Category: Early Years Shop News

Do you have a Staff Roster visibly posted in your early years service?

Remember your staff roster must show the following:

• The ratio of each room
• The hours worked by each staff, their breaks and how their breaks are covered (by whom). This should match with the ‘sign in and out of the room’ records
• That a Person in Charge (PIC) is on duty for every minute of the day
• That a First Aid Responder is on duty for every minute of the day

Early Years Resource Factory members have access to our new Weekly Staff Roster creation tool that makes it quick and easy to generate a printable staff roster with details of hours worked, breaks and cover, and verifies the presence of a Person in Charge (PIC) and First Aid Responder (FAR) at all times.

Are you familiar with the other useful tools and templates available from the Early Years Resource Factory? In addition to the new Weekly Staff Roster EYRF members have access to a range of other Staff templates to create attractive and informative staff profiles to post with information about staff members, as well as hundreds of other templates, records and signs for your service.

Many EYRF members love the access to the monthly Newsletter Creator. The Newsletter Creator gives members the power to easily create their own 1- or 2-page newsletter each month. We provide a professionally-designed template with seasonal background. Canavan Byrne provides optional content – choose from a number of interesting and topical articles that are informative for families as well as important news in regulation or other items relating to early years education. Add your own content to inform parents about schedule changes, new facilities, “hellos and goodbyes” for staff and children in the service, or whatever you want to spread the word about.

If you haven’t tried out EYRF yet, sign up for a free trial today and try out the new Weekly Staff Roster creator!

September is really close – are you ready?

September is fast approaching and we have no doubt that you are all busy getting ready to open your doors to a whole new group of children and parents. This is a reminder of some of the important areas that you need to address and help you to evaluate that you have everything you need in place. To make your life a little easier we are pleased to remind you that most of the items are available from www.EarlyYearsShop.ie.

Taking on New Staff? You will need a Contract of employment

If you are taking on new staff it is imperative that you issue a contract of employment within the first 8 weeks. It is also important the correct type of contract is issued. Our contracts are specifically developed for this sector and cover important areas like confidentiality, child protection, garda vetting and professional conduct as well as being GDPR compliant. We also have contracts to suit an AIM employee in the Inclusion Pack They come with a set of instructions and if you need extra assistance in developing them the Canavan Byrne. employment expert team are always available to help. Our Contracts also come with a Statement of Terms which needs to be given within 5 days of employment under new legislation

You will need a Contract of employment If you are taking on new staff it is imperative that you issue a contract of employment within the first 8 weeks. It is also important the correct type of contract is issued. Our contracts are specifically developed for this sector and cover important areas like confidentiality, child protection, garda vetting and professional conduct as well as being GDPR compliant. We also have contracts to suit an AIM employee in the Inclusion Pack They come with a set of instructions and if you need extra assistance in developing them the Canavan Byrne. employment expert team are always available to help. Our Contracts also come with a Statement of Terms which needs to be given within 5 days of employment under new legislation

Child Registration and Roll/ Attendance Books

Are you confident that your Child Registration Form contains all the data now required under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016? Is your form GDPR compliant and have you captured all the necessary permissions? This form is available on its own in our child Registration Pack or as part of our GDPR pack. You will also need an attendance record. Our Attendance Record is a 3 in one system. It works as a Roll Book, children ‘sign-in and sign out’ and it also allows staff sign into the room. Remember, whatever system you use, that you must have a list of parents and emergency contacts/collectors in the room and you must show accountability where an adult takes responsibility for children’s arrival and departure. For a limited time we are offering one FREE book with each one purchased.

Medicine Administration Forms and Medical Emergency Care Plans

Medicine Administration is an important task to ensure the safety and welfare of the child. It is also a very common area of non-compliance. Ensure you have the correct record in place. Do you have children attending in September with allergies or health conditions. It is essential that you have a care plan in place and that staff have the knowledge to respond effectively to a medical emergency. We have a full range of care plans and if there is an illness/condition not on our list the Canavan Byrne Team will write one for you and make it available on the Early Years Shop.

