategies are worked out (through staff/room meetings, Parent Advisory meetings, input from children, families and relevant stakeholders), implemented, evaluated and reflected on to ensure a high-quality service is offered.

As part of our ongoing policy of quality improvement, staff at the Service work towards meeting the goals of our ‘Continuing Improvement Plan’.

For more information on quality improvement and quality standards please visit the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority web site.