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Happy
Days Newsletter Summer days ... Parents Questionaire Many thanks to everyone who completed and returned a copy of the recent feedback questionaire. We believe that we can only improve on what we do by reguarly asking you as our customers what you think about the service that we provide for you and your children. The results were very impressive with a unanimous response saying that; Our overall image and atmosphere as a nursery is vgood or very goodStaff attention givrn to children is good or very good You would definately recommend us to others; We welcome your feedback as part of our commitment to provide the best quality childcare available to you. Make it easier with a DD Many parents are finding it easier to use the direct debit system to pay their fees - please ask for a form and we will do the rest it's as easy as that! In the news recently...... Girls do better than boys in every area of learning before they are five according to the first national results of the Foundation Stage profile which were revealed in March this year.Despite wanting a bigger role in early years development, teachers are complaining about being forced to potty-train young children and show them how to use a knife and fork - 'parents are passing their children's upbringing to schools' reported the Daily Mail Birth rates reached a ten-year high of 639,721 in 2004, an increase of 3% over the previous year. A 16 month old baby landed his dad with a £50 littering fine after throwing an empty drinks can out of his pram. Two of Britain's biggest ever babies were born recently - 'chunky Charlie' weighed in at 15lb 2 oz whilst 'mighty Joe' was a sprightly 13lb 13oz! BBC news reported that babies attending daycare were better protected against leukemia as exposure to other children's common infections was thought to help strengthen their immune system. NEWS FROM YORK AND BOROUGHBRIDGE News from Boroughbridge................... Boroughbridge has been going mad for Comic Relief. Faye and Mel carried the can by having a bath in baked beans whilst Holly and Andrea spent 8 hours handcuffed together - at least they didn't have to eat the beans for tea! The rest of the staff had 'mad hair' as well as holding continual karaoke - just ask Vicky to sing 'I will survive' for you! The children had a great day and we raised over £250 for Comic Relief. A big thank you top all the Parents who joined us for our annual sponsored toddle around the Town Centre on 4th June - as usual we had a large turn-out and it was agreat success. Pilot Pete dropped in to invite the children to share some amazing adventures with his best friend Bruno the Elephant - and the children were the stars in their very own cartoons. ....and from York..... Tweenies were enthralled bu our recent Zoolab visit and their collection of creepy-crawlies - we even had a picture in the Evening Press! We had a giant snail, some snakes and a hairy tarantula amongst the visitors - now, where did all those spidersgo..? And not to be outdone by our pals at Boroughbridge, Pre-school created the biggest red nose you ever saw for their Comic Relief day - complete with a smiley face and multi-coloured hair - very creative! Do our babies love their messy play or what? Actually, I think the staff like it better especially when there's choccy mousse going round - how come there's never much to throw away afterwards eh Catherine? Check out our photos on the wall displays for all the fun! ...and from Scarborough... Yes we've finally arrived here and opened our doors for business on 3rd May as planned. A big welcome to all our new children and our staff who have recently joined us. We spent the last week of April finishing off the decoration and unpacking all our toys and equipment ready for oue Parents Previed Day on Saturday 30th. The weather was bucketing it down and we thought 'oh no, nobody is going to come out in this rain' But from opening time at 10am, Jacqui did not stop talking all day as visitors came, and more visitors came and even more came to have a look around and book places with us! Cool towels, a foot-rest and a sit-down were administered as a tonic (with added gin, ice & slice) at the end of the day! See our happy, smiling staff in the picture.
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. Reminders - Sickness.... Please help us to stop infections spreading to other children and staff - germs are so easily passed on in a nursery enviroment. 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 to prevent other children and staff from becoming ill. And Sunny Weather and clothing..... Please would parents remember to bring in a sun-hat for their children and also to mark their 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!
Luke's Joke Corner....Here's Luke's latest collection of jokes - where does he get them all from? - What kind of brush do you use to groom a rabbit?....................... A hare brush! - Why didn't the leopard want a bath?.................................................Because he didn't want to be spotlessly clean! - How do you start a teddy bear race?.................................................Ready, teddy, go! - What do you get if two giraffes collide?.............................................A giraffic jam! - What's the most famouskind of fish?................................................A star fish! - What do dinosaurs do when they sleep?.........................................They dino-snore! From Luke Walker...aged 5 and champion joke.
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Dawn Turner - a Special Tribute
We were all shocked and saddened by the sudden death of our York Colleague, Dawn on 31st May. Whilst we all know that death is a natural part of the cycle of life and is something which we wiill all face eventually, it is still sad when it comes calling on someone so young and in such an unexpected way. Many parents sent in cards and some of the kind tributes received were as follows;
"Dawn was a constant figure of love, support and guidance for our son from the time he started at Happy Jays. He would run to her each morning for a hug and we know that he was more than just cared for when she was there. She made him feel safe and secure which allowed him to grow in confidence and floursih - that was a very special gift of hers for which we will always be grateful. We will miss her and our thoughts are with you at this time"
"Dawn was such a lovely girl. We are glad our son had her care whilst at nursery and feel fortunate that we met her. She will be fondly remembered by us"
"Dawn was an excellent nursery nurse. She palyed a huge role in helping my child settle with you when he first started. She made us feel very confident that he was being well-cared for. She was always very helpful, had an immense amount of common sense as well as being excellent at understanding children's needs (I'm still learning) She will be sadly missed and unfortunately is a reminder to us all about how precious life is.
"I just wanted to say sorry about the loss of Dawn. She had followed our daughter from Baby 1 to Tweenies. she reassured me through troubled times and always found time to talk. I'm sure she will be missed very much"
As a work colleague Dawn was everything we would wish for - a professional, selfless, caring and considerate - in all, a role model for us all to aspie to. One of her favouraite songs was to 'make someone' and we honour her memory each day by doing just that with the children
Rest in peace Dawn, we will always remeber you as a caring friend and a special part of Happy Jays.
At the request of Dawn';s parents we have donated her collection from the staff and parents to the Martin House Children's Hospice at Wetherby.
Advice Corner
A parents guide to "Employer Supported Childcare"
There are now several ways employers can assist Parents with their childcare costs - e.g. the Early Years Contract, vouchers and other salary sacrifice schemes. We have outlined the basics here for your information
What exactly is on offer?
From April 2005 where an employer offers childcare benefits
or vouchers, the first £50 a week paid to employees
will be free of tax and NI conributions.
Yes - any size employer can help their employees with childcare. It is a voluntary benefit scheme irrespective of number of employees and companies can decide to offer such benefits at any time.
Can I benefit from tax and NIC savings id I am self-employed?No - the exemption applies to employer-provided childcare benefits only. Help with childcare costs for self-employed parents in low to middle income families is available through tax credits.
How much money could I save from taking £50 a week in childcare vouchers instead of cash pay?You would pay tax and NIC's on a lower salary - this would save you around £16 a week if your highest rate of tax is at the rate of 22% and around £20 per week if you pay tax on some of your earnings at 40%.
Is the £50 a week exemption applied to each parent or each child?The exemption applies on a one-child-per-employee basis. This means that id two parents are employed, each could qualify for savings if their employer offers childcare benefits.
Please speak with us if you require any further information.
AND FINALLY OUR PICTURE FILE
The following snaps caught our attention and we hope you like them…
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1.Hal, Tom and Harvey
making bird seed on the cheap!
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2.Team photo of Tweenies
HJ United.
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3.Gemma mixing it
(making buns that is) with the baby 2's cooks!
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4.Erin the Lollipop
Lady!
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5.Dressing up is
such fun in pre-school!
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