Engaging in the creative arts encourages children to express their feelings, take risks, be intuitive, enhances perception and awareness. It allows them to be creative with a variety of materials ranging from drawing, painting, collaging, clay, mix and mess. Meaningful art allows children to make connections, communicate about art, ideas and their feelings. Children learn about resources and materials such as textures, shapes, light, colors and lines, artists & pottery. Children learn from PROCESSES not products, so we will be educating our families over the coming months on story park about how children learn and engage in the arts. Children don’t learn from engaging with stencils and being told what to create and with what materials. Structured craft is not child led, children learn from taking risks, exploring and making their own choices. Art should inspire, provoke thoughts and feelings and soothe those that engage in it. Our educators are continually reflecting upon and implementing child led art experiences and adding to their creative art learning centers with the children.  If you have any loose parts or resources for our art learning centers please feel free to bring these in to share with the educators & children.

First and foremost, our hearts go out to those impacted by the virus both directly and indirectly. We feel fortunate to have no known COVID-19 cases so far.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has, fortunately, been less severe in children than in older adults. Scientists and experts aren’t sure why. What we have learned so far in this unprecedented time of uncertainty is that we need to be vigilant in protecting ourselves, each other and those most at risk.

“We do know that children tend to have more mild infection, have more mild disease, but we have seen [at least one child] die from this infection. We can’t say universally that it’s mild in children, so it’s important that we protect children as a vulnerable population.” 
https://www.vox.com/2020/3/18/21181009/coronavirus-in-kids-symptoms-covid-19-risk

While we’ve seen an increased tightening of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, Early Childhood Education Centers remain open and are considered an essential.

We wish to stress that we are open for business as usual and being in the childcare industry we are heavily regulated and our standards of hygiene and safety are paramount for the children and educators/staffs and families that attend our Centre. Educators are highly skilled professionals and you are invaluable in supporting the health safety and wellbeing of children, families and the Central Coast community. I do understand that the information the government has been providing has at times been confusing and conflicting however we have been successfully implementing a number of above measures at Erina kindergarten which includes;

• Regularly take temperatures of all children and staffs on admission the service & throughout the day
• Opening up our indoor-outdoor spaces to enable greater distancing in children’s play – 10.25m per child
• Limit lengthy drop off & pick-ups by families/carers, parents are asked to only have one person enter the rooms to collect children
• Isolating areas/rooms and staffs within each area at Erina kindergarten
• We can embrace flexible meal times – allowing for less children at a table
• Creating small interest areas – limiting the number of children in each space
• Diligently implementing our already existing health and hygiene policies and procedures and going above & beyond with our infection control.
• Ensuring staffs and children stay at home if unwell or who have any flu like symptoms or is suspected of being in contact with COVID-19 are directed stay home until a medical clearance is supplied.
• Progressive meal times eliminating group times and running progressive meal times are ways we can limit large numbers of children coming together in small spaces
• Ensuring all children and staffs wash and sanitise their hands at regular intervals throughout the day through regular handwashing schedules
• Keeping windows and doors open air flow and ventilation.
• Parents are requested not to bring in any cakes or food to share as we cater for all meals at Erina kindergarten.

We ask that you continue to monitor your children’s health and should they become unwell please isolate them until you are able to obtain clearance from a medical practitioner.

Erina kindergarten continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 (‘novel coronavirus’) situation and is taking advice from NSW Health and our childcare advisory to ensure we are responding appropriately in the best interests of our students, staff and childcare communities.

Each day we are continuing to clean & sterilise the Erina kindergarten facilities & we will continue to have a large clean & sterilise of the entire service over the weekends and after hours as we always do at Erina kindergarten. Stringent additional documented cleaning and hygiene practices will remain a priority within our Centre over the coming weeks and months.

Coronavirus: Childcare centres in New South Wales have begun social distancing which means the cancellation of centre assemblies, excursions, staff group training/meetings other events and conferences.

We will be continuing allocating resources to assist families with drop off & pickup from each of the areas of the service.

We have received a further update as to restrictions on overseas travel. Due to the nature of the Childcare Centre environment we have to put in place stricter restrictions as we cannot socially isolate ourselves or the children in our care.

Social isolation refers to keeping a 2-metre distance between yourself and another individual. As such the following restriction will be added to those communicated on Friday 13 March 2020;

Erina kindergarten will continue follow and stay abreast of NSW health guidelines to ensure safe practices are implemented continuously as a priority at Erina kindergarten.

NSW Health is continuing to trace and respond to cases as they are diagnosed to slow any spread of COVID-19 in the community.

To help protect the Erina kindergarten and general central coast community families, staffs are asked to;

• clean your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand rub
• cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with tissue or a flexed elbow
• avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms
• stay home if you are sick or your children/family are sick

Please be assured, NSW Health notifies the public of any locations where there has been a risk of infection. This is so members of the public can monitor their symptoms and seek medical assistance if they become unwell.

On a positive note, we have recently also had more improvements to the external Gumnuts yard with the replacement of the outside undercover area which looks fabulous. We have also updated the nappy change area within the preschool area.

With everything that is happening in our world at the moment we are understanding people are very concerned about their children, jobs, families and the virus.

We at Erina kindergarten are here for you ALL.

We know some families are using their absences which is amazing and working from home.

don’t forget We are HERE …. If you would like to go shopping we have the flexibility for you to drop your child off and come back and collect them in your own time. We are OPEN from 630am -6pm.  If you are working from home and are having a testing day with your child/ren and would like a break please call and let us know you are bringing your child/ren in for the day. We hope you have your rainbows displayed in your homes let’s look forward into 2020, the children at kindy are busy creating a large rainbow for our centre. WE WILL Get through this….Have a happy day , don’t forget to think positively!

If you have any questions or queries please email us at info@erinakindergarten.com.au or call us.

See you soon;

Miss Kelly & Miss Mel  (Directors)

For this event we had such a great turn out, it was so nice to see all our children and families return for afternoon tea to mingle with their old peers and families and join in the amazing grazing afternoon tea. The children were chatting to each other on the field in their little groups and discussing the settling in process at school and their new friends and teachers.

CPR refresher course for our educators, this was cancelled due to the coronavirus, but this will be postponed.

• Miss Kiara and Miss Meg didn’t attend their Leadership course with Seeman and Slattery at Newcastle due to the coronavirus so this will be postponed.

• Our office staff and some educators have competed the Infection Control Training for COVID 19 to ensure implementation of good hygiene, washing hands and cough etiquette is continued to be practiced and stop the spread of infection in our centre.

• Our staff meeting for April will be still conducted out on the field out in the OPEN practicing our social distancing.

One of our families is selling handmade glass jewelry in the front office, if you would like to purchase something please see Miss Kirsten , we love supporting our families businesses.

• Corona virus policy 2020

• Excursion policy 2020

• Grievance policy 2020

Please come to reception to view these policies or see the updated policies on our website at www.erinakindergarten.com.au

• Easter Hat Parades in the rooms and craft – educators will load photos and video to storypark for families due to no parade due to the coronavirus. 

6^th April Preschool

7^th April Gumnuts

8^th April Snugglepots

9^th April Bush Babies

• Earth day 22^nd

• School Photos we will still be going ahead with this, just so you know 4^th-8^th May 2020.