The Oasis Prep Parent Handbook

The Oasis Prep Parent Handbook Content Philosophy What you should know about The Oasis Prep

Enrolment Custody Arrangements Bookings Hours Public Holidays Late Collection Allowable Absences Fees Payment of Fees Centrelink Cancellation of bookings Signing In and out

Health and Safety First aid Medical conditions Immunisation Infectious diseases Sun protection and clothing Behaviour and guidance

Education Curriculum Eylf Individual portfolios Family Input Excursions 1st Edition : March 2014 PUBLISHED BY TREASURE ISLAND CHILD CARE PTY LTD (A.B.N 49 124 945 731) (C.R.N 407 320 907C) THE OASIS PREP 68 REDDEN DRIVE, KELLYVILLE, NSW, 2155 E-mail : theoasisprep@gmail.com Copyright Š Treasure Island Early Learning Centre 2013 Printed by Portball Systems Baulkham Hills N.S.W. All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Day to Day Meals Hygiene Toilet training Sleep Birthdays Policies Photographs Saying grace and praying for sick children

Notes

The Oasis Philosophy At the Oasis we believe that learning happens best in a fun, friendly, clean, green healthy environment, so we spend everyday striving to make such a place a reality for you and your children. We do this by employing the philosophy of One Child, One Life, One World.

One Child… At the Oasis we see every child as an individual. We recognise that every child comes to our centre with a different set of experiences, knowledge, interests and needs. We believe that by understanding and embracing every child’s unique qualities we can better harness their learning potential.

By taking a child centered approach to learning we seek to build on child’s experiences based on individual children’s strengths, interests and needs.

One Life… At the Oasis we believe that all children deserve the best possible start to life and as such have taken action to provide a cleaner, greener, safer learning environment so that children can grow and families can flourish.

We believe that children are never to young to learn the basic principles of healthy eating and exercising as they are the stepping stones to a long and healthy life.

Both planned and spontaneous experiences reflect our belief that children learn through play and that all children can achieve success. We nurture in children a strong sense of self worth as we know that confidence and a high self esteem are key aspects of successful learning.

One World… At the Oasis we believe that this world is amazing and that it is our responsibility to protect it. We value this world for both the amazing nature that springs out of it and the diversity of things living on it.

We believe that all humanity is important and invaluable therefore we encourage children to increase their awareness and acceptance of others. We strive to provide children with an opportunity to learn about other cultures in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

We follow Christian principals and beliefs, but we never loose sight of the fact that we have a diversity of cultures, practices and beliefs among our children. To this end we strive to ensure we are sensitive to the many beliefs, practices and cultures of our children and their families.

At the Oasis we believe that every child when equipped with the right tools has the potential to live out an amazingly abundant life. We believe that it is with this knowledge that our children will grow to be happy, healthy human beings and maybe even change the world.

Aims and Goals For children Create an environment of self confidence, self acceptance, independence and respect.

Develop gross and fine motor skills, cognitive skills, language, creativity and reasoning.

Expand understanding of others their differences, similarities, uniqueness and abilities Heighten awareness of the environment, environmental hazards, it’s impact on us and our impact on it.

Shape positive behavioural and social skills in a friendly peer rich environment.

And most importantly‌ Engage children in a fun, friendly, clean, green, healthy learning environment.

For parents Provide peace of mind that while you are busy at work your kids are busy at play.

Construct standards and policies for safer, smarter, healthier ways to engage and educate children.

Help with learning about healthier practices, solutions and products in the marketplace.

Advocate for and support parents, grandparents and carers as they navigate the tricky and sometimes overwhelming world of child development.

Equip parents with tips, tools and suggestions that help with making wise, informed lifestyle and education choices for parents and children.

Encourage daily communication and feedback Assemble a family friendly community of like minded passionate parents, teachers, educators and professionals.

And most importantly‌ Engage parents in a fun, friendly, clean, green, healthy learning environment.

What you should know about The Oasis Prep

Enrolment The Oasis Prep is required to hold a fully completed enrolment form for each child at the service. This enrolment form includes information about medical conditions and custody arrangements. Parents are responsible for ensuring that their details are kept up to date, including any changes to authorised emergency contacts, medical conditions or custody issues.

The Oasis Prep provides spaces for children according to the priority of Access guidelines. When there is a waiting list, spaces will be allocated according to these guidelines. The Oasis policy and procedures not Treasure Island.

