ECCE Scheme:
This refers to children who are eligible to participate in the Government’s Free Preschool
Years. This scheme covers up to two years of free early education. Children can start preschool in the term after their 3 rd birthday and remain in preschool until the 30 t h June of the year they are commencing in Primary School, provided that by the end of the preschool year (i.e. 30th June), the child will not be older than 5 ½ years. The level of access to the full ‘two-year period’ is ‘date of birth’ dependent and the eligibility is determined by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs [DCYA].

Children can be enrolled into the scheme in September, January and April each year. It should be noted that the service may be over subscribed and may not be able to accept children during all entry periods.

ECCE is an inclusive scheme and welcomes all children regardless of ability. In some cases, parents need to be aware that the participation of their child may require additional resources which will be discussed at time of enrolment.

Criteria for Enrolment:
• Children’s date of birth must fit the eligibility for the scheme as directed by DCYA
• Full time places (5 days) will be given as a priority
• Part time places will be offered if all full time places are not filled

Over Subscription:
• In the event of places being full a waiting list will be kept. In addition, the following will apply when allocating a place.
1. Priority to full time (5 days)
2. Existing Children
3. Siblings

The Manager will advise parents of their child’s place on the waiting list upon request.

• Each year of the two-year scheme is treated completely separately by our service with enrolment required for each year. If your child attends Year 1, you will be required to follow the enrolment criteria agai n for Year 2.

• A place on the ECCE Scheme will only be confirmed when the following is completed:
- an agreement confirming the number of days required and confirmation of the child’s eligibility
- a PIP Registration form (DCYA)
- registration form

• The service cannot ‘hold’ a place until the child becomes eligible. For example, if a child becomes eligible in January, a place will only be available if there is a vacancy.
If parents/guardians want to guarantee a place in January, they may be required to enrol their child in September and pay full commercial fees until the child is eligible in January when the free scheme becomes operational for that child.
If a parent/guardian wishes to increase the number of days their child is attending
the service, thi s will only be possible if there is a vacancy. For example, if your child
is currently attending three days a week [this could be a free or paid place] and you
wish to extend to five days this may not be possible if the service is full.
• All details regard ing a child’s application form must be completed and any relevant
important information or specific diet or health requirements must be noted.
• We reserve the right to terminate our services.
• In the event that we cannot offer your child a place in the servi ce we will endeavour to source other options for you.
• Parents should familiarise themselves with our policies and procedures; they will be reviewed and changed accordingly to regulation and best practice.

Attendance:
It is essential to the efficient running of the service that you inform the Manager if your
child is unable to attend the service and follow up with a telephone call to inform the Manager when the child will be returning. It should be noted that the income received by the service from the DCYA is based on the regular attendance of children. Services are subject to inspection by Pobal on behalf of DCYA. A register of the times and days that children attend is kept. Continued failure to attend may result in your child’s place being withdrawn.

• Our Preschool is open from 9:00 AM 12 :30 PM daily, Monday to Friday, over 49 weeks per year.

• We cater for children from aged between 2 ½ 5.5 years.

• We are offering the FREE two year pre school session for children qualifying for the
ECCE scheme. 9:00AM 12:00PM and 2:00PM 5:00PM for 38 we eks inline with
DCYA guidelines. Please read below in regard to criteria for FREE pre school.
• A calendar will be given to parents/guardians at the beginning of the school year.
Please note: THE CALENDAR IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE due to inclement weather, in ser vice courses, family emergency, and other emergencies.

• Our Full daycare is open from 8.15 AM to 6.00 PM over 49 weeks per year.

• We are offering the FREE two-year preschool session for children qualifying for the
ECCE scheme.

• A calendar will be given to parents/guardians at the beginning of the school year.
Please note: THE CA LENDAR IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE due to inclement weather,
in service courses, family emergency, and other emergencies.

• Our After School club is open from school closure times to 6.00PM and we offer
services outside school term also but children must be booked in well in advance as
we have to adhere to ratios. Camps are available also outside school

Our Facilities Include:

• Bright and spacious classrooms and toilets

• A very large outdoor play area with all weather play Surface, grass, concrete and
chippings.

• Trained and qualified staff

• Fully insured The classroom is designed in such a way as to meet the developing needs of each
individual child. The children are guided through a range of educational and play
activities at their own pace. Our staff team create a positive and secure environment
where children feel confident in exploring their surroundings.

