Wellness
Daily Routine
OUR MEALS
We are proud to offer a vegetarian menu as has been done in Elmwood from the very beginning. We are experienced in vegetarian nutrition and ensure the food offered is balanced for small children, giving them everything they need for healthy growth.
Our food is salt and sugar free, which is much healthier for developing and growing children’s bodies.
Our meals and snacks are prepared by hand five days a week.
Dietary Requirements
Any dietary requirements or special requests from parents for children, we are more than happy to meet these. Please contact us.
Food Allergies
Parents would have a meeting with our chef to discuss their child’s allergies and make changes to the menu where needed. We have allergy alert lists for our children to ensure all staff are aware of children’s individual dietary requirements.
Sanitary Care
We have a strong focus on teaching the children all about their personal hygiene. We provide our children with a high-quality brand of nappies and wipes, which is included in the daily rate.
Child smile program
At Elmwood, we work in partnership with the NHS Child Smile Program, where we encourage our children to brush their teeth at the nursery at least once per day. Children are provided with their own toothbrush for the nursery, as well as given a “home pack” which includes a toothbrush and toothpaste for the children to continue brushing their teeth at home.
No Outdoor Shoe Policy
We encourage our children and staff to wear indoor suitable shoes for nursery. This allows the child to be comfortable and able to move freely in their activities. Shoes should be affordable, easy for the children to take on and off and good for indoor use.
Sleep and Rest
At Elmwood, we are consulting with parents to meet the children’s individual sleeping patterns. We offer all our children clean beds, clean blankets and clean sheets every day, to be in a comfortable and cosy sleeping environment every day.
Sickness and Accidents
Infectious disease
At Elmwood nursery, we have a sickness policy and procedure which are in line with the NHS guidance exclusion from the nursery.
Medicine Procedure
If your child requires medication we can, of course, help but only administer prescribed medicine. The first dose of medicine has to be administered by the parent. Parents need to allow themselves 5 minutes to fill in the appropriate medication forms. All medicine must be clearly labelled. Please see the medication policy for full details.
Days at home after sickness
We ask if your child is unwell you keep the child at home until they have fully recovered. Parents are asked to phone the nursery before 10.00am if the child is not coming into nursery.
Accidents
Any accidents and incidents are recorded in detail explaining what happened and the parent is asked to sign the form when collecting their child. If a serious accident or incident has happened we will contact the parent straight away. We monitor and evaluate our accidents and incidents every three months to highlight if there is a pattern of accidents/incidents which we would then look at how to improve practise to reduce accidents/incidents.
Environment and Safety
As Elmwood is set in old houses it has a real family atmosphere, our children are cared for in a loving and nurturing environment, offering ‘a home away from home’ setting. As our houses are old, they need some love, attention and maintenance care. We have our own team of specialized staff, consisting of gardeners, builders and joiners.
Nursery Cleanliness
We take pride in our nursery ensuring we offer a clean and welcoming environment for all our service users. Our staff and children work together throughout the day to keep our nursery clean and tidy (in line with our Eco school project) teaching our children to take responsibility for keeping our nursery clean. We employe housekeeping staff who come in every night to clean the nursery.
Security
At Elmwood nursery we have a duty to ensure the safety of our little ones, protecting their innocence without jeopardising their sense of freedom and natural curiosity. We have a two-tier security system, not only is the nursery building secure at all times but the grounds themselves are fully secured with a CCTV buzzer entry system so our parents can feel safe when leaving their children.
