Yarra Park

EMCC Parents – You need us and we need you!

We may be pushing the point, but the point is The East Melbourne Childcare Co-operative relies on the co-operation of parents and staff in order to thrive – and survive! Please consider giving a small amount of your time to ensure our centre remains an optimal place for your child.

In parent-run centres such as ours, active involvement of all of our parents is welcome and indeed necessary – we could not achieve our high levels of quality across all areas and in the care the children receive without the continued support and commitment of our parents. (See pages 4 and 5 for more information on our various Sub-Committees, who are always looking for new members). Parental involvement is also important to the children who like to feel their family is part of their centre.

The Programme Co-ordinator or any staff member will be able to talk with you in detail about the many ways in which you can make a contribution to the centre. If you care about the care your child receives in our centres, please consider joining us.

Working Bees

Maintenance working bees are organised regularly, and involve parents coming on a Saturday morning once a year to fulfil basic maintenance and gardening jobs around the centres. Some parents are unable to join either the Committee of Management or Sub-Committees but they are able to occasionally contribute some of their time assisting with general maintenance. Parents who can’t participate in the working bees or any other form of assistance to the centres can pay an annual $50 Maintenance Levy.

Drop in. Help out. We’re always happy to see you!

Parents are always welcome to spend time with their children in the centre, occasionally, on a regular basis, or on excursions run throughout the year. There are also many other areas where half an hour of your time would be really appreciated (eg: participating in your child’s focus group, leading a special activity you may enjoy, like bathing a new baby, mosaic making, a craft activity or reading books, and we can always find plenty of things to do around the centre such as mending books, tidying up, gardening etc.!)

Throughout the year, EMCC also go on a number of excursions with the children, and these excursions are not possible without the help of parents who are needed so our adult/child ratios are met. Please try and make time to participate in one excursion with your child throughout the year – you will both enjoy the experience together, and our centre could not conduct these exciting learning experiences without your help.

 

Communication is the Key: Our Centres & You

We at EMCC believe that communication is the key to a good centre. If everyone knows what’s going on, then nobody is confused and a clear way is paved for staff, children and parents to enjoy trusting relationships based on mutual knowledge and respect. Below is a list of some of the ways that we communicate with our parents at EMCC.

EMCC Management & You

Management communicates with EMCC parents in a variety of ways, as we believe effective and transparent communication is vital to the optimal functioning of our centres, and to our parents so they know and can have input into our centres. he group makes recommendations to the Committee of Management regarding fee structures, budgeting, and other financial matters.

Management communicate with EMCC parents via: newsletters, Committee of Management meetings, Subcommittee meetings, parent pockets for notices, our notice board in the foyer, parent surveys, open night, telephone communication, and by qualified staff meeting with parents periodically to talk about individual child needs and objectives.

EMCC Room Staff & You

Staff in our rooms communicate with parents continuously in order to best meet the needs of individual children and keep parents informed of programs.

Staff communicate with EMCC parents via: daily verbal face-to-face contact when you drop off and pick up your child; individual daily dairies and ‘What We Did Today’ boards; individual objectives in parent pockets; white-board information including what your child ate, when/if they slept, and toileting information where necessary; our parents information board; and via telephone communication with parents throughout the day.

Parents are invited to make appointments to meet with qualified room staff on their weekly planning day (or alternative times may be negotiated). This allows parents and staff to communicate by sharing information about individual children’s emotional, physical and social development, and it gives you a chance to discuss any queries about your child’s Developmental Summary reports (which staff issue regularly based on observations of your child across a range of activities and objectives).

We believe it is important for parents, where possible, to make time to meet with their child’s room staff so they can be confident that their child is being stimulated and catered to developmentally in the best way possible. You know your child best, and we will do our best to give your child what he or she needs in our centre environment. To do this, communication is the key.