Little Explorers understands how difficult it can be for parents to leave their child with a childminder and return to work. We therefore work with you to ensure your child is settled and that you are happy with the care that we aim to provide.
Little Explores like to organise one or two settling in sessions for the parents and child together and where the parent might leave the child for say up to an hour to ease the child into the environment. These sessions will be free prior to signing the contract. This gives you the opportunity to provide us with lots of information about your child, their likes and dislikes, routines, favorite activities, how to comfort them if they become upset and how they have reacted when left before. It gives us the opportunity to start to build a relationship with you and your child and to understand both your needs and wishes.
When leaving the child for the contracted hours we are happy for you to stay until you feel that your child is settled subject to our other commitments. Some children do take longer than others to settle and some settle quickly and then become distressed a few weeks into the placement. We will work with you to support your child through this transition period and make it as easy as possible. It is important that you and your child are relaxed and happy within our home and with the care we provide.
Some parents find it helpful to call us during the day to find out how their child is. We am happy to take your calls, but sometimes we may not be able to talk for long, or even to answer the telephone if we are attending to a child’s personal needs, for example, changing a nappy or at meal times, so please do not panic if you call and there is no answer.