Parents & Carers Area
Parents & Carers Area
Welcome to our password protected section for current Colourbox parents/carers. This is where you will find our policies and procedures, together with any other parent notices, resources and updates.
Policies
We feel that it is important for your peace of mind that you can see that we operate our nurseries in a legal and professional manner. These are the policies relevant to parents and carers:
Early Years Funding Q & A
When will my child be eligible for government funded hours?
Children are eligible for the Early Years Funding in the term after their 3rd birthday. To claim from for the January Term your child must have turned 3 by the end of December. To Claim for the April term your child must have turned 3 by the end of March. To claim for the September Term he/she must have turned 3 by the end of August.
Do we get 15 or 30 funded hours?
All children are entitled to 15 funded hours the term after they turn 3 years of age. To check if you are entitled to 30 funded hours, and to apply for the eligibility code, please see www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
How many hours can I use a week?
If you are entitled to 15 hours funding: You may use 15 hours a week over 38 weeks or 11 hours a week over 52 weeks (‘stretched’ funding).
If you are entitled to 30 hours funding: You may use 30 hours per week over 38 weeks or 22 hours per week over 52 weeks (‘stretched’ funding).
Please note that Colourbox is open all year round and we are not able to offer term-time only sessions.
If you use the full 15 or 30 hours a week for 38 weeks then in the school holidays 14 weeks you will be charged full price.
Do I have to pay anything with the funded hours?
Because the government funding only counts towards the educational provision, most of our sessions do have a resources fee attached. The cost depends on the session and the amount of funded hours used in that session. See back of handbook for details.
We do offer some fully funded (i.e. nil cost) sessions for children who only attend for their funded hours (stretched) when availability allows. These are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and are confirmed termly. Please ask about availability if you require ‘nil cost’ sessions.
If you have any questions regarding funded hours please email Miss Lindsey at colourboxmontessori@gmail.com
Resources
From time to time we find services or resources that we feel are useful to share with families and Colourbox team members.
Please note that this does not mean that we recommend these services and we cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage which may result from your association with them.
Adoption
We’re determined that every adoptive and kinship care family will get the right support at the right time for the children they love.
Why join us?
Wherever you are in your adoption journey, we are here to support you, connect you with others and campaign for what matters most to you and your family. We are independent, non-judgemental and all our services are confidential. Your membership also makes Adoption UK a more powerful advocate for adoptive families – the more members we have, the bigger and louder our ‘voice’ will be when it comes to raising awareness and securing support for all adoptive families.
We provide the highest level of service, support and education.
We campaign for change at the highest policy levels.
Registered Adoption Support Agency (Service no. SC066957).
Contact: adoptionuk.org
Fatherhood
The Fatherhood Institute is one of the most respected fatherhood organisations in the world. A registered UK charity (number 1075104), our work focuses on policy, research and practice.
Our vision is of a society in which there’s a great dad for every child – a society that:
gives all children a strong and positive relationship with their father and any father-figures,
supports both mothers and fathers as earners and carers, and
prepares boys and girls for a future shared role in caring for children.
In working towards this vision we:
collate, participate in and publicise research
lobby for legal and policy changes
help public services, employers and others become more father-inclusive, and
work directly with families.
Contact: fatherhoodinstitute.org
Illness – Family Support
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity supports families who have a child aged 0-18 years with a life-threatening or terminal illness.
Why?
There are an estimated 86,625* children in England with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. This number has trebled over the last 17 years and is rising. Thousands of families have to face the very real possibility that their child may die and struggle to cope on a day to day basis. Our Family Support Workers provide a lifeline to these families and children.
How?
When a child has a serious illness, family life is turned upside down and time becomes more precious than ever. Rainbow Trust pairs each family with an expert Family Support Worker who enables them to make the most of time together, giving them practical and emotional support, whenever they need it, for as long as is needed.
We support the whole family including parents, carers, the unwell child, brothers, sisters and grandparents. Support is hugely varied and depends on the needs of the family. It can include:
listening to a family’s fears and anxieties
helping to explain illnesses, diagnoses and treatments
keeping a seriously ill child company during hospital stays
driving families to medical appointments to help save time and money
organising fun activities to help sick children, their brothers and sisters
support through bereavement and grief.
Contact: rainbowtrust.org.uk
LGBT
Aims: To promote inclusivity of LGBTQIA+ within all Early Years settings (childminders, nannies, schools, nurseries, preschools and play groups)
To showcase best practice and share positive examples of great work to date
To ensure that practitioners have the confidence to talk about LGBTQIA+ issues with children, their families and staff (creating safe spaces)
To create a platform for settings to access supportive and meaningful resources
To use research informed practice to ensure that every child feels valued and included within their setting
Contact: lgbtqearlyyears.org
Mental Health for Children and Parents
The First 1001 Days Movement is a group of organisations and professionals working together to campaign about the importance of the emotional wellbeing of babies.
Our vision is that every baby has loving and nurturing relationships in a society that values emotional wellbeing and development in the first 1001 days, from pregnancy, as the critical foundation for a healthy and fulfilling life.
Our mission is to drive change by inspiring, supporting and challenging national and local decision makers to value and invest in babies’ emotional wellbeing and development in the first 1001 days.
Parent-infant relationship teams:
Can help parents to overcome difficulties
Build on existing parenting strengths
Develop new capacities to provide the sensitive, responsive and appropriate care that their babies need to thrive
Contact: parentinfantfoundation.org.uk
Miscarriage
Morgan’s Wings is a community group based in Cardiff, South Wales. It is our aim to help parents cope with the initial and long term aftermath of a miscarriage. Although we are based in Cardiff, we offer online support to anyone who has been affected by miscarriage: dads, mums, grandparents and siblings. No matter how you have been affected by miscarriage, we are here to help.
We offer text support, group support and have built a supportive community through our social media. Take a look on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for well-being ideas and up to date information on what we are doing.
Contact: morgans-wings.co.uk
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death) & Safer Sleep Awareness
The Lullaby Trust provides emotional support for bereaved families, promotes expert advice on safer baby sleep and raises awareness of sudden infant death.
Working with the NHS, we run a national health-visitor led service for bereaved parents, Care of Next Infant (CONI) programme, which supports families before and after the birth of their new baby. The Lullaby Trust provides emotional support for bereaved families, promotes expert advice on safer baby sleep and raises awareness of sudden infant death.
We are committed to supporting research to understand why so many babies a year die suddenly and unexpectedly in the UK and to find out more about how to prevent these tragic deaths.
The Lullaby Trust operates nationwide across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We run an information line for parents and professionals (0808 802 6869) and a dedicated line for bereaved families (0808 802 6868). Both are free to call from landlines and mobiles.
We campaign tirelessly, lobbying government to keep sudden infant death on the public health agenda. Since we formed as The Foundation for the Study of Sudden Infant Deaths (FSID) in 1971 we have played a key role in the reduction of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by over 80%.
Contact: lullabytrust.org.uk
Speech Development and Delay
Our vision is a world where all children have the communication skills they need to fulfil their potential.
Our mission is that no child is left out or left behind due to a difficulty speaking or understanding.
Contact: ican.org.uk
Trauma Support
Where to find support for young children who have been exposed to trauma: