Parent Contract

Bush-E-Babes Nursery & Pre-School Terms and Conditions

To enable us to provide and maintain the highest standards of care and to ensure there is clarity concerning the contractual relationship between parents and the preschool, we have set out our standard conditions below for Bush-E-Babes Nursery School in Bushey, Hertfordshire:

Registration / Admission

1. To register your interest for a space for you child(ren), please Get in Touch. We'll arrange a visit to our pre-school and will forward any paperwork for you to complete to you via email after your visit.

Children will be considered for entry to the Bush-E-Babes once the registration form has been completed and returned to us along with the £50.00 administration fee.

For children who are already eligible for government funding on their first day of term, please contact Karen Crego – Logistics Manager, who will assist.

Welfare of the Child

2. Bush-E-Babes will work with children, parents, external agencies and the community to ensure the welfare and safety of children are paramount and to give them the very best start in life.

3. Where a child is not fully toilet trained parents of that child must provide sufficient nappies and wipes for each day and spare clothes while toilet training. Please note that toilet training cannot begin without prior arrangement.

Health and Medical Matters

4. If your child becomes ill whilst at Bush-E-Babes, the Setting Manager/Deputy in charge will contact the parent / carer or the emergency contact indicated on the Registration Form with a view to immediate pick-up. Parents must inform the Bush-E-Babes immediately of any changes to these contact details.

5. If your child is suffering from a contagious illness, they should not attend Bush-E-Babes until such time as the infection has cleared. A full copy of the Bush-E-Babes Sick Child Policy is available online. Parents / carers are asked to refer to the Illness / Communicable Disease List displayed in Bush-E-Babes hallway.

6. Parents / carers are required to notify Bush-E-Babes by opening hours if your child is absent through sickness.

7. The pre-school cannot administer any medicine to a child unless prescribed by a doctor and presented in its original packaging. Should the child be on prescribed medication it is the responsibility of the parent or carer to notify Bush-e-Babes staff /key person, and to sign the necessary form of consent prior to any medication being given. If any child has been administered any medicine like Calpol or Nurofen prior to entry. It is your responsibility to inform us of this and once assessed we may refuse entry if we feel it is in the best interest of the children and staff on sight.

8. Bush-E-Babes staff will act in loco parentis whilst your child is in our care and as such we reserve the right to call an ambulance in an emergency and escort your child to the Emergency Department of the nearest hospital. In that event, Bush-E-Babes will contact parents / carers immediately to meet them at the hospital.

Food and Dietary Requirements

9. We will work with parents / carers to provide suitable food for children who have a special dietary requirement, as diagnosed by a doctor or dietician. Bush-e-Babes will take all reasonable care to ensure that a child does not come into contact with certain foods. Nuts, of any variety, will not be accepted at any time.

Concerns / complaints

10. Any question, concern or complaint about the care or safety of a child must be made in the first instance to the Bush-e-Babes Deputy or Manager. If the matter cannot be resolved at this level, the matter should be referred Jannine Yadid who will follow our Settings Complaints Policy.

Disclosures

11. In order to ensure the child’s welfare and happiness, the parent / carer must disclose any medical condition, health problem or allergy affecting the child, any concerns about the child’s safety or well-being, or any family circumstances or court order which might affect the child at the time of the application or as soon as it is known.

Fees

12. All fees are charged monthly and must be paid within 7 days of receipt of the invoice and at the very latest by 1st of the month. Fees will be invoiced to the person(s) named on the registration form. Fees are payable during periods of absence from Bush-E-Babes, including sickness. Any parent having financial difficulties or a change of circumstances should discuss this in confidence with Karen Crego – Logistics Manager.

13. Fees are reviewed annually and so any increases will only occur once during the year. Any such increase will be notified by the Bush-E-Babes school at least one month in advance of the increase being applied.

14. Prices quoted are per child at an hourly rate.

15. One month’s written notice is required if you no longer require the place, if you wish to withdraw your child or make changes to your child’s session days. Until that notice has expired, fees are payable.

