As the Literacy Leader, and Julie as Communication Champion, we are introducing a home link that allows you and your child to spend some quality time together. This home link is called the ‘Lending Library’ and will take place over a 4- week block (starting this Friday and ending 8th November due to October holidays).

On Friday, your child will choose a book that they wish within their group time and will come home with this to provide the opportunities of reading with their family and spending time with them in doing so. The book will be located within their named folder that also contains a feedback sheet for your child to fill in. We request if this can please be returned by early on in the following week (Monday/Tuesday), so the library is restocked back up and ready for your child receiving their new book on the Friday. Keyworkers will remind parents/carers throughout the week just in case you forget. If there is any problems, please let us know or your child’s keyworker know and we will try our best to solve these. If your child does not attend the ECC on the Friday, they will receive their book on the last day they attend so they do not miss out.

Have fun and happy reading!!

You can extend your reading time and interaction in many ways. Whilst going through the story, talk about what is happening or what is going to happen based on pictures and the context of the story, discuss beginning/middle/end, highlight the important aspects of a book such as front cover, title, blurb etc. You can also get your child to turn the pages over one by one. You can discuss the characters and events that took place within the story, as well at the end get your child to recall. You can also get them to discuss their likes and dislikes about the book, this all extends on this high quality learning experience and will make story time so much more fun for both you and your child!

This year, I intend to introduce the talk box but for anyone returning this year, it will be different from last year. This year I will be giving the box home at the end of the week and would like for your child to consider what item or object they would like to place in the box to bring back on the Monday and share/discuss with us. It isn’t a particularly big box so the item will be relatively small. This may be something like a flower, a key, a keyring or a photo…..it is entirely up to the child, something that they can discuss. They might want to share it with the group because it is special to them, or they enjoy the feeling. This is an opportunity that will encourage the children to share their thoughts, feelings, ideas, descriptive language, listening and attention skills, conversational skills, turn taking…….the list of learning opportunities are endless.

The only rule is – IT MUST FIT IN THE BOX 🙂

The session aims to promote the benefits of learning in natural environments and how this can be supported at home. After a short information session with Michelle you will join your child outdoors to explore a range of experiences within our garden areas so remember to bring your jacket and appropriate footwear 🙂

Please click on the link below to indicate if a parent/carer is able to attend or not.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=oyzTzM4Wj0KVQTctawUZKRqhoaEMY8FHkTJQGETc2XZUOVpUOFVCVVA0WjdJWDdSTUJONk9MWk5XQy4u

Please find attached a copy of important dates for your diary from Sept – Dec 2024.

More information will come out on the APP prior to events if required.

Each month here at Catrine ECC we provide at least one opportunity for parental engagement. We appreciate that lots of families are working parents and perhaps can’t manage to them all however please feel free on these occasions to open the invite out to grandparents, aunts, uncles etc if you wish to.

Dates for diary Sept – Dec 2024

We think it is important for parent/carers to be aware of just some of the things that staff are currently working on at the beginning of the new academic year.

WITHIN THE PLAYROOMS

Although formal planning has not yet started with the children, staff within the rooms are working hard supporting children to settle in, build positive relationships and encourage appropriate play through social interactions with peers such as sharing, turn taking and basic ECC rules.

Routines are being established and staff are actively promoting the children’s independence skills by reminding them to use aprons, put their sticky names on pictures, where to find wellies for outdoor play, the use of toilets and much, much more.

AFTER CHILDREN LEAVE

At this time of year, from 3-4pm each day, staff are also extremely busy carrying out mandatory tasks before formal planning and Learning Journal entries start back up again.

So far last week, at the end of each day, the staff team were part of updating almost 30 risk assessments and centre policies.

We have also volunteered to be part of a full year project within the authority to help support children with additional support needs. Alana, Lesleyanne and Julie T have been on the first of many training sessions already, and are now sharing information and tasks with the staff team when the children leave the centre.

Our next task to try and get through next week is the creation of each child’s Personal Learning Plan (PLP). This document is required to be in place within 28days of a child starting in an Early Years centre and details not only a narrative of their character and stage of development, but also forms an action plan of targets and/or support required for the year ahead.

Once these are printed parent/carers of new children to the centre will be invited in for a “settling in meeting” with your child’s keyworker.

Returning parent/carers will have their parent appointments in November.

LEARNING JOURNALS

Upon our return from the September weekend, and with the majority of the workload above completed, practitioners will then begin uploading entries onto your child’s Learning Journal again. Please ensure you have the APP downloaded and can access your child’s profile ready. If you require any support with this please do not hesitate to phone the office or speak with your keyworker.

Please click on the link to see our action packed itinerary for our trip to MILLPORT 🙂

JUST ONE MORE SLEEP!!!!!!

Millport Itinerary 2024

Please click on the link below to book into our STEM parent workshop with Sherrie 🙂

In February we were successful in receiving  our Early Years Award through Digital Schools.

And guess what – turns out, we are the first ECC in SCOTLAND to have achieved this!!!

On Tuesday 16th April we were visited by local counsellors, EAC’s Chief Executive Eddie Fraser and our Head of Education Linda Macaulay Griffiths to join us in celebrating the fabulous achievement.

Two of the articles can be found below.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/catrine-early-childhood-centre-becomes-32615074

https://www.cumnockchronicle.com/news/24261842.catrine-early-childhood-centre-digital-schools-award/

As you will be aware in February 2024 we received an unannounced visit from Care Inspectorate. This is usually aimed to be carried out every 5 years.

During the holidays our report was made public on the Care Inspectorate website.

We were delighted with the feedback we received and the fantastic narrative within our report.

The staff have worked extremely hard over the past few years, pushing for positive outcomes for all of our families in everything that we do, and we are so pleased that this report has acknowledged this throughout.

The full report is attached below for your convenience and we ask that you take some time to read it.

Thank you to everyone that completed the parent/carer questionnaire prior to the report being published and for your very kind comments and feedback.

I hope you are as proud of the report as we all are here at Catrine Early Childhood Centre 🙂

Catrine ECC Inspection Report Feb 2024

On Tuesday 25th March our Literacy Champion carried out a parent workshop within the ECC. Please follow the SWAY link below to see just some of the opportunities that were on offer.

Early Writing Parent/ Family Workshop

As Literacy champion, I hosted a parent/family workshop based on early writing skills within children. This had been highlighted within our improvement plan that families felt they could ga…

Go to this Sway