Custody Arrangements Parents/guardians, regardless of their marital status, have joint and equal legal responsibilities for their children unless there is a court order determining otherwise.

Treasure Island Staff need to be knowledgeable of which parent/guardian has specific rights and responsibilities. Thus, The Oasis will need access to allow children to leave the Centre without permission of the custodial parent/guardian. It is the families’ responsibility to provide up-to-date records concerning the status of custody of their children. If parenting plans or custody arrangements change, a new copy of the access details must be provided to The Oasis as soon as possible.

Should a confrontation situation arise over custody the child will be kept at the service until the service director or the custodial parent have been contacted, and if necessary the Police and/or the Department of Community services.

Public Holiday

It is our policy that fees are payable for the days that your child is booked into the centre. If a public holiday falls on one of the days your child is booked in, fees are still payable even though the centre is not open.

Late Collection We are aware that there are some circumstances where parents and carers are unavoidably late. We ask that when it becomes apparent you are going to be delayed you contact the centre immediately. This will allow the staff to inform your child and alleviate any concerns your lateness may cause. Your call will also allow staff to contact their own families and inform them of their subsequent delay. Late fees will be charged at $10.00 for any time between 6:30pm and 6:40pm and $1 per minute thereafter. In addition if it becomes apparent a family is developing a pattern of lateness, parents will be required to attend a meeting with the director to discuss the issue further.

If a child is not collected within a reasonable time limit and a parent or any emergency contact person nominated on the enrolment form cannot be contacted, the staff will have no other alternative except to place the child in the care of the police until contact can be made.

Allowable absences Allowable absences occur when you are charged a fee for care and claim childcare benefit when the child is not present. All families will be eligible for a total of 42 days allowable absences per financial. Once these days are used up full fees are payable for subsequent absences not categorized below. In addition, Child Care Benefit (CCB) will be paid for all absences due to: Illness (with a medical certificate), attendance at the service and rotating shift work.

Our Fees The Oasis Prep receives no grants; subsidies or other assistance from any level of government and therefore our fees must cover the entire operational and developmental costs of running the centre.

Pre-School : Long Day : Lunch :

$95 $105 $6.50

Payment of Fees Fees are payable via credit card and are to be paid in advance, in weekly/fortnightly /four weekly/ or other predetermined cycles. Fees are billed for permanent bookings at the beginning of each term to assist families who wish to pay for longer periods.

Fees that relate to care provider or places booked in weeks that have past and have not yet been paid for regarded as being in arrears. Parents with fees in arrears who have not made either a permanent or temporary arrangement with the centre director may be charged at a 5.00% premium on the arrears amount until such arrears are brought up to date.

You are required to give notice of withdrawal in writing and are liable for fees on a term by term basis. If you fail to give notice you will be required to pay out the remainder of the term in which you departed in lieu of notice. In cases where this will cause financial hardship you are invited to discuss this matter with the centre Director.

Parents must contact the family Assistance Office at Centrelink, either by phone, at Centrelink or some Medicare offices. The Oasis is not responsible for ensuring that you details are up to date or correct; nor is the Service able to make any application or changes on your behalf. Families are liable for the full amount of all fees should their CCB/CCR etc be cancelled or recalled.

Enrolment Fee

An enrolment fee of $200 is payable on obtaining a place within The Oasis Prep.

Your Enrolment fee will provide your child with an Oasis Prep shirt to be worn daily, an Oasis lunch box to signify which class group he or she will be in, an Oasis Prep hat and a pillow to be used during rest periods.

Hours Preschool

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Long Day care

7:30 am - 6:00 pm (As Part of The Island OOSH)

The Oasis Prep is part of The Island OOSH and open Monday to Friday from 6:30am to 6:30 pm. We are open throughout the year only breaking for public holidays and for a week over the Christmas/New Year period. Exact dates for the term are posted by the beginning of December each year.

DAYS

The Oasis Prep has three enrolment options when choosing your days. Your Options are 5 days: Monday to friday, 3 Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or 2 Days: Thursday and Friday. Only in extreme circumstances will an enrolment be taken outside of this structure.

Centrelink The Island OOSH is a registered service with Centrelink. Parents are able to access a variety of fee reductions, the most common being Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate.

Parents must contact the family Assistance Office at Centrelink, either by phone, at Centrelink or some Medicare offices. Treasure Island is not responsible for ensuring that you details are up to date or correct; nor is the Service able to make any application or changes on your behalf. Families are liable for the full amount of all fees should their CCB/CCR etc be cancelled or recalled.

The Oasis Prep sends enrolment and attendance details for the entire service each Friday covering the week proceeding. If you are eligible for a fee reduction, your fee statement will show an estimate of the gap fee required instead of the full amount. This estimate is based on the previous week’s usage and so occasionally the actual amount may change. Families are required to pay any differences between the estimate and the actuals. Should the estimate be less than the payment the difference will be credited the next week’s fees (or refunded if it is after your child’s final week of care).

Parents must provide to The Oasis Prep: Their Child’s CRN, Linked parents CRN and Date of Birth. Holding a CRN does not automatically ensure you with receive any fee reductions. You must register your and your child’s CRN’s with the family assistance office for the purposes of Child care.

The Child Care Benefit (Commonly known as the CCB) is a means tested, fee reduction, which is available for all Australian citizens. Families with one parent working are eligible for a reduction on 24 hours care and families with two parents working or studying are eligible for 50 hours care. CCB is paid directly to the service and parents may pay the gap amount.

The Child Care Rebate (Commonly known as the CCR) is a non-means tested, 50% rebate of out-of-pocket fee’s. For parents who receive CCB, this is 50% of the gap amount, for those who do not it is 50% of the total fee. CCR can be paid to you on a fortnightly, monthly, quarterly or yearly basis. Alternatively it can also be directly paid to the service each week and deducted from your fees. We recommend this option as it decreases the amount you have to pay each cycle.

Jobs, Education and Training (JET) Child Care fee assistance provides extra help with the cost of Child Care benefit approved child care to support parents while they undertake study, work, or job search activities. JET Child Care fee assistance is available to eligible parents who have an Employment Pathway Plan requiring them to undertake activities to help them enter or re-enter the workforce. JET Child Care fee assistance can help meet the cost of child care by paying some of the ‘gap fee’ – the difference between the total fee charged and the amount covered by Child Care Benefit (CCB), for care related to JET Child Care fee assistance approved activities.

Parents with account enquiries or concerns please make sure you drop into the office or email us at theoasisprep@gmail.com

Signing ‘in’ and ‘Out’ It is a legal requirement that parents, or other nominated persons, sign their child ‘in’ and ‘out’ each day by accurately completing the attedance sheet located outside or inside the classrooms. Failure to do so could result in a loss of fee reductions from Centrelink.

It is mandatory as a parent or guardian you walk your child in and out of the centre. It is never acceptable to simply drop your child off at the gate.

Please ensure that in addition to ‘signing in’ or ‘signing out’ you also take the time to greet the educator on duty so that they are aware of your child’s arrival and departure.

This not only fosters good manners, but also ensures that educators are aware that your child is leaving for the day. The centre must be able to account for all Children should an emergency situation arise.

Please be aware, all persons collecting a child for the first time will be asked for photo identity unless we have previously met them. This includes persons nominated by you as authorized to collect your child and also your spouse if we have not me them.

If you need to have your child collected by a person other than you, your spouse or any other nominated person, you must notify the centre of your arrangements. The person authorized to collect your children must be an adult or a responsible mature aged high school child. We will not release your child to anyone we feel is unable to properly care for him or her, as his or her safety is our first priority.

It is important you understand that while our Educators might be aware that you are friends with another parent from The Oasis Prep, we cannot release your child to that parent without expressed permission and authority from you. Please do not ask them to collect your child unless you tell or have given them a signed permission letter to bring in.

Health and Safety

First Aid At The Oasis Prep we aim to ensure that all accidents at the service are handled in a professional and efficient manner while minimizing the pain and suffering of the injured child or adult.

At the service there is always one educator equipped with a current first aid certificate as well as a Management of Anaphylaxis and Emergency Management of Asthma -certificate.

In the case of a serious emergency, staff will contact emergency services and follow their instructions. If your child is required to be taken to hospital in an ambulance an educator will go along with them to give support, care and assistance until the child recovers or the parent or care giver is available.

Once the accident has been attended to, the accident is recorded on our Accident and Trauma record form. This form will detail the time, circumstances of the accident, injuries sustained and any treatment given to the child as well as the signatures of the educators who witnessed the incident. Parents should be aware that The Oasis Prep is required to inform the Department of Education and Communities any time emergency services had to be contacted, even if the child did not end up requiring their care. The D.E.C will investigate the event and may contact parents as part of that process.