Attendance:
It is essential to the efficient running of this service that you inform the Manager if your
child is unable to attend the service and follow up with a telephone call to inform the Manager when the child will be returning. A register of the times and days that children attend is kept.

Arrivals:
• The child will be greeted and signed in by a designa ted staff member.
• The premises are secured by a locked door.
• Parents must ring the doorbell or knock to gain access to the service.

Collection Policy:
The Collection Policy of this service will be achieved by:
• Parents/guardians must collect their child by the agreed collection time. Parents will
be asked to give the names of at least two other people who are authorised to collect
the child. If the parent is late arriving to collect the child the Manager will endeavour
to contact the parent. In th e event of being unable to contact the parent, the Manager
will contact the other named persons to collect the child.
• Children will not be released into the care of a person under the age of 18 years or
to a person who appears to be incapable of caring for the child. Should this situation
arise the staff will contact an authorised collector. If no one is available to collect the
child, then the Manager should contact the Tusla social work child protection team.
• We ask that parents do not collect their child from service while under the influence
of alcohol. of alcohol. This can lead to embarrassment and worry within the team. If parents feel that this situation may arise they should arrange for an authorised collector to collect their child.
• Children should be collected only by the adult/s named on the Collection
Authorisation, should the person responsible be unable to collect the child, a letter
of explanation must be presented signed and dated by the parent / guardian with a
contact telephone number, the s taff member will then telephone the parent prior to
allowing the child leave the service . If the parent personally arranges this with the
staff the telephone call may not be necessary, but signed consent will be required at
all times.
• In the event of a parent collecting another fellow child a prior arrangement must be
made.
• In order to comply with childcare legislation which determines the staff/ child ratios
and in the best interest of the children (children can become distressed when no one comes for them when all the others have been collected) it is important that children are collected on time from the service.

Late Collection of Children:
Children must be collected promptly at the end of their session.
We understand that sometimes a parent is unavoidably delayed when coming to collect their child. We will ensure that the child receives a high standard of care in order to cause as little distress as possible. Parents in this situation must contact the Manager to say that they will be late and arrange with staff what to do. Children are only released from this service to individuals named by the parent.

Late Collection Fees:
We reserve the right to charge a late collection fee for persistent lateness. We charge
€5 for every five minutes of laten ess after the first ten minutes i.e. for each five minute
block after 12:10pm.

Early Collection of Children:
We ask that parents/guardians let us know if they will be picking up your child early so
that we can have the child ready and to minimise disrupti ng the rest of the group.

Late Drop Off:
We ask parents/guardians to drop children off at the correct time to avoid disrupting the
group once they have started and so that your child benefits from our full daily programme.

Separated and Divorced Parents:
Married parents are automatically joint guardians of their children. Neither separation
nor divorce changes this. Some unmarried fathers also have automatic guardianship.
• We cannot refuse either parent to collect their child unless a court order is in place.
• We ask that parents give us information on any person that does not have legal
access to the child.
• Where custody of a child is granted to one parent, we ask parents to clarify the
circumstances with us. This information will remain confidential and will only be
made known to the relevant staff. If there are any legal documents i.e. custody order
and/or barring order, we ask parent to provide us with a copy to keep on file.

Attempted collection by a parent who has been denied access in a court order:
• A parent, who has been denied access to a child through a court order, will NOT be
permitted on to the premises.
• If the parent, who has been denied access, becomes threatening or violent and
insists on removing the child from the service this will be viewed as trespassing. The
service will, in this event, contact the Local Gardaí. By law, an unmarried mother is the automatic guardian of a child born outside of
marriage. In some circumstances, unmarried fathers have automatic access. The service should be informed about access rights.

Unmarried fathers will automatically become guardians of their children if they meet a cohabitation requirement. An unmarried father who cohabits for 12 months with the child's mother, including 3 months follow ing a child's birth, will automatically become the child's guardian.

This provision is not retrospective, so guardianship will only be acquired automatically where the parents live together for at least 12 months after 18 January 2016.

