Your Small Friend’s time in our PreKindy world will be full of fantabulous moments in time that will make for wonderful childhood memories. Our open plan house, huge backyard and Bunny Den will give them all the room they need to grow and become a confident and social Little Person in all that they do in life, and our awesome play based PreKindy program will inspire their minds as they play to learn, and learn to play to their hearts content!
Our Days & Fees
We are open from 7.45am to 5pm daily, Monday through to Friday, are closed on all public holidays, and for 2 weeks over Christmas.
Enrolment Fee $50 •• Non-refundable fee payable on acceptance gf your Small Friend’s enrolment to our world. One enrolment fee is charged per family.
Full Day 7.45am - 5pm $110 •• Children bring a piece of fruit/vegetable for shared morning and afternoon tea, a cut lunch and their water bottle.
Morning 8am-12pm Afternoon 1 - 5pm $60 •• Children bring a piece of fruit/vegetable to share and a water bottle. Only available to our 2 year old Small Friends.
Service Approval Number •• SE-00013096 Provider Approval Number •• PR-40000304
Our Team
Owner & Teacher Natassja has loved being a Teacher since 1995, and has owned our Small Friends world since 2013. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts of Education Primary, Bachelor of Education - Special Education, Severe and Multiple Disabilities, and in 2013 she completed a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care so that she could officially become Early Childhood Teacher.
Our AWESOME Assistant Directors, Educators and relief Educators have years of child care experience between them, and are fully qualified or working towards either a Diploma or Certificate lll in Early Childhood Education and Care.
Manangement Team Ebony Mafoudia Caity
Educators Aimee Alex Erin Alison Maia Lili
Relief Team Lesley Carol
Why Small Friends?
When a child feels free to explore, imagine and create, their childhood moments and memories will always bring a smile! So we wish for every child who spends time with us to become a happy, confident and social Little Person not only at Small Friends, but in life. We truly believe that play based learning gives our Small Friends the opportunities they need to connect with the world around them to help develop the skills they need to play and learn as an individual, and alongside their friends and family too.
We fully support that a world of learning and play should ensure that a child feels safe and valued when it comes to taking on challenges; exploring their space, and using their imagination to create without worrying about getting it wrong. Then with the care and guidance of staff and parents working together, children will feel confident when playing to learn, and learning to play at Small Friends, which means every day is fun!
To increase their self-esteem and knowledge our Small Friends spend time in a world that allows them to learn as individuals, within a program that gives them the time and physical space to develop at their own pace. As Educators we take on the responsibility of providing learning and play opportunities that inspire everyone in our house to engage with the space, resources and those around them, allowing us to foster the development of each Small Friends social, emotional, cognitive, physical and creative skills.
Their time with us will be full of fun, smiles and happy times... all the good things in life that create wonderful childhood moments, and memories!
Our Program
Our fabulous open plan house allows our Small Friends to explore our inside and outside spaces throughout their day, with our us guiding and encouraging them to make choices and decisions on the activities they wish to explore and engage in. Our huge backyard and Bunny Den are spaces where children can choose to engage in quiet play, or more active activities, and our fish and giant rabbits are part of our day with all of our Small Friends helping us to care for them.
Our six mat sessions, ranging from 15 to 25 minutes long encourage children to be part of activities and routines that encourage them to listen and chat with us and their peers. We also love music and drama, and will sing and dance as much as we can during the day!
As a Small Friend it’s OK if they :
• need lot’s of help with toilet training
• haven't found their voice, and are not chatting out loud yet
• need their comforter to get them through their day
• need a rest to recharge their batteries at some stage during the day.
Play To Learn & Learn To Play
At Small Friends we embrace the concept of play based learning which is the basis for the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), and with the release of the Australian Curriculum in 2011 we saw Kindy classrooms taking on the same ideology that Small Friends staff have been working with since 1996.
Our programming supports and is guided by the outcomes of the EYLF, a framework which recognises that early childhood is a vital period in a child’s learning and development and embodies the idea that all children have the right to have a sense of Belonging, Being and Becoming throughout their childhood. Belonging is all about children’s relationships with the people and communities around them. Being simply means allowing children to be children. Becoming focuses on children’s growth and development in these early years.