Medical conditions The Oasis Prep does not restrict enrolment for children who have medical conditions, however in some cases, the service, due to limited storage and location, may not be able to adequately cater for all health needs.

Families of children with diagnosed disability or behavioural concern will need to meet with the director prior to enrolment to discuss if The Oasis Prep can meet their child’s needs. Permission may also be sort to engage an Inclusion Support Agent (this is free of charge) who will provide assistance to the service during both the enrolment period, and the time the child is being cared for at the service.

If a child has a medical condition, then a medical management plan must be provided, along with two passport-sized photos. This includes a diagnosed disability or behavioural concern, Asthma, Diabetes and Anaphylaxis.

The child cannot attend the service without medication prescribed by the Doctor that is to be administered during an incident relating to the child’s medical condition. (for example: Epi-pen) All Educators, staff and volunteers will be informed of the requirements of management of any medical condition of children who are enrolled at the service, including the location of medical plan, location of medications, how and when to administer medications and any other specific information that may be required.

Immunisation Proof of Immunisation is required as part of enrolment at The Oasis Prep. Please bring a copy of the appropriate pages of your child’s blue book, Immunisation certificate from the health department or a letter from your doctor.

If your child is not fully immunised, you must provide a statutory declaration outlining the reasons why. The law requires that children who are not fully immunised must be excluded for the service for a period (as determined by health authorities) if there is a case of any disease that are normally preventable by immunisation. Families are still required to pay for the spaces should this occur.

Failure to provide proof of Immunisation, or a statutory declaration, may result in a loss of any Child Care benefit and or/ rebates that you may be otherwise eligible for.

Infectious Diseases Children who are unwell should not attend the service.

This includes, but is not limited to: Temperatures of 38 ° C or more Diarrhea and vomiting Conjunctivitis Bronchitis Any rash unless cleared by a doctor Impetigo (school sores) or Cold Sores.

A severe cold (Fever/sneezing/green nose drainage) Head or body lice Scabies Any contagious disease (e.g. Chicken Pox/Measles) Any child who is not immunised if there is a case of any disease that is normally preventable by immunisation.

Any child who is immunocompromised, if there are any questions to their safety in a case of infectious disease.

Should a child become unwell during the day, Staff will first attempt to contact parents, and then emergency contact if parents are unreachable. Depending on the severity of the situation, the family’s doctor (as designated on our enrolment form), or emergency services may be contacted.

Parents are given the opportunity to sign a release (on our enrolment form) that allows for the administration of Paracetamol should it be deemed appropriate by the educators in charge.

Sun protection and clothing All children are advised to wear a Legionnaires hat when outdoors. Each child must have his or her own hat, clearly named. The hat should shade the face and neck areas. A child without a hat must stay in the shaded area of the playground. The Centre provides a SPF 30+ sunscreen for the children’s use. If parents wish not to use this sunscreen, they must advise the Centre in writing and supply their own children with sunscreen (clearly named and SPF 30+).

Educators will apply sunscreen to the children twenty minutes before the children go outside. Applying sunscreen is your responsibility if arriving at the Pre-School after 9:00am. In accordance with the sun smart policy, we ask that all children wear appropriate clothing, i.e. a shirt with sleeves and a collar. No singlets are allowed or crocs or thongs.

It is our recommendation that children do not wear Jewellery to Pre-school as most necklaces and earrings are dangerous during play and could promote an accident.

We ask that you only send your child to the preschool with stud earrings or small bands in which your child’s pinkie finger cannot fit through.

Please keep a full change of clothes in your child’s bad at all times, including a jumper as well as a t-shirt as sometimes the weather in not reliable. If your child is having difficulty with toileting, we ask that you provide at least three changes of spare underwear.

The Oasis Prep takes no responsibility for lost clothing. It is important that if you are missing an item of clothing you speak to the educator in charge of the room on that day. If the item is not found in the classrooms or outdoor area you will be free to go through our lost and found. (Please be aware that we empty this monthly and donate the contents inside to charity)

Behaviour and Guidance Educators at The Oasis Prep use guidance and discipline to teach the children what is desirable and fair behaviour. We aim to help the children learn to control their actions and make their own decisions. Children along with the educators discuss behaviour as a group, make simple rules to follow and discuss how to deal with conflict and converse about the feelings they experience when another child has hurt them or made them feel unhappy.

