Well-Being & Safety At Our Centre

Our centre has a commitment to caring for everyone in our community – children, families, Educators and visitors.

We place the highest priority on all aspects of safety and well-being. We have an ongoing commitment to Quality Improvement, which has an emphasis on Safety and Well-being. We refer to the relevant Laws, Regulations, and Occupational Heath rules and guidelines when crafting and reviewing our Policies and Procedures.

We can have unannounced visits from an Assessor from the Education and Early Childhood Services Registration and Standards Board, in addition to full Quality Assessments. The assessors focus on the well-being and safety aspects of child care. We have consistently been rated as Exceeding the National Quality Standards for safety in our centre.

Our entry gates are security coded. We ask parents not to let anyone else in when they enter or leave. Both entry foyers, as well as the car park can be viewed by our staff. The car park has protective bollards installed, so cars cannot come in contact with the buildings. None of the outdoor play areas are visible to the public. We have a digital sign in and out system for children attending, so we know which children are in the centre, at any given time.

All of our Educators and staff are required to undergo Police Checks before being employed. All educators and staff must have Child Safe Environments (Mandatory Reporting) training before commencing work, and retrain every three years. All Educators must have a current First Aid certificate, which includes regular CPR training. All educators also have annual training in Asthma and Anaphylaxis management, and Fire Safety training. Our Educators also have Safe Sleep training for the prevention of SIDS. Our baby mattresses are regularly replaced to comply with mattress safety guidelines. The under 2 year sleep rooms have close circuit monitoring, and staff check sleeping children frequently.

All staff and visitors are asked to be alert to safety hazards, and the yards are safety checked daily before children play outside. Safety issues are promptly fixed by our handyman. There are extensive shade sails, trees and veranda areas in the yard, to minimise exposure to the sun. Children are required to wear hats, sunscreen, and a sleeved garment for outdoor play when the UV level is high. The babies’ yard is totally screened by UV resistant materials.

We follow the Regulated staffing ratios at all times. We usually have a higher ratio of trained Educators than is required each day. Educators are required to be diligently supervising the children all day. Please check our Supervision Policy for more details.

We practise emergency evacuation regularly. There is a safety exit gate in the back yard, so children do not have to gather in the car park in the event of an emergency. We have a wheeled fire evacuation cot for the babies. There is a hard wired fire alarm system, which automatically calls the Fire Brigade. We can also call Police and Ambulance directly from our alarm system.

We are required to do Safety Audits when planning special events and excursions. Educators take a mobile phone, emergency contact numbers, a first aid kit and sunscreen when going on excursion. Parents must sign permission forms, and are given full information about planned excursions. For further information, please check our Policies and Procedures which relate to these issues.