Parent Handbooks

The Quality and Regulatory Framework requires that you share information and policies with parents in a user-friendly fashion. Also, the Department of Education and Science (DES), in their inspections, expect that you have a Parent Handbook. There are two editable versions available, one to suit preschool, day care etc and one especially written to compliment the school-ages childcare regulations.

Newsletters and Family notices

Get off to a flying start by communicating with parents professionally by issuing a monthly newsletter starting from September. We do the bulk of the work for you by filling each newsletter with “current” information. You can add your own content in to this attractive publication, add your logo and you have a fantastic tool of communication. The service can be bought monthly along with a family notice that you can pin to your noticeboard. Or is available at no additional cost for subscribers to our Early Years Resource Factory (see EYRF.ie for details and Free Trial).

Safeguarding Statement

Since March 2018 all services who work with young children must have a Safeguarding Statement. You also need to submit your safeguarding statement to Tusla for registration purposes

Risk Assessment

For those of you have been recently inspected by Tusla you will know that risk management forms a large part of the inspection and services who do not have proper risk checks and audits in place are being asked by Tusla to submit them every month for three months so it becomes habitual. Our Risk Assessment pack provides you with daily risk checks as well as an audit tool

Accident and Incident Recording

This is an area of high non-compliance in services. You now must record the risk assessment (corrective and preventive action taken) following an accident. You must also give each parent a copy of the record (not just a signature) and place a copy on each child’s file. Our bumper triplicate book ensures compliance

Learning Journeys

Get off on the right foot by allocating “A Child’s Learning Journey” to each child. These ‘bumper’ size best-selling journals allow plenty of space for observations and to capture and document children’s emerging interests Why not combine the journeys with our Aistear Stickers so those important links are made and parents can make the connections and learn more about the curriculum framework.

Curriculum Plans

Our curriculum plans are not templates. They are a library of curriculum and activity ideas so that early years’ professionals can plan ahead but most importantly respond to the emerging interests of children. The purpose behind our plans and the EYRF (Early Years Resource Factory www.eyrf.ie) is to allow you build a library of resources for your service. When a child demonstrates they have an interest you will be able to retrieve materials that will assist you support the child through their learning journey. All curriculum plans are related to Aistear themes.

Child Friendly Policies (for School-Aged Childcare)

Some of you provide services for children after school until their parents/guardians can collect them. You provide a happy & safe place where children can play, do homework, eat meals and snacks and have fun with other children. Our recently launched and very popular pack contains a child-friendly template of each of the seven policies which you can customise for your service. This compliments the Parent Handbook described above.

Here is a quick summary of the most important areas to have ready for September:

• Contracts of Employment
• Child Registration and Child attendance Records
• Medicine Administration Forms and Medical Emergency Care Plans
• Parent Handbooks
• Newsletters and Family Notices
• Risk Assessment
• Accident and Incident Recording
• Learning Journals
• Communication Diaries for younger Children
• Curriculum Plans – Activities linked to Aistear themes
• Child Friendly Policies (for School-Aged Childcare)
• Policies & Procedures (this is a bespoke, tailor-made service. Contact info@canavanbyrne.ie for more details)
• A Visitor’s Record: Your visitor book is now open to inspection

Here are some useful links:

Belonging is critical to children’s development of identity. It forms one of the four themes of Aistear, our curriculum framework, as well as being included in Síolta our Quality framework whose aim it is to improve the overall quality of early years settings for both children and their families. Síolta and Aistear set out guidelines which services use to ensure that each child is included and feels a sense of belonging within their Early Years community. This theme forms the beginning of each child’s journey with us and as such its value cannot be overestimated.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs describes the importance of having your most basic needs met before you can hope to achieve more abstract concepts at the peak of the pyramid such as self-actualisation.

Check out our new Identity and Belonging Curriculum Plan Pack – for a limited time you can also add on the Diversity Curriculum Plan Pack for half price!

Did you know members of the Early Years Resource Factory have access to all our curriculum plan packs as soon as they are released for no additional cost? See the bottom of this page to sign up for a membership or a no-obligation 7-day Free Trial.