When a child is misbehaving the educator supervising will discuss with the child the unacceptable behaviour and determine the best course of action to prevent the situation from advancing. Often this will be something simple like redirecting the child to another activity or asking them to sit down for a few minutes to think about the way they have acted. Disciple is not to be punitive, but a method of teaching the children appropriate social behaviour. Smacking, shouting at the children, withholding food and contributing to any forms of humiliation are strictly forbidden at our service.

Education

Curriculum As we believe that learning happens best in a fun, friendly, clean, green, healthy environment we strive to build our program accordingly. Following the philosophy of One Child, One Life, One World we have taken a child centred approach to developing our learning curriculum which continuous adapts itself to the strengths, interests and needs of our children.

Our Program consist of a balance of music, art, dramatic and creative play, science and construction, cooking, fitness, plus multicultural and environmental education utilising both our indoor and outdoor spaces in both free play and teacher directed routines.

We also provide our children with the opportunity to further broaden their early development by specifically targeting 3 specific skills over a year long program.

Language - Spanish Children who attend The Oasis are given the opportunity to participate in Spanish Class. We have lots of fun learning about their language, culture and even taste testing some yummy dishes from Spain and Mexico.

To help facilitate learning we have a vast library of books in both Spanish and English and some in both that the children will find at regular times in the classroom. The children are also encouraged throughout the day to practise their Spanish for simple things such as counting and greetings.

Music - Drums and Percussion Children who attend The Oasis are given the opportunity to participate in music lessons. Currently we are learning the drums. We have lots of fun learning the basics of beats and rhythms and love to sing and dance along to beats from all over the world. We also have plenty of different percussion instruments to choose from amazing places across the globe and have a wonderful time learning all about them.

Our Environment - Veggie Patch Living in a healthy environment is very important to us here at The Oasis and filters through in almost everything we do. Children who attend The Oasis will have the opportunity to put some of what they learn into practise by growing there own organic vegetables in our veggie patch. We plant season vegetables in the patch throughout the year and have lots of fun tending to and then eating our delicious produce.

We also make sure that all our foods scraps make there way into compost bins for our veggie patch which provides a great home for our growing family of earthworms.

EYLF The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) describes the principles, practice and outcomes essential to support and enhance young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school. The framework has a strong emphasis on play-based learning, as play is the best vehicle for young children’s learning providing the most appropriate stimulus for brain development. The framework also recognizes the important of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and emotional development.

Fundamental to the framework is a view of the children’s lives as characterized by belonging, being and becoming.

Belonging - Belonging is the basis for living a fulfilling life. Children feel they belong because of the relationships they have with their family, community, culture and place.

Being - Being is about living here and now. Childhood is a special time in life and children need time to just ‘be’—time to play, try new things and have fun.

Becoming - Becoming is about the learning and development that young children experience. Children start to form their sense of identity from an early age, which shapes the type of adult they will become.

Learning Outcomes The Framework conveys the highest expectations for all children’s learning from birth to five years and through the transitions to school. It communicates these expectations through the following five learning outcomes:

Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity Children feel safe, secure, and supported.

Children develop their emerging autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience and sense of agency.

Children develop knowledgeable and confident self-identities.

Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect.

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world Children develop a sense of belong to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation.

Children respond to diversity with respect.

Children become aware of fairness.

Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment.

Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing Children become strong in their social and emotional wellbeing.

Children take increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing.

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creating, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity.

Children become develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesizing, researching and investigating.

Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another.

Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials.

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work Children use information and communication technologies to access information, investigate ideas and represent their thinking

Individual Portfolios Educators strive to capture your child’s learning and thinking by writing individual portfolios. Not only do portfolios provide a deeper insight into your child’s developmental progress, they also make the quality of our teaching practice visible to you. Children at The Oasis Prep will have their own individual portfolio’s reflecting their learning and achievements that they’ve experienced through out the year.

These portfolios contain: Reflections and evaluations of children’s development, social interactions and learning processes. They also depict learning stories and conversation transcripts, writing and craft, photographs of constructions and group projects, and contributions from families and from children themselves.