Our inside and outside spaces change throughout the day, and activities and learning areas are created to challenge a child's way of thinking, and encourage them to be creative. With guidance and support in learning and play, we wish for your child to become a happy and confident Little Person in all that they do during their time in our house.
Our program is developed to assist each Small Friend’s development no matter their age or ability with observations done accordingly and recorded via our Evidence For Learning app. Children are observed and evaluations are made on what they do know and can do based on the social, communicative and cognitive developmental expectations for children aged 2 to 5 years old, with anecdotal notes and skills observations recorded within our own Small Friends Framework. My Small Friends Learning Adventure is a record that families are always welcome to have a chat to us about, or request a copy of.
Off To Big School Plan
In readiness for your Small Friend heading to Kindy, our program, learning areas and routines throughout the day, including 6 mat sessions and 3 mealtimes, focus on giving them all the opportunities they need to develop social and communication skills, and their self confidence.
Our Small Friends are expected to engage and participate in all routines and structured activities throughout our day, including 6 mat sessions which run from 15 to 30 minutes including news telling, language, drama, music activities and incursions . They are also expected to sit with their friends at meal times as they will when it's time for them to be at Big Kid School.
Small Friends who over 3 are part of our Kindy Kids Team, and we will be expecting more from them in relation to their behaviour and the development of their communication, social, physical and cognitive skills. There is also an expectation that our Kindy Kids will be positive role models for their younger friends in learning and play.
National Quality Framework
Small Friends is registered with the National Quality Framework (NQF). For information about NQF visit the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority website at www.acecqa.gov.au
Your Family Budget
The Child Care Subsidy
We are a CCS approved service provider… CCS ID 190008760. So if you are eligible for the Child Care Subsidy then fees can reduce considerably for your Small Friend’s bookings. Please feel free to use the links to the right to work out how to start a CCS assessments, and what you may be eligible for. The amount of the CCS you may be eligible for depends on :
how much ‘recognised’ activity (work, study, training, volunteering) you and your partner undertake.
what your combined family income is.
the type of child care you enrol your child in.
Once assessed you must provide us with two Customer Reference Numbers, one for your Small Friend and the CRN of the parent they are linked to in myGov. We require both CRN’s to assist you in formalising enrolment so that you may receive CCS.
If on the enrolment of your Little One you are waiting to be assessed for the CCS you are required to pay full fees while waiting for approval. However at the discretion of Natassja, we may be able to assist for the first 4 weeks.
Please know that as your child care service provider we have no control over your payments, so you need to contact Centrelink if you see a change in your CCS percentage and/or allocated hours as we cannot make enquiries on your behalf with regard to anything to do with your CCS eligibility.
Immunisations & CCS In accordance with national regulations, we must have a copy of your child’s Australian Immunisation Record on enrolment and Birth Certificate within a week of enrolment. Under the federal governments No Jab No PLAY policy, unless your child has an approved health or family circumstance exemption they must be immunised to enrol at Small Friends, and as per federal regulations for our sector we require a copy of your child’s Australian Immunisation Record on enrolment.
As per the federal governments No Jab No PAY policy the CCS :
will not be paid to families who choose not to immunisation their child, or who do not have a valid exemption.
payments will cease if immunisations are not up to date.
Bookings
We offer Permanent weekly bookings to make sure child care works for your family. Flexible fortnightly bookings can be considered, but only when we have clear vacancies in our house, and causal bookings can only be booked by those Small Friends who have permanent weekly bookings.
A maximum of 2 morning and/or afternoon sessions are allowed per week to our 2 year old Small Friends, and transitioning to full days is expected within 6 months of their first day in our house.
A settling in period of up to 4 weeks of morning bookings can be allowed for our older Small Friends, they then need to be booked in for full days past this time.
Fee Charges
Fees are charged to your elected bank account via our Debit Success direct debit payment system, with all charges and your account statement viewable at anytime via the Finance button on your Xplor Home app.
Your first fee charge will be processed on the Wednesday after your Small Friend’s first week in our house. A charge that will include your enrolment fee, plus two weeks of fee charges so that your account is one week in advance. Four weeks will be charged for those families who request monthly charges.
