Happy Days Newsletter
Issue no: 17 Spring 2005

Well, here we are in Spring again, when the days grow longer and the world seems to become a nicer place…until we realise that – oh no – it’s General Election time again! Not wishing to sound political, but childcare is a going to be a big feature this time around. So who do you believe? Well, if everyone stopped meddling and just gave Parents more real help to afford the quality childcare that they desire, then that would sort matters out – wouldn’t it? Sounds far too simple, so it must be right! After all, when does any Government ever make anything simple?

Childcare ‘better than staying at home’…
Clear evidence has emerged that children who have access to pre-school education do better at school at the age of 7 than children who stay at home. These findings come from a long term study carried out jointly by the Universities of London and Oxford. Children attending nursery ‘show more co-operative behaviour, greater independence and concentration and increased peer sociability, seeking conversation and interaction with other children,’ the report concluded. Nice to see that such esteemed academic institutions agree with what we - and our parents – have known all along!

…And companies are waking up too…
There are growing signs that more employers are waking up to the fact that supporting their staff with childcare is actually good for their business. As well as taking up the Early Years Scheme in which we participate, from April onwards employees can receive up to £50 a week free of tax and NI if their employer agrees a contract, or gives vouchers, to an approved childcare provider. With absenteeism costing around £500 per employee per year on average, then any incentive to reduce this has to be good news for everyone.
If you would us to speak to your employer about the options available please let us know – we’d be very pleased to meet with them.

Make it easier with a DD
More parents are finding it easier to use the direct debit system to pay their fees – please ask us for a form and we will do the rest – it’s as easy as that!

The things our children say:

The lady from Zoo-Lab asked the children how the frog swallowed his food if he uses his tongue to catch it. Holly replied, ‘with a fork!’

Tony recently walked into pre-school at Boroughbridge and Joshua said, ‘are you Jacqui’s dad?’

During dressing up time, Thomas in his policeman’s outfit announced to the other children, ‘Stop, in the name of the law!’

Pre-schoolers at Boroughbridge were making bird-feed. Isabel proudly declared to her Mum that she had been ‘making sea-weed and mixed some nits (meaning pips) into it!’

And the things our staff say… Jan said to Gemma in the office, ‘why is the printer not printing?’ and Gemma replied. ‘because there is no paper in it Jan!’

Luke’s joke corner…

Here’s Luke’s latest collection of jokes – where does he get them all from?

Q: Why did the little mouse need oil?
A: because it wouldn’t stop squeaking!

Q: Why don’t astronauts feel hungry after they have blasted off into space?
A: Because they’ve just had a big ‘launch!’

Q: What has 20 heads and 20 tails?
A: 20 pennies.

Q: What kind of star wears sun-glasses?
A: A movie star!

Q: Why are flowers always sleepy?
A: Because they spend all their time in beds!

Q: Why did the mummy kangaroo hate rainy days?
A: Because the kids had to play inside!

Thanks a lot Luke – now you can get on with your school work please!

News from York and Boroughbridge

Here’s looking at you kid! We had a visit at York from the Birds of Prey Centre who brought some owls in for us to meet – what big eyes they have! We’re not sure that Heather Hamster liked them as she ran up to her bed and didn’t come out until they had gone!

A big thank you to all parents for all the gifts you gave us at Christmas – and so many parents commented on the fantastic plays at Boroughbridge and York! And what about our Santa – wasn’t he just the real one?

For parents of pre-schoolers at York please take advantage of the ‘Parent Link’ outside the room opposite the coat pegs. You can use it to write anything down that you may have done at the weekend which you child can discuss with us at register or during group activity time.

A big thank you to all you contributed to recent fundraising at York. We raied £218 for Children in Need (which Jacqui has topped up to £250) and £60 for the recent ‘sports-kit’ day for the tsunami appeal. Meanwhile the Boroughbridge girls are gearing up for ‘Big Hair Day’ on 11th March for Comic Relief.

Congratulations to Hollie and Emma at Boroughbridge who have just completed their level 2 qualification and to Sam who has just finished her level 3. Well done ladies!

Please remember to call us if you think you will be late collecting your child or are stuck in the traffic en route. It happens and if we know about it then we can do something about it. For insurance purposes we have to keep a record of any children on the premises after 6pm and so your co-operation in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

If you have any empty roll-on deodorant bottles at home would you please bring them in for Faye at Boroughbridge who is recycling them by filling them with paint for use in creative activities with the Tweenies.

We’ve had lots of fun in the home corner at pre-school York this winter with our home-made igloo, pretend snow (plus real snow when we made our snowman outside) and singing and dancing!

Have you seen what our York babies have been doing recently? Well, they’ve been having a really fab time, especially if it means making lots of mess! Check out our displays and photos on the walls!

And our news from Scarborough…

Getting ready for the arrival of Happy Jays 3 in just a few weeks now…the building is taking shape (see the piccy below) and we are already creating interest and taking bookings from local parents.

Our topics for the next few months are…

March: Families/ Mother & Baby
April: Opposites
May: Food

Parents Evening
Just a reminder about making your booking for our next Parents Evenings which are as follows:
York: Thursday 12th May
Boroughbridge: Thursday 19th May

Further details will be forwarded to you nearer the time.

Sickness – a polite reminder
Please help us to stop infections spreading to other children and the staff – germs are so easily passed on in a nursery environment. If your child develops sickness or diarrhoea they must not attend nursery until they have had neither occurring in the last twenty four hours. Although we do our best to keep the nursery free from infections your co-operation will help prevent other children and staff from becoming ill.

Clothing
Please would parents mark their children’s clothes with their names as many items of clothing look very similar. Also please check the lost property boxes regularly for any items which have not been collected. Thank you!

Songs to sing
Our Tweenie favourite at York is Incy Wincy Spider as follows:

Incy Wincy Spider climbing up the spout,
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sunshine and dried up all the rain,
So incy, wincy spider climbed up the spout again.

Incy wincy spider climbing up a tree,
Down came the snow and made poor incy freeze.
Out came the sunshine which melted all the snow,
So incy wincy spider had another go!

Faye’s Word search

Can you find all the hidden words relating to this season:

Advice Corner…

A Parents Guide to Birth to Three Matters
By special request from several parents, we have re-printed this feature again from last year for your assistance. You may be aware that in Babies and Tweenies we are introducing something called ‘Birth to Three Matters’, in the way that we plan activities for under three’s. This framework is intended to support children in their earliest years and is the latest Government-backed practical guidance for practitioners working with babies and toddlers.

The framework has been organised into four sections known as ‘Aspects’ and these are:

A strong child
This aspect of learning is linked to your child’s social and emotional development. It is about helping your child to feel confident, self-assured and to enjoy being with others.

A skilful communicator
Learning to talk and communicate is an important skill for the very young child to master. This aspect looks at the importance of listening and sensitively responding to babies and toddlers as well as looking at ways to actively promote language through stories, rhymes and toys.

A competent learner
Babies and toddlers are born curious and ready to explore their immediate world. We know from research that actively moving and exploring helps babies and toddlers brain development. This aspect of learning looks at how to help them understand and respond to their world, for instance, by being given new sensations and items to feel, touch and hold.

A healthy child
The framework looks at developing the ‘whole child’, which means food, safety and items such as hygiene.

How will this benefit my child?
The framework is based on some of the latest research and practice about how to provide the best childcare environments for young children. It emphasises the importance of children being active in their learning and also the way in which a key person can help children to develop.

There are no tests involved nor is the framework intended as a formal curriculum – it is simply a reflection of current ‘best practice.’

How can I help my child?
The best way is simply to enjoy your child’s company. Look for the times where you can cuddle up together, share a book or play simple games. Tell us if you have noticed a skill that has emerged or if something has fascinated your child. This will help us to build on these interests and skills.

Most of what is contained in ‘Birth to Three Matters’ is already part of what we do at Happy Jays and if you would like to know more about any aspect of this please speak with Jan at York or Ange at Boroughbridge.

What our Parents say about us…

Here’s a selection from parents letters recently received when their children have left go to school or the family has relocated…

…I want to stress that Happy Jays has been a wonderful experience for R. All of the staff I have come into contact with have been excellent. I was truly surprised at how well she was being looked after and how much the staff in ‘baby 1’ seem to feel real commitment to all their babies and are excited about their achievements. I would hope that when I consider returning to work I would still consider happy Jays as my first choice for childcare.’ GM.

…may I take this opportunity to thank everyone at Happy jays for doing such a wonderful job of taking care of M and making her time so enjoyable. It has meant a great deal to me to be able to leave her in your care without being apprehensive and I feel you have provided her with a great advantage for when she starts school.’ VR.

‘Thank you all so much for everything you have done for J during his 2 years or so at happy jays. All your kindness, patience, understanding and sense of hmour in making learning fun have been greatly appreciated. J has thoroughly enjoyed himself there, made many friends and all he has learnt will be a big help to him as he starts school.’ DS & MS.

‘With many thanks for all you have done for H. he has thoroughly enjoyed his time here at Happy Jays. We are sorry to be leaving and feel that your high standard will be hard to match.’ DF & HF.

‘To all the staff who have looked after G at some stage during the last 4 ½ years – a huge thank you! G has developed so well during his time at nursery and a big part of that is due to the excellent care he has received from you. He has enjoyed nursery days, particularly those in pre-school and we have left him safe in the knowledge that he was happy. Many thanks again.’ RR & CR.

There’s lots more letters in our Parents Comments File – please ask to see it at anytime.

AND FINALLY OUR PICTURE FILE

The following snaps caught our attention and we hope you like them…

1.Jemima and Gemma get brave with Olly the Owl!	2.Gis a kiss! Grace can’t resist a good looking lad in uniform!
3.Looking tall in the saddle, Mackenzie shows off his new sombrero!	4.Camping time for the boys - all looking quite in-tents!
5.Boroughbridge pre-schoolers enjoying a ‘pasta-masta’ class with top chef James Lowe.