Family Input At The Oasis Prep we endeavour to develop a strong link between the service and our children’s homes and families. We achieve this by encouraging our families and the community around us to contribute to the curriculum planned, to develop children’s learning.

Excursions At The Oasis Prep we use excursions and performances as an opportunity for children to find a fun way to engage and contribute to the community around them.

These excursions help children to flourish and grow in their independence as well as strengthen their developmental level.

In the event of an excursion, permission notes and risk assessment forms will be sent home from the service for parents or caregivers to sign. (If you are interested in helping out on any of these excursions, parent volunteer forms can also be found at the front desk in the foyer)

Day to Day running

Meals At The Oasis Prep we have two meal options, you can either provide meals from home which need to be provided in your supplied Oasis lunchboxes or have your Lunch provided by The Oasis for a nominal fee.

If you choose to have your lunch provided in house we endeavour to accommodate a healthy and balanced diet of fresh organic produce for the children and to encourage healthy eating habits. We aim to provide an appetising, satisfying and adequate variety of different organic foods to create positive food experiences and expose children to a different variety of tastes, textures and cultural influences.

Our educators respect the cultural and religious expectations and values of the children and families at the service. To ensure that we are able to accommodate your children’s needs we ask that you inform us about any allergies or dietary restrictions your child may have. (You can do this on your enrolment form) Morning tea and afternoon tea is prepared fresh at the service each day by our qualified cook. A weekly menu is displayed on the information board in the foyer for your perusal anytime.

Hygiene Our service encourages strict hygiene, health and safety procedures. Educators model and promote correct hand washing steps during the day. (E.g. Before and after meals, after toileting and out door play.) We encourage parents to be good role models for children too! Dental hygiene is an important aspect of our program and is implemented in songs, discussions and stories that children learn.

Sleep The Oasis Prep supports the aims and objectives of ‘Sids and kids’ (sidsandkids.org) in reducing risks associated with sleeping, and as such endorses their recommendations.

We endeavour to create a relaxed and positive rest and/or sleep time that enables young children to have their physical needs met in a safe and comfortable way.

All children are required to have a quiet time to relax or rest during the day. It allows them to reset and renew their strength so that they can get the best out of their day.

Birthdays We love celebrating birthdays here at the The Oasis Prep. If you would like to bring some cupcakes or an ice-cream cake we’d be very happy to organise a small party at morning tea or lunch. (It is important that if you’re having a cake made you ask the baker to leave out any form of cream or filling as we have a variety of different children with different food allowances) As it is an exciting time, we make sure each child who has a birthday receives a special birthday certificate on the nearest appropriate attendance day to his or her birthday.

Policies A copy of our Service Policies booklet can be found in our parent Library and resource centre. These Policies are continuously reviewed and updated in order to keep up with the current legislation and guidelines

Saying Grace and praying for sick children All Treasure Island services follow and endorse mainstream Christian principles and beliefs. Our children come from differing cultures and beliefs and we value this diversity and recognize the importance of meeting family and individual values.

At The Oasis Prep, our aim is to deliver family friendly high quality child care services to our client families, to be a good corporate citizen and also to be true to our core belief structures.

At The Oasis Prep our children say "Grace" at morning tea and lunch time. While all children are encouraged to participate in saying Grace, it is up to the individual child to make her or his own decision regarding participation. Should a parent specifically request that their child not say Grace or a child declines to participate then the child concerned will only be required to remain silent as a sign of respect for other children who are participating in the saying of Grace.

Occasionally children may be asked to pray for a sick class mate, staff member or for some occurrence in the general community (e.g. for a bush fire to end). Our policy for the saying of prayers is the same as the saying of Grace, either the child concerned or the parents may elect for a particular child to refrain from taking part.

As in the saying of Grace we require children not participating to remain silent while the other children take part.

Photographs Our Room educators enjoy taking fun photographs of the children through out the day. These may be to capture individual progress and achievements or to document activities and adventures our children have during the day. We use these photos for our daybooks, display walls, reports and end of year portfolios. We are also in the process of putting together a parent portal to transfer these and much more to you in real time. If you have any concerns about the subject of these photos or are not comfortable with them being taken please see the director or one of your room educators.

Additional Professional photographs are also taken annually; this includes class photos, individual photos and family photos (if required). You will be notified well in advance when these special photo days are coming up.

Thank You Thank You for Choosing The Oasis Prep as you Childs care provider.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.