Maslow’s theory outlines five concepts from physiological needs such as food, water, shelter, to safety needs such as personal security, a home, employment, love and belonging, including positive relationships, friendships and a sense that of belonging to the community. Other needs include esteem, such as respect for oneself and others and at the top of the pyramid a feeling of self-actualisation, a desire to be the best that one can be, a strong sense of accomplishment.

If we consider Maslow’s theory we can understand that like each of the stages of the pyramid, the concept of identity and belonging is dynamic. We are all aware of how much change we notice in the children in our practices. Children’s lives can change instantly and dramatically with loss of employment, homelessness, illness, moving country, bereavement and even the arrival of a new sibling, in the family. These changes will affect children’s identity and sense of belonging. For many children the early years setting will be their predictable safe place to be. Children build confidence and trust and from this base they can express and build upon positive dispositions whilst adding to and adapting new skills.

We have a unique opportunity to shape children’s lives both now and into the future. Children are shaped by what they see and hear and the opportunities which are afforded to them as they grow. These experiences form their reality whether accurate or not. The actions, words, environments and experiences provided for each child within an early years service will help to form positive connections in the brain and the foundations of positive dispositions such as resilience, empathy and self-esteem, thus helping them to move up the pyramid. Children arrive with a set of ideas which they believe to be true, the messages they subsequently receive both directly and implied will make a connection in their brain and become part of their belief system.

As educators therefore we model positive behaviour and prepare our environment in a way that welcomes each child and their family. The more we know about each child and family before they start in our setting the better prepared we are to welcome and reflect each child (See our new Identity and Belonging Curriculum Plan Pack). This may be used in connection with your own ideas to support the children.

Once the children arrive, and feel safe and connected, they will show us that they have multiple identities, and their ‘funds of knowledge’ can be incorporated into the curriculum to enrich both their own and others experiences. An emergent curriculum and playful pedagogy will follow the lead of the children and help educators to go on a journey of discovery with the child as they are now, and who they become during their time with us.

Are you familiar with the new Employment (Miscellaneous Provision) Act, 2018, which came in to effect in March 2019? This new legislation requires employers to issue employees with a core statement of employment within five days of their commencement of employment and a full contract of employment within 4 weeks. If an employer issues the employee with a contract/statement of terms and conditions prior to or within five days of the employee’s commencement, then core statement is not required.

Continue reading Avoid Big Fines Under New Employment Legislation by Ensuring Compliance

Music and movement are truly essential parts of children’s early years education. Let’s take a moment to think about this!

Continue reading Working with Movement is Essential for the Children in Your Early Years Service

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

We’re happy to offer a free pack of our very popular Aistear stickers with any purchase of 5 or more A Child’s Learning Journey scrapbooks. This offer is only until the end of March so avail of it today!

Continue reading Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Free Aistear Stickers with purchase of 5 or more A Child’s Learning Journey

We are delighted to announce that Marie Rice McCourt of the Redeemer Creche & Playgroup, Dundalk is the winner of our December competition. Here she is pictured in the Redeemer Creche with one of the Happy Birthday buntings and the giant BIC colours pack. We would like to thank everyone for sharing the post about our popular Inspection Essentials bundles.

Continue reading Early Years Shop Prizewinner in our December Facebook Share Competition

Plan now for your Graduation Day

You can pre-order your Graduation Gown Sets now for delivery later just in time for the special day. We have introduced a low-cost deposit system that will guarantee delivery at a date of your choosing.

Continue reading Graduation Day 2019 is months away

We have great news! We are offering a free “Where I Live” journal with every 10 individual child My Learning Journey orders for the rest of the month of January only. This is from our “Documentation Made Simple Series” and is one of our most popular products due to the fact that Community Involvement is an element of evaluation included in the DES (Department of Education & Skills) inspection.

Continue reading Free “Where I Live” Journal with Every Order of 10 Learning Journeys – January Only!

Why not use our Newsletter Development tool to communicate with parents? A professionally produced newsletter gives you the edge and ensures parents are kept informed of developments. It can also be used to educate parents and create an awareness about curriculum and child development. Communication with parents is an important element of the DES inspection. Available here

Continue reading Partnership with Parents: The Regular Newsletter