Fees are charged every Wednesday, except for families who choose a monthly billing schedule who can choose a specific charge date within the month.
No sibling discounts are offered. Please understand that every child in our world is provided the same level of care, same opportunities, and utilises the same resources, so it is fair fee policy that sees all families paying the same fees no matter the number of Small Friends they have in the family.
Late Pick Up Fees Whilst we understand being late for pick up can’t be avoided at times, we expect you to call us let us know what time you will be arriving. However, if you continue to be tardy for pick up a late fee will be applied at the discretion of Natassja. Late collection fees are charged at $15 for the first 10 minutes and then $10 every 10 minutes or part thereof.
Non Payment Of Account If payments fall behind by 1 week you will have until the following charge day to pay the account in full. If monies are still outstanding after 3 weeks your child’s enrolment will cease, and debt collection will be put in place.
Holiday Closures
Public Holidays We are closed on all public holidays. We do not charge for public holidays that fall on a Monday, all other public holidays are chargeable.
Christmas We are closed for 2 weeks over the December/January holidays. Fees are not charged during this time.
Family Info
Your Family Details
All information provided on enrolment is kept confidential and is never revealed to people and/or organisations outside of our Small Friends staff team without parent/guardian permission, in writing or by way of legal documentation instructing otherwise.
Keeping In Contact
Aside from catching up with you when we answer the door each day, we have a few other ways of keeping our Villagers in the know!
Xplor Home App & Email Used for daily and weekly village notices. It is expected that you keep your notifications on for your Xplor Home app and eye out for emails from us to your inbox so that you are always in the know with regard to what’s happening in our house.
Whiteboard Daily and weekly messages are posted on our whiteboard, at the front door and next to our sign in/out tablet.
Our News Is published to our website each term with all four editions jam packed with information for our village including :
Our AWESOME Term program and a link to the What’s On In Our World calendar on our website
General information for you regarding the health and well being of your Small Friend
Child Care/Education sector news, and/or up coming community events we believe may be helpful to your family
A Business Shout Out section in our 3rd or 4th edition which allows our Villagers to advertise their family business.
Cyberspaces Our website, Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo cyberspaces are kept up to date with upcoming special days, incursions and outings, photo and video galleries.
Media Permission Your child may be photographed/videoed for :
use in programming and pictorial displays within our world
publication in our newsletter
our website, Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo galleries
media publications such as community newspapers
websites and social media spaces of community groups we work with e.g. Falcon Volunteer Fire and Rescue, The Lions Club Falcon.
Please know that our public cyber spaces is where we share all of our moments in time, and no other platform including Xplor Home is used for this purpose. If you DO NOT wish for images of your child to be shared, please ensure that you select Disagree for the media questions on our Small Friend’s enrolment form.
Your Family Contacts
Your child must be signed in and out every day via our Xplor Hub in the foyer. Registering attendance is a requirement of the government and as per regulations we must have a record of the authorised person signing in/out.
Parents/guardians signing in/out must have an Xplor Home account, and family members and friends authorised to drop off/collect your Small Friend must be added as Contacts in your Xplor Home account and cannot at anytime use a parents/guardians Xplor Home account to sign in/out.
We will not allow any child to leave our house unless prior authority has been obtained from the primary parent/guardian. So if a person needs to be added to your authorised persons list you must let us know so we can add them to your Small Friend’s enrolment form, and then you will be expected to add them as a Contact.
Your Small Friend’s Bookings
Absences
All days of absence for holidays or illness are charged, and we do not allow for make up days.
In the event that your Small Friend is going to be away for more than 3 weeks, you may put forward a request for an enrolment suspension in writing to Natassja for her consideration.
If you are claiming the CCS your Small Friend is entitled to 42 absences within a financial year. If they are absent for more than 42 days, CCS payments will cease and can can only be claimed back if you are able to provide Centrelink (not Small Friends) with a reason i.e. medical certificate, court order, etc.
Changing A Booking To make any changes or to extend your child’s booking schedule, please enquire well in advance so that we can see how we can help you.
