Choosing Your Educator
CHOOSING YOUR EDUCATOR
When ever possible KIDDZ endeavour to offer parents a range of Educators to choose from. We are available to support you and your child when visiting these Educators.
Choosing an Educator can be stressful and we suggest that you take plenty of time to talk to her/him to see how your child and she/he interact and discuss your aims and needs for the child. Working out the questions beforehand and making notes can be useful. We encourage re-visits to make certain that this is the right place for your child. If the first selection we offer does not meet your needs we are happy to discuss further options with you. It is important to us that you and your child are happy with your placement.
PRACTICAL QUESTIONS /POINTS TO CONSIDER:
- What sort of activities does the Educator provide to encourage learning
- What is the daily routine?
- How does the Educator manage children’s behaviour?
- How do parents know how their child is getting on
- Is the environment safe, clean and inviting?
- Do the children have the opportunity to follow their interests—to explore and discover?
- Do the children have time and space to be quiet, to relax and rest—are children interrupted in their activities?
The Co-ordinators and/or Directors are available at any time to discuss any concerns you may have and if necessary we can arrange this out of office hours.
SETTLING CHILDREN
Settling children is a process that varies with each child however there are ways to make the process easier. Once you have chosen which Educator you are going to use we encourage you to go back for at least another two visits to enable your child to get to know the educator and the new environment. At the second visit you may choose to leave your child for an hour or two. There is no charge for these settling visits.
It is important that you give as much information as possible about your child’s routine and likes and dislikes to the educator, ensure the educator knows what works when your child is upset.
Under no circumstances should you sneak out without saying good bye. It is much better to have a child crying because they are upset that mum or dad has left than because they don’t know where mum or dad has gone. If they know you are gone they will soon learn that you will also come back. It is very much about respecting the child and letting them know what is happening to them.
