Parent Information

Parent Handbook

It’s hard to know what to expect when you’re first enrolling in childcare. So to make it easier for you, we’ve created a parent handbook for you to view online or print out to read later.

The parent handbook contains lots of helpful information about what to expect from childcare, what to bring on your child’s first day and other useful information such as links to government sites with information about the CCS and any benefits you may be entitled to.

If you require any further information, please feel free to call or drop into any one of our centres to discuss your needs with the Centre Manager or any of our educators.

Download Parent Handbook

Supporting children through unexpected events

Life doesn’t always go to plan. From time to time, families and children may face challenging or unexpected events, incidents and changes. Thankfully these are rare. But knowing how to talk to your child about such events in an age-appropriate way can be helpful for them, and you.

Here you will find information, tips and services that can help talk to children about unexpected events.

Parent App

XPLOR HOME

Connect with those who matter most                                            
The easiest way to keep track of your child’s day is with Xplor Home!

LEARNING JOURNEY

  • View your child’s learning, featuring all the beautiful photos and videos captured throughout the day
  • Learn about your Child’s progress and re-discover their passions
  • Invite and share those special moments securely with other family members.

BOOKING INTO CHILD CARE

  • Quickly and easily book into extra child care sessions when you need it most
  • Send messages to your centre to let them know if you’re running late or will be absent

 HEALTH & WELLBEING

  • Monitor your child’s health at a glance with easy analytics covering sleep, nutrition, toileting and sun protection

FINANCE AND CHILD CARE SUBSIDY

  • Simplify your child care financials so they’re easy to manage
  • Quickly see how much child care subsidy you are receiving and when payments are due

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

  • Enabled notifications so you can change the settings on those you choose to receive
  • Invite Hub Guests to sign your child in/out on the Xplor Hub tablet
  • Improved sign in and out with QR codes
  • Separate Health and Learning Timelines
  • Emergency contact and Guardian Management
  • Improved mobile bookings
  • Childcare Subsidy Management, financial statements and payment integration

Download it now from Google Play or the App Store!


   

 

National Quality Framework

Research has shown a child’s experience in their first five years sets the course for the rest of their life and in recognition of this, the Australian Government in partnership with all states and territories, has introduced the National Quality Framework to ensure high quality and consistent early childhood education and care across Australian to provide children with the best possible start to their education.

Buggles has embraced this framework and introduced its seven key areas which focus on:

  • Educational program and practice;
  • Child’s health and safety;
  • Physical environment;
  • Staffing arrangements (including the number of staff looking after children);
  • Relationships with children;
  • Collaborative partnerships with families and communities;
  • Leadership and service management.

Buggles has not only adhered to this framework well ahead of the necessary timeframes, but we are constantly seeking ways to improve our programs to ensure we deliver a quality of education that exceeds the standards and sets a benchmark for the industry.

For more information on the National Quality Framework please visit acecqa.gov.au/national-quality-framework

Safety and Security

Every Buggles centre is held to the highest safety, cleanliness and maintenance standards in the industry. Our centres are accessible by single-entry security with either keypad or swipe card access and there are no external entry points to the playground or outdoor areas. A detailed record is kept of every child’s daily arrival and departure times and the adult responsible for picking up and dropping off the child must sign the record. A child cannot be released to a person under the age of 18. If you arrange for another person to pick up your child, you must notify the centre and proof of identification must be shown to Buggles staff when the person arrives to collect your child. 

All staff at our centres are trained in first aid and asthma & anaphylactic care and no staff member will be present without a current Working With Children’s check. All dietary and allergy requirements are catered for and the centres are a “nut free” zone. At Buggles we hold our safety and security procedures in the highest regard and will not compromise on safety or apologise for being overtly vigilant when it comes to the protection of your children.

We strive to provide you and your child with a trusting and safe environment. All our centres are designed and laid out under strict supervision of government bodies, consultants and the latest research. All our centres, spaces and outdoor areas have a purpose and have been designed to promote children’s research and autonomous discovery both as an individual and within small groups. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach, our spaces have been created to stimulate and encourage learning, independence and growth within a carefully managed environment.

Managed risk at Buggles Early Learning and Kindy

While we take great care in ensuring a controlled and stimulating playground design and stringent supervision and maintenance to prevent serious, life-threatening injury at Buggles, there is considerable evidence showing the positive effects on children’s development by providing managed risk in the playground. Children develop good risk-assessment skills and build confidence, resilience and a sense of competency about themselves and their capabilities. Children who become confident risk-takers in the playground, tend to transfer this skill to indoor, academic challenges. They develop a risk-taking disposition and show persistence, perseverance and good problem-solving skills. They have the ability to engage with uncertainty, risk making a mistake, be prepared to be wrong and go on to learn and acquire new skills.

In contrast, not providing appropriate playground risk can lead to some children taking inappropriate risks, in search of the thrill and challenge they seem hard-wired to seek. Similarly, children not provided with risk-taking opportunities, are less likely to develop good decision-making skills necessary to judge risks. Parents want their children to be resilient, persistent, to develop problem-solving skills and physical competence. Well-designed playgrounds can play a significant part in supporting children to master these skills. The key is to reach a balance and be sensitive to children’s developing skills and abilities, we need to make sure that hazards are eliminated from playgrounds and provide risks that are visible to children and match their abilities.

Note: A Risk is something visible and relates to taking a chance, whether to have a go, what could the likely outcome be—reach the top of the slide or fall off the ladder. A Hazard is something the child might not see as likely to have a negative outcome.

Reference: Helen Little and Shirley Wyver, Institute of Early Childhood, Macquarie University. Outdoor play: does avoiding the risks reduce the benefits?, Australian Journal of Early Childhood, Vol. 33, No. 2, June 2008, pp. 33-40.

Healthy Menus

At Buggles we are committed to providing our children with a varied and nutritious meal plan and we teach all children the importance of maintaining a healthy diet. The centre ensures the children are meeting their daily dietary requirements. All our menus are assessed against Nutrition Australia’s checklist. They are reviewed twice a year in conjunction with dieticians to ensure we are always up to date with any Food Safety and Nutrition Standards.

Every Buggles centre offers delicious and nutritious meals throughout the day including morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. All meals are prepared fresh daily in the kitchen located within each centre by our experienced kitchen staff and each meal is designed to include a variety of textures, colours and tastes.

Dietary, cultural and medical needs are catered for at the centre. We encourage families to meet with our cook during the orientation process and discuss your child’s specific needs.All rooms also have a copy of dietary requirements and food allergies.

Our meal plans are varied and multicultural and we will always gladly accept recipe ideas and suggestions. We are unable to modify for child’s diet unless it is for religious, cultural or medical reasons and if your child has any allergies or intolerances we ask that you let us know and we will cater for your child.

For weaning babies, our cook prepares fruits, vegetables and other suitable pureed foods during their weaning process. Again during this time we encourage families to meet with the cook and agree to a suitable menu for your child.

Due to children’s allergies we ask all parents not to bring any food into our centres and we thank parents for their cooperation. If your child is celebrating a birthday, please let your child’s educators know and they will arrange for this to be celebrated within the centre following our centres policies.