Little Bee
Early Years Learning
& Child Care Centre

Our role at Little Bee is to plan environments and experiences of the highest quality, considering children's cultural diversity, needs and achievements and range of learning environments that will help them make progress in their development and learning.

Well planned play, both indoors and outdoors is a key way in which children will learn with enjoyment and challenge during their time at Little Bee.

Our close monitoring of each child's individual development means that achievements can be celebrated, and ensures all children are making progress.

• Emphasis is on fun, exploration and discovery.

• Children are researchers in their own right.

• Learning is supported through planned play experiences and environments, where children explore, develop and use their creativity and imagination to make sense of their world in a secure environment. 

• Extending and supporting children's spontaneous play.

• Free flow indoor and outdoor play.

Families are children's first and most enduring educators.

At Little Bee we recognise that family involvement has a potential impact on every child's development and learning.

All families and guardians are made to feel welcome at any time, and should feel free to discuss any issues or concerns with educators.

Educators will be pleased to supply a verbal report of your child's day and reports can be requested during your child's time at Little Bee.

We appreciate family involvement in a range of ways:

• Family/Child orientation sessions to help your family get to know us.

• Join our family and friends committee, and help plan Centre events and become involved in decision making.

• Participate in our  programming and evaluation on a daily basis. Our displays are located in each room and are an excellent way for you to contribute to your child's learning by writing a comment.

• Both formal and informal discussions.

• Gain information from our community information displays.

• Become involved in projects and events, by sharing your expertise.

• Join our educators in training and professional development opportunities.

• Become involved in regular policy development and review.

Little Bee endorses the concept of a multi-cultural and anti-bias program.

No child will be excluded or disadvantaged because of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, additional educational needs, disability, gender or ability.

All educators will maintain confidentiality with respect to family issues and the individual development of your child. Educators are legally required to report any form of suspected child abuse to the Child Protection Agency.

At Little Bee we celebrate a wide variety of religious and cultural world festivals through craft experiences, music, plays and stories.

For example; we may focus on Divalia or Chinese New Year.

We plan for and celebrate the Christian festivals of Easter and Christmas, as well as children's birthdays.

Families are welcome to join us for festivities and please feel free to bring a Birthday cake to share with your child's friends.

We request families consider healthier options such as fruit based cake, rather than chocolate.

If you celebrate other religious occassions, please see an educator about how we can incorporate these into our program.

NB: Please advise us if you do not wish your child to participate in all or any of these events.

At Little Bee we believe excursions and incursions are an excellent way to enhance our programs and involve a wider community.

Excursions will be undertaken at certain times during each year and further information on the value of excursions can be found in our Policies and Procedures (please ask at the office).

We take routine trips to the local park to learn about our immediate surroundings and other excursions to places such as: the beach, supermarket, museums, gardens and environmental landmarks.

We have made links with several local primary schools and colleges where we have both individual student and class visits. We plans excursion experiences in conjunction with students undertaking Child Studies classes.

At times we invite shows, events or local services to Little Bee, such as: fire fighters, police and health care professionals.

We often have visitors to the centre to cook, create, garden and share music with the children throughout the year.

Our family and friends committee plans regular excursions into the local community during weekend hours. It's a wonderful chance for families and children to meet up in a relaxed informal atmosphere and get to know each other.

At Little Bee, we believe that families can best judge how their child will feel and react to their new environment.

Every child's needs are different when beginning a new experience for the first time.

Our educators encourage each family to visit the centre for a number of hourly sessions prior to their child starting.

Orientation sessions usually take place of a morning during our indoor/outdoor program. This gives your child a good chance to explore their environment through play.

Some children may need to start at Little Bee with shorter hours and extend to a full day.

Each family is given a transition pack when their child is due to transition between rooms at the Airport Centre and a transition to school profile when transitioning to kindegarten.

All transitions are well supported by our educators in a sensitive, flexible manner.

• In order to receive the Child Care Benefit, it is a Federal Government Regulation to sign in and write the time your child arrives at the beginning of the day and to sign out and write the time your child leaves at the end of the day.

• Signatures for absences are also required.

• Your regular fees apply to all absences.

• Little Bee must be notified of any planned absences, failure to do so may result in a fee (see schedule of fees).

• The Australian government will pay Child Care Subsidy  for 42 days of allowable absences, these include holiday, sick days, public holidays and rostered days off.

• You must provide our educators with clear, written permission if another person is to collect your child. This can be recorded in the Centre's diary and this person must be recorded on your enrolment form.

• It is important to notify Little Bee as soon as possible if you are unavoidably delayed collecting your child.

• Please note that a late fee may be incurred, please note our opening times and schedule of fees

• If a child is left after closing time, and we cannot reach anyone on the enrolment form, we will consider the child to be 'abandoned' and the local Police department will be contacted.

The National Health and Medical Research Council recommends that all children be vaccinated against non-preventable diseases.

The Clarence City Council provides an Immunisation Clinic (follow this link or dates and times are displayed on our Centre notice boards), or alternatively consult your GP.

The Australian Vaccination Schedule now require families and guardians to provide documented evidence of the immunised status of all children enrolling in education and care services. Please provide us with a copy; please note all government benefits and rebates will be ceased if immunisations are not kept up to date.

In the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease, preventable by immunisation and your child is not immunised, for their own protection your child will be excluded from the Centre even if they are well.

If your child becomes unwell at Little Bee, we will contact you to advise you of the details, and if appropriate ask that you collect your child.

Any child with a contagious illness, like Gastroenteritis, should remain at home until well enough to return to care. This will eliminate spreading the illness around the centre and ensure the overall health and wellbeing of all children.

We are required to document any illness that children from the Centre may have.

Each child will need to bring along:

• At least 1 named change of clothes.

• An art smock (optional).

• Their 'Little Bee' hat or wide brimmed or legionnaire style hat. (Please note that hats are not shared).

• Wear a named set of clothes  appropriate for the weather.

• A pair of appropriate shoes with enclosed toes.

• A named drink bottle or sipper cup filled with water only.

• At least 6 nappies (if required)

• For children requiring a sleep/rest, an optional pillow (for children over 2 years), and if desired, one small sleep toy. 

• Any required medications approved by your doctor.

• Sun cream - if your child requires a special cream due to skin allergies.

• All these items must be clearly named with your child's full name.

Please provide enough nappies for your child's day. We expect that most children aged 3-5 years will be out of nappies and toilet trained, however, we acknowledge that all children develop at different stages and ages.

Please inform Little Bee if your child requires nappy changes and toileting assistance. 

From 3 years of age, pull-ups only are to be supplied by the family.

Nappies will be stored in our bathrooms, where your child will have their own nappy locker. 5/6 nappies are recommended for each day.

Little Bee Howrah does not provide food, but will provide water to drink.

Due to life threatening nut allergies we ask that families do not provide nuts or nut based products.

We are a Move Well, Eat Well accredited service, therefore all children are required to bring along nutritionally appropriate food for their morning and afternoon tea and a cut lunch and drink bottle filled with water. Our food and nutrion policy and lunch box idea are included in the enrolment pack for families.

Research indicates that where families provide their own child's food, it enables each child to further develop their independence skills (to collect their own lunchbox from their pigeon holes and practice opening their own containers and packaging).

As families know which foods their child likes and dislikes, they should pack appropriate food and prevent food wastage.

All children have a labelled fridge tub so that yoghurts, cheeses and fridge foods are stored safely.

Little Bee Airport is a Move Well, Eat Well accredited Centre.

Food is provided for all rooms, and our menus are reviewed and revised in conjunction with families every 4 weeks and circulated via email.

Food menus are devised around the Move Well, Eat Well program and include food from all food groups. For more information about the Move Well Eat Well program please visit the Department of Health, & Human Services website 

Your baby (if under 12 months of age) should have either breast milk or infant formula made available for your baby throughout their day.

Breast Milk

At Little Bee we provide a supportive environment for mothers to breastfeed and/or express at each centre. At Airport on the couch in the babies room or in the staff room or office, at Howrah in the play room or office.  Upon enrolment we discuss feeding options for families, including breast and bottle feeding.  We encourage mothers who are breast feeding to visit the centre at any time during their child’s day and educators are available to phone mothers as required to organise the best possible feeding times for the mother and child.  Brochures on breastfeeding are displayed and available for families to access at any time.

Infant Formula

Infant formula should be pre-prepared with powder in a separate container and boiled water pre-measured and supplied in bottles or a sippy cup (if preferred).  Please don’t mix up formula at home and bring it to the centre, as bacteria can grow in formula not kept in the fridge. Bottles will be heated via a bottle warmer only or given at room temperature to your baby at the required time(s).   Most infant formula is made from cow’s milk that has been modified to be as much like breastmilk as possible, so that it suits your baby’s nutritional needs; however it’s not the same as cow’s milk.  All infant formula has added vitamins, minerals and fats that babies need, which they can’t get from straight cow’s milk.  Also, babies can’t digest cow’s milk as completely or easily as breastmilk or formula.  

We are a 'Sun Smart' accredited centre and implement a sun safe program.

A UV indicator is printed each morning from the 15th September to 15th April and we use the UV indicator to guide our outdoor play.

We encourage children to play in the shade when the UV is high and a sun hat and sleeves covering the shoulders are compulsory during this time.

During the winter months, warm clothing is required because we still utilise the outdoor play areas even when it is very cold.

*The centre will supply and apply 50+ sunscreen.

We have available for purchase wide brimmed, Sun Smart 'Little Bee' hats with logo,  plus a red 'Little Bee' long and short sleeved shirts with our logo.

Feel free to ask the educators about purchasing these.