Wonderland Montessori is a privately owned early years’ service. The Manager is Orlagh Murphy. Wonderland Montessori supports each child reach their full learning potential in a safe, secure and stimulating environment. Our aim is to prepare the child for the challenges of primary school and the outside world through a quality curriculum.
Our core values are responsibility, security, happiness, equality, nurture and respect.

We run a sessional service, full daycare and after school club in accordance with the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016.

Opening Hours: 8:15 AM 6:00 PM
Capacity: 43
Age Range: 2 ½ -12 years
Ratios: As per regulations
Curriculum: Montessori, Play based, Aistear
Address: Carriglea, Coolcotts, Co Wexford
Phone number: 053 9123827
Email: info@wonderlandmontessori.ie

You have entrusted your child into our care and we aim to ensure this environment is as
healthy as possible and we want to minimise your child’s risk of infection. We encourage
you to get your child immunised according to the HSE recommendations.

Children with the following cannot be admitted to the service:
• Acute symptoms of food poisoning/gastro enteritis.
• An oral temperature over 37.5 degrees C. Children that have a temperature will not be allowed to come to the centre and will be sent home. If a child develops a temperature while at the centre and it will not come down the parents will be called and the child will be monitored and temperature re corded until their arrival.
• An earache.
• A deep, hacking cough.
• Severe congestion.
• Difficulty breathing or untreated wheezing.
• An unexplained rash.
• Vomiting (in last 48 hours). Children who vomit in the centre and are sent home will
not be allowed back int o the centre until at least 48 hours has passed
• Diarrhoea (in last 48 hours).
• Complaints of a stiff neck and headache with one or more of the above symptoms
• Lice or nits
• An infectious /contagious condition.
• A child who is on an antibiotic for less than 48 hours

If a child becomes ill at the service parents will be contacted so that the child can be taken home. If, for some reason, the parent cannot collect they should organise an authorised adult to collect their child. All children must provide up to date record of immunisations. Should there b an outbreak of any infectious disease or incident you will be informed.

Head Lice:
Head lice are very common amongst children. All parents should check their child’s
head regularly for lice. If there is an outbreak you will be informed. If your child is infected, you will be asked to refrain from bringing your child to the service until it is cleared. For a full list of exclusions see our Illness and Exclusions policy.

Full-Day Care:

- Children will be offered a piece of fruit, cereal or toast in the morning.

- Afternoon snack, a sandwich, rice cakes, toasted sandwich etc. A piece of fruit and cookie also.

- It is advisable that children attending WMS for full day care have one hot meal.

Morning Snack:

- Please provide water or milk and two small items of food for your child, to be placed in a small bag with the child's name on it as snacks have to be removed from lunch bags and placed in the fridge. This avoids confusion and upset for your child when he removes his lunch from the fridge...

- Healthy snacks please.


After School Care:

- WMS provides an afternoon snack for the after school children and a piece of fruit and cookie..

- WMS cannot accept children with high temperatures, a contagious virus, diarrhoea, vomiting or infectious diseases such as chicken pox, measles, etc. them for two days before attending WMS

- A child receiving antibiotics must be on them for two days before attending.

- Please notify the school of contraction of any communicable disease as soon as possible so that notices of possible exposure can be given to all parents/guardians.

- Should your child require medication during the school day, a form must be completed and signed in advance..

- If your Child has allergies or dietary requirements please remind staff on Party days

The main door is locked for security reasons and there is no unauthorised access.

• Parents are requested not to admit anyone else into the service whilst entering or
leaving unless they know them and to check that all doors are securely closed behind
them, at all times.

• Safety checks are done regularly to ensure that no child can leave the premises
undetected.

• We ask that all potential collectors be introduced to the Manager in advance.

• If a child is being collected by anyone other than the parents or usual designated
person, the staff must be informed.

Please inform the person collecting your child that they will be required to provide identification, to confirm who they are. This is to ensure our children’s safety.

- If your child is involved in an accident or incident a record will be written up and shared with you. You will be asked to sign these records. Staff members at this service are trained in First Aid and will treat minor injuries. If a child needs to attend hospital a staff member will travel too.

This service is committed to offering the children in its care a Montessori, Play-based curriculum. This is combined with other good practice methods.

This service offers a range of learning opportunities to children, which are appropriate
to the child’s stage of development. The service is fully committed to being guided by the principles of Síolta and the curriculum framework Aistear.

