FAQs
How do I know if I’ve chosen the right kind of care for my child?
We strongly advise that you visit us at Sunny Days and we would love to see you and answer any questions. It is important to visit any Centre you are considering and current advice from Early Childhood Education professionals is to try and visit a Centre on at least two occasions. Once without your child so that you can focus on how the Centre looks and feels for you. Observe the children and teachers interacting, are they having fun, are they relaxed, busy and mostly happy? Look at the equipment and play areas. Is the equipment in good condition? Satisfy yourself that there are enough activities to stimulate and appeal to different children’s abilities and interests. Look at the areas of play, are there quiet areas as well as messy play areas as well as action play? Take note of the supervision, whether there’s an easy flow indoors & outdoors. Ask questions of the teachers. The second visit with your child is again about how you both feel about the Centre, is your child having fun, is it a welcoming, encouraging and supportive environment for your child?
How many children are enrolled? Is there is a waiting list?
Sunny Days is licensed for 45. This means at any one time the maximum number of children in our care must not exceed 45. The number of enrolled children varies. We can and usually do have more than 45 enrolled children as many children attend part time. We do keep a waiting list.
Is your service licensed or chartered?
Sunny Days is a licensed early childhood education and care centre.
Do you provide snacks and lunch?
Sunny Days provides morning and afternoon tea. These will typically consist of fruit / bread / toast and water / juice / milo. Children bring a packed lunch. When a child’s birthday is being celebrated, party food may be provided by the child’s Parent/Caregiver. We welcome your participation in celebrating your child’s birthday.
What involvement is expected of the parent?
We welcome and encourage parent participation, discussion about your child’s progress and involvement. But we also respect and understand that there may not be the time you would wish for in a busy working day. You can still make their experience at Sunny Days an important part of your day when you are together by making time to spend one-on-one talking with your child about their day. This makes their learning a valued part of the family/ whānau day and will help build their self confidence.
- Talk about what they’ve been doing.
- Include your child in the conversation when you’re talking to the teachers about your child’s activities.
- Display their paintings and other work at home.
What are the costs?
Currently fees are $5.10 per hour, per child. Payment can be made by cheque/cash/automatic payments/direct credits/phone or internet banking are available. Work & Income child care subsidies are available where applicable. We participate in the government's 20 hrs ECE scheme available for 3 & 4 year olds.
Do you offer FREE ECE?
20 hours free early childhood education is available for 3 & 4 year olds from 1 July 2007. This applies to a maximum of 6 hours per day for your child. Our Centre Manager can discuss with you how this affects fees for your child.
How do you help children settle in?
We will discuss with you how to best support your child to settle in to Sunny Days. Our teachers are very experienced at helping children settle. Children and parents will all have different needs and we aim to help this transition be as smooth and positive as possible. There’s no right or wrong period of time, some children will naturally settle in quickly, others need to take more time.
Other things good to discuss when you visit are:
- How do you support learning for each child and small groups of children?
- How do you keep records of the children’s learning?
- How do you manage children’s behaviour?
- What qualifications do your teachers have?
- What is the daily routine?
- How will I know how my child is getting on?