Key Information For New Parents 

Our Staff 

At Jumping Beans Greenhithe we have an experienced and qualified team of early years practitioners who will work with your child. Every member of staff is a qualified level 3 or above. The Manager has a level 6 (BA hons) degree in Early Childhood Education.

On site there will be always be a Manager or Deputy in charge of the setting. We have a large team of twelve staff who all work varying hours. Adult to child ratio’s according to the Government guidelines in Early Years Matters is one adult to four two-year-olds and one adult to eight three- to four-year-olds – at Jumping Beans we are always over ratio to ensure the best quality of care for your child.

Every member of staff has paediatric first aid training and we also have a very experienced first aider lead. All staff have also been safeguard/child protection trained and we also have two staff who are Designated Safeguarding Leads who deal with any issues surrounding the safeguarding of your child. On site we have a very experienced Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) who is backed up by two other qualified SENCO’s.

If you know that your child already has some needs whether medical or physical then please arrange to see our SENCO lead to discuss any provisions you feel that may need to be put into place along with any reports, red development book and contacts that they may need to liaise with. If you are concerned with your child’s development, then please talk to your key person and they can refer it to our SENCO for advice and strategies that may be helpful.

Please do not hesitate to talk to us – events at home can have a profound effect on young children and they act out in many ways to cope and move on – so anything that may seem minor to you then please note it with your key person.

There is always an experienced member of staff (usually one of the deputies) who mans the entrances in the morning and afternoon, who become familiar with the regular parents/carers for their child’s drop off and collection. However, during the first few times of picking up your child you may need to use your password to collect your child. Also, if anyone new -even ‘dad’ comes to pick up then they will also need the password. If you cannot remember your password, then please contact the setting then we will send it to the authorised phone number we have on record. We will only allow you to collect your child if you are recognised as the appropriate parent on the admissions form and/or if you have the password. This is for the safety of your child so please do not feel slighted in any way.

Key Person

Your child will be allocated a key person as your face-to-face contact. We assign a key person for when your child begins at pre-school but if during the first few weeks, they make a good connection/relationship with another member of staff then we will change your child over to that key person. If you cannot enter the setting (as at present due to covid-19 restrictions) then your key person will keep you updated in your child’s red book (learning journal) and with a termly phone call.

School Bags & Uniform

If you paid a deposit when registering your child, then your child will receive their book bag and learning journal when they start at Jumping Beans Greenhithe. We also have uniform on sale if you wish to protect your child’s clothing.

• T-Shirts  £8

• Sweatshirts £12

• Fleeces £15

T-shirts and sweatshirts are usually in stock on site, fleeces need to be ordered.

Fees & Funding 

(All funding enquiries can be checked at childcare choices website.)

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Fees – if you are a fee-paying parent/carer then you will be provided with an invoice of the total amount for the term at the beginning of each term (6 terms in total). You can pay by session, week, month or full term. We do not have systems for card payment in the pre-school -it would therefore be cash or BACS sent to our business bank account - details will be released via your invoice per each term.

​Funding for 3–4-year-olds  -If your child is a 15-hour funded child there is nothing you need to do except confirm your child’s sessions and sign a declaration form that we provide for Kent County Council. If your child is a 30-hour funded child, then you will be required to access a 30-hour code through government website.

Free for two funding – you need to reach the criteria to access this funding and you can confirm this through your local children’s centres. Once you have been provided with a confirmation email please bring this to us and we can fill in a declaration form with you to access the funding for upto 15 hours per week term time.

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EYPP - Early Years Pupil Premium is extra support for your child if you are getting 15 hours free childcare and are one of the listed benefits. The payment is for your provider to put into place extra support for your child.

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For more information about funding please visit:

Childcare Choices | 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More | Help with Costs | GOV.UK

https://www.kelsi.org.uk/early-years/sufficiency-and-sustainability/free-early-education/free-education-places-for-2-year-olds

https://www.kelsi.org.uk/early-years/sufficiency-and-sustainability/free-early-education

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https://www.kelsi.org.uk/early-years/equality-and-inclusion/early-years-pupil-premium

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Clothing & Lunch Boxes

Please make sure your child is in comfortable clothing – if they are toilet trained or training then clothing that they can easily pull up and down independently. Ensure there is a named bag with spare clothing even a spare pair of shoes, in case of accidents. If your child is in a nappy we ask that you supply nappies & wipes again in a named bag. 

Please ensure there are no nuts in your child’s lunch, no fizzy drinks and no sweets. Lunch should be a savoury type of food such as a sandwich or wrap, carrot/cucumber sticks, fresh fruit, dairy products such as cheese or yoghurts. Try not to over fill your child’s lunch box we