We recognise how important high-quality early childhood experience can be in children’s
lives. This Curriculum aims to encourage active learning, problem solving, effective
communication, creativity and socialization. It aim s to give children a good start which
will benefit their long term success in life. This service recognises the diversity of experiences and relationships that shape children’s lives.

Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework:
Aistear is Ireland ’s curriculum framework for children from birth to six years. It contains
information for parents and practitioners that will help them plan for and provide challenging and enjoyable learning experiences that can enable all children to grow and develop as competent and confident learners in the context of loving relationships with others. Aistear describes the types of learning and development that are important for children in their early years, and offers ideas and suggestions on how these might be nurtured. We use the Aistear guidelines to help plan our curriculum. For more information please see our full policy.

Child Development:
It is widely accepted that children develop holistically and to enhance their whole
development we must provide them with a comprehensive programme that gives them
active learning experiences. All children should be supported in their learning and their
experiences extended in a variety of ways that are appropriate to their stage of
development.

This service is committed to developing a curriculum that incorporates child
development, creates a child-centred play-based environment, which enables young
children to actively pursue their own learning. For more information please see our full
policy.

Montessori Curriculum:
The Montessori approach was designed to help children grow by letting them explore
the world. The classrooms are called “prepared environments” where children a given
an array of stimulating learning and purposeful activities.

The Montessori Curriculum is based on the research and findings of Dr. Maria Montessori (1870 1952). Montessori’s method is structured around, and promotes, the child’s natural, self initiated impulse to become absorbed in an environment and to learn from it. Based on her observation Dr. Montessori developed specific materials techniques and curriculum areas that assist each child in reaching his/her potential.

In Montessori classes, the children follow a set programme of tasks or exercises. They learn everyday life skills such as d ressing themselves, washing themselves etc. They learn social graces and manners but also cover a wide range of subjects including Mathematics, Reading and Writing, History and Geography, Science, Biology, Music, Irish, Art, Drama and Literature. Subjects may vary slightly.

Montessori Curriculum Areas:
Practical Life
The Practical Life section lays the foundation for all other work to be done in the classroom. The activities are everyday tasks that a child needs to learn to master the care of self and care of the environment. Such activities include pouring, sweeping, and tying, as well as courtesy. The activities are presented to the child in such a way that concentration, coordination, independence, and order are developed.

Sensorial
The goal of the Montessori Sensorial Section is to educate the child’s senses. The curriculum area contains Montessori specific materials that help the child refine his or her experience of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. In addition, the materials of this section are modeled on scientifically based concepts. Sensory experience, with these specially selected materials, provides children with the first step in understanding abstract concepts.

Maths
Maths in the Montessori classroom can be separated into a few major categories:
beginning counting, advanced counting, the decimal system, rational numbers (fractions) and the operation of addition, multiplication, subtraction and division.
Concepts are presented in a very concrete way so that children are not only able to count but work with square numbers and thousands.

Language
Montessori language curriculum is an integrated approach that combines phonetics and
whole language. The child is introduced to letters and sounds. After several sounds, he can begin to spell and read words by linking these sounds together.

Culture
This topic integrates geography, history, Science art, music etc. The children study different areas of the world, and experience concrete examples of that area’s language, literature, dress, food, artwork, and music, both past and present. This increasingly important area introduces that child to our planet’s great diversity of people.

All our staff are trained in fire prevention and evacuation. Your child will participate in
monthly fire drills. The Designated Fire Safety Person is Mary Doyle.

Under the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003 this service has appointed a “Data Controller” to manage the storage of personal information about staff, children, and families in its computerised and manual records. All data is stored confidentially.

• The outdoor environment holds all that is of value to the growing and learning child. Taking risks is an important element of play and physical development. The design of our outdoor area allows for a degree of risk

•  To avoid your child becoming anxious, please collect your child punctually. Class finishes at 12.30p.m

•  Each child must be signed in and signed out.

•  Please notify staff if a change in the usual person is collecting your child.

•  Any accident that might occur will be recorded in our accident book and signed by a staff member and parent.

•  Please Inform me in advance of your child's Birthday.

•  Please provide a Healthy snack and water or milk.

•  Infections, Colds etc. spread quickly in this child centred environment, Please take this into consideration. Children may not attend WMS for the first two day on antibiotics.