16. Fees will not be refunded or waived for absence through sickness or any other reason. This rule is necessary so that the Bush-E-Babes can properly budget for its own outgoings which continue whether or not all children are present and to ensure that the cost of individual default does not fall on other parents. If Bush-E-Babes has to be closed due to any reason beyond our control, such as power failure or adverse weather conditions, no compensation will be paid or refund given.

Unpaid Fees

17. If fees remain unpaid and go into arrears, Bush-E-Babes have the right to deny the child a place. However, we would prefer to work closely parents/carers so as to ensure that this is never the case.

18. For dishonoured cheques/payments, bank charges apply, which will be added to the amount of the fees sought from the parent. In these instances, we will refer to our Payment of Fees Policy and Bush-e-Babes reserves the right to add on any other reasonable costs incurred in seeking payment.

19. We understand and will exercise our statutory right to claim interest and compensation for debt recovery costs under the late payment legislation [Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998] if we are not paid according to agreed credit terms.

Late Collection

20. Bush-E-Babes arranges staffing to cover normal hours, and seeks to recover those and all other costs through the normal fee arrangements. This staffing does not provide cover outside the normal working hours of the Bush-E-Babes. Whilst we do seek to provide some cover in emergencies, an additional fee will be charged if children are persistently picked up late.

Belongings

21. Bush-e-Babes does not accept responsibility for accidental damage or loss of property. Parents are requested to keep their child’s personal items to a minimum and label clearly all belongings.

22. Parents are requested to send the children to Bush-E-Babes in clothes and shoes suitable for play and painting. Jewellery, heels and flip flops etc restrict a child’s movement and can present a risk of injury. Parents are strongly advised against these items and must take responsibility for accidents caused by belongings or clothes which the children have been sent to Bush-e-Babes.

Insurance

23. Bush-E-Babes undertakes to maintain those insurances required by law. Details of these are available for viewing on our Information Wall within our setting. Copies of the current Employer’s Liability and Public Liability Insurance Policies are clearly displayed.

General

24. You should be aware that the Pre-school takes photographs within the setting which may be used in promotional material and in your child’s Learning Journey. Parental preference is adhered to and permission will be sought via the Settings Permission Form which is completed at enrolment. The child’s name will not be used in any promotional material.

Safeguarding Children

25. It is understood that Bush-E-Babes is under obligation to report to the relevant authorities any incident where we consider a child may have been abused or neglected. This may be done with or without informing the parent / carer.

26. Any information given by a parent or carer regarding their child will be treated with the utmost confidentiality, except in cases where harm towards a child is suspected.

27. The divulging of confidential information relating to the Bush-E-Babes, its employees, children or customers to any third party, is considered a breach of confidence and, as such, is regarded as constituting gross misconduct which could lead to summary dismissal from employment for staff or cancellation of a Bush-E-Babes place.

28. Whilst Bush-E-Babes have an open door policy and are happy to discuss your child’s development we would advise you to arranged an appointment with your Key Worker for a more in-depth update.

29. Parents / carers and staff will not discuss details pertaining to their own or other children and the Pre-school on any social networking site or in social environments. Privacy for children is essential, so parents / carers are requested to respect this condition and not ask a staff member to deviate from this rule.

Security

30. Parents / carers are welcome to visit the Pre-school; however, we will not admit anyone without prior notification. It is the parent / carer’s responsibility to ensure that staff are aware of who will be collecting your child. No child will be allowed to leave the building with anyone, known or not, without prior notification. A password system is in operation.

Data Protection

31. It is a legal requirement for Bush-E-Babes to hold information about children in our setting.

Legal Contract

32. The offer of a place and its acceptance by parents gives rise to a legally binding contract on the terms of these Terms and Conditions and the Policies and Procedures of Bush-E-Babes. It is important that parents and staff adhere to those terms, any queries about them should be raised with the owner of the nursery, Jannine Yadid.