Notice of Ceasing Enrolment If you are planning to leave Small Friends, we require two weeks notice. If your Small Friend does not attend on their last day and you have not informed us of a valid reason i.e. your child is unwell, you will be charged full fees as the government does not allow CCS to apply to fees on the last day for an absence with no reason.
Bookings
Changing A Booking To make any changes or to extend your child’s booking schedule, please enquire well in advance so that we can see how we can help you.
Notice of Ceasing Enrolment If you are planning to leave Small Friends, we require two weeks notice. If your Small Friend does not attend on their last day and you have not informed us of a valid reason i.e. your child is unwell, you will be charged full fees as the government does not allow CCS to apply to fees on the last day for an absence with no reason.
Your Small Friend
Their Day In Our House
First Day It is very natural for you to feel a little anxious on your Small Friend’s first day. Please be assured that we will do all that we can to support you all to make sure everyone is smiling in the first few days of your family joining our village. Once you have dropped off your Small Friend off you are always welcome to phone at any time to check on how they are settling in.
Celebrating Their Birthday If your Small Friend is set to celebrate their day of birth, you are welcome to bring in a cake, jelly, ice cream, cupcakes, etc for us to make their birthday super special. We are very aware of the allergies some of our Small Friends have, and will always take this into account when we share a birthday treat for morning or afternoon tea.
Health and Wellbeing
We ask that you to keep your Small Friend home if they are unwell. We can not admit any child who appears to be suffering from a communicable disease or condition that may affect the health of other children and staff members, so we ask that you please take note of the following :
A parent/guardian will be contacted and asked to collect their child immediately if their child presents with a temperature of 37.5 degrees or higher.
A parent/guardian is responsible for collecting/arranging the collection of an ill child promptly. Every effort will be made to contact the primary parent/guardian or emergency contact person. In the case of an emergency the Owner or Assistant Director has the prerogative to call an ambulance, with the cost to be borne by the parents/guardians.
A parent/guardian will be asked to collect their child if their child has presented with head lice.
Families will be notified about the occurrence of any infectious disease (with the exception of those diseases dealt with by the Australian Privacy Act) in either the staff or children. Small Friends is not responsible for any illness contracted at the Centre.
For minor accidents, the person collecting the child will be notified of the accident when the child is picked up, and asked to sign an accident report form.
If first aid is required it will be administered by a staff member who holds a Senior First Aid Certificate.
Asthma & Allergies If your child has Asthma and/or an allergy we must be made aware of their medical details on your enrolment form, and be supplied with a copy of their Asthma and/or Anaphylaxis action plan if their condition requires one. All staff are trained in Asthma and Anaphylaxis first aid, and as per regulations all details of your child’s Asthma status and/or allergies are kept on display so that all Educators can view medical/allergy details at any time.
Medications All medications must be handed to an Assistant Director, and a parent/guardian must fill in our medical permission form for times and the prescribed amounts of medication that is to be administered.
Your child’s name must be printed on the label of the medication. Authority can not be given for medications or treatments (i.e. eye drops, ointments, etc) which have been prescribed to another person.
Medications will be given as instructed by you, especially if medication is over the counter and includes pharmaceutical instructions. You must be clear with your instructions as staff will withhold administration if they are unsure.
If your child presents unwell and we deem it necessary to give them liquid paracetamol, or antihistamine to relieve pain or illness symptoms, we will contact you to seek permission to administer a relevant dose. If no one on your contacts list is contactable within 15 minutes of our first phone call to request permission we will make the decision to administer the correct dose of medication to ensure your child is comfortable while they’re waiting for you to call and make arrangements with us for you to collect them.
If you have elected on your enrolment form that you do not wish for us to administer any medication, we will honour your decision to a point. If you child’s condition deteriorates and you are not uncontactable within 15 minutes of our first phone call, at our discretion we will need to make a decision based on the health and safety of your child.
Hygiene We encourage our Small Friends to follow the simple rules of hygiene by prompting hand washing; care when eating and drinking; assisting and modelling how to wipe their own nose, and other basic rules of general cleanliness. Our Small Friends house is cleaned and disinfected daily.
Behaviour By encouraging sharing, shared played, and creating positive vibes in our house we aim to foster socially acceptable behaviour with all of our Small Friends. All of the children in our care are made aware of the basic rules that ensure the happiness and well-being of everyone in the house.
If your child displays unacceptable behaviour they will be asked to take a supervised Time Out with an Educator to think about their own behaviour, after this time they will guided back into activities with the Educator and encouraged to look after their friends and make good choices.
Behavioural problems that display a pattern, or may be a cause for concern, such as biting or hitting, will be discussed confidentially with you should they arise. We may also then need to discuss the development of a behaviour management plan if your child does not respond positively to the behaviour management strategies we apply throughout their day.
Emergency Evacuations In the event of an emergency that requires evacuation, all staff and children (and any visitors present) are moved into a single group and will work through the steps of the relevant procedure until all those present are safe and accounted for. Emergency services and parents will be notified.
If you are in the building at the time of an emergency or emergency drill, our priority is the safety of the children, and you must evacuate the building according to our procedure with the children and staff.
Your Small Friend’s Bag
They Need …
A piece of fruit or a vegetable to share for morning/afternoon tea.
Their school bag with their name clearly marked.
A water bottle with their name clearly marked.
Packed lunch (if attending full day) in a lunchbox with their name clearly marked.
A change of clothes with name marked on each piece of clothing.
Please ensure all clothes worn during the day are also named. Labels … writing your Small Friend’s name on their lunch box, water bottle or clothing label with a permanent marker is more than enough if you do not wish to use personalised labels.
We do supply buckets hats for our housemates to wear, however your Small Friend is more than welcome to bring their own.
For you to apply sunscreen and/or mosquito repellant before drop off, both will be reapplied throughout the day.
Drink Bottle We ask that you fill your Small Friend's drink bottle with water, please do not supply flavoured drinks or milk. If you forget to pack their water bottle we will ensure that they can borrow one of our house water bottles for the day.
Snack Times If your Small Friend has needs concerning food with regards to their health, culture or religion, we ask that you please let us know by completing the food section of their enrolment form.
At morning and afternoon tea we prepare the fruit and vegetables platters for everyone to share. The children will also be given a drink of water and offered crackers (a gluten free option is always available).
If your child has a food intolerance then we can make sure we have a snack alternative available for them.
Lunch Time You provide a cut lunch for your Small Friend if they are attending for a full day. In readiness for Kindy we have half an hour for lunch so we ask you to be aware that your child needs to have a lunch that they can realistically eat within this time. Too many options or large portions in their lunchbox can sometimes cause a child distress as they try their hardest to eat everything in their lunchbox!
We encourage children to eat the healthy, everyday food items in their lunchbox before treats. Their sandwich or sandwich alternative is first, followed by fruit and vegetables, then dairy choices if they have them. Treats such as chips, lollies or biscuits are left to last. We never discourage children from eating their ‘sometimes’ foods, but if they have a large lunch then they may not get to finish their treat within our lunch time.
Lunch boxes and containers need to be marked with your Small Friend’s name. Please avoid packing a lunch box into a lunch bag as we struggle to fit 40 lunch bags into our fridges.
Life As A Small Friend
Everything I do at Small Friends helps me to learn how to be a good friend and a confident Little Person in everything I do, so that I am well and truly ready to head for my Big School Adventure!
7.45am Time for me to ring the front doorbell!
8am All of my friends that come for the morning are here.
Our Busy Minds & Bodies During this time I can play, explore, and create at all of the amazing learning areas inside and outside the house. I can also get messy, creative and have fun painting a masterpiece; building something at the woodwork or collage table, or doing the What's On In Our World activity.
Time For The News I can bring in a toy, book, certificate or whatever I like to put in the news box, but I don’t have to say anything when I get up in front of everyone if I don’t feel comfortable. I get to listen to my friend’s news and ask questions if I want to. Some of my friends might tell news every week, so when I feel that I can do it, I can join in too.
Morning Tea I join my friends to indulge in fruit and veges, crackers and a drink of water in our dining room, or outside for a picnic.
What’s On In Our World Chat We learn about the awesome WOW theme for the week, discussing, thinking and solving problems together. We may even read a WOW story or sing some songs about our theme.
Time to Play 2 Learn & Learn 2 Play Outside
Storytime & Rhymes We turn our ears on and listen to a story, sing songs and rhymes or have fun with a drama activity that can sometimes be about our What’s On In Our World theme, or we pick all of our favourites tunes to sing and stories to tell!
12pm I say See Later Alligator to our morning friends.
Lunch Time I have lunch with my friends either in the dining room or we have a picnic outside. I make sure I always eat my sandwiches first (or the alternative that is in my lunch box), my fruit, vegetable and dairy are next, and if I have them I keep my biscuits, chips or chocolate treat until last.
When I finish my lunch my Teachers will wipe out my lunch box, wrap any whole food, and put my lunch box back in the fridge if I’ve left food that needs to be kept cold.
I’ve Finished My Lunch My Teachers will help me to wash my face then I put my lunch box and drink bottle away. I can then sit and have a chat with my friends, or pick up a book and have a read while I wait for all of my friends to finish their lunch.
12.30pm Relax and Rest I pick a pillow in the quiet room and lie down to relax. My Teachers either sing us a song or we listen to quiet music. I might drift off to sleep, or I might just lie quietly and relax for a bit.
Just Before 1pm Time to put on my sunscreen if I need to. I might try to do this myself with my Teachers help, or my Teacher will do it for me so that I'm all ready to play outside.
1pm My friends who come for the afternoon are here!
Time Fro STAR … Share and Think Together, Ask Questions and Respect our Friends, Teachers and Visitors.
During our STAR session we get stuck into Science, Cooking, Movement & Drama, Gardening, Team Games, and so much more! AWESOME Visitors including Falcon Fire & Rescue, Scitech, Nurse Bev, River Wren Rescue, Dudley Dolphin and so many more visit through the year to help us to run our incursions!
Let’s Get Marvellously Musical My afternoon friends get the chance to tell their news and we sing or play music together.
Afternoon Tea I join my friends for our yummy fruit and veg platter, crackers and a drink of water in the dining room or outside for a picnic.
Let’s Tell A Story
Last Chance to Explore Imagine & Create For The Day
5pm Home time for Me and my afternoon friends.
Our Small Friends Village
Need To Chat? If you have any questions or concerns about your Small Friend’s day; our programs; your account, or your child’s transition from Small Friends to Kindy please speak with either Natassja or our Assistant Directors during Centre hours. If you have a query after hours, we ask that you send through an email and Natassja will endeavour to answer your message as soon as she can.
Family Participation We encourage and invite our Villagers to be involved in our Small Friends world in a number of ways :
Please feel free to chat with us if you have an idea or suggestion.
Join us at one or all of our outings throughout the year.
If you would like to share your culture with all of us then we would love to have a chat about how we could present your cultural traditions to everyone in our house.
We love to organise incursions about the jobs/hobbies/interests people have. So if you’re keen to be in the ‘limelight’, then you are more than welcome to help us run a 20-30 minute incursion.
We always appreciate any bits and pieces we can use at our wood work, collage and art areas i.e. untreated timber, paper, small boxes, Christmas and Birthday cards, buttons, ribbon or any other items you think will help our Small Friends to create masterpieces!
Incursions As part of our STAR afternoons we invite family and community members into our house to o help us run incursions that link to themes within our program. The Falcon Volunteer Fire and Rescue team visit as part of our Emergency Services and Community Volunteers; Your Mobile Vet pop in to do our Bunny check ups; Living Eggs let us look after a clutch of chicken eggs every year; Nurse Bev pops in to set up our own hospital space for an afternoon…and so many more!
Outings We run 3 outings throughout the year and encourage all of our Small Friends to bring along their family and friends for our special events. Our fabulous Easter Hunt is at the Quarry Adventure Park. In late August or early September we like to book in a catch up at a special place either in Pinjarra or Mandurah, and our wonderful Christmas Catch Up is at the Keith Holmes Reserve in Mandurah. When an outing is planned, parents attend and are responsible for their own Small Friend.
If you’ve reached this spot and our world is just what you’ve been looking for, then please head back up top to tap on that blue button and send as a waitlist form ASAP.
We look forward to welcoming you to our village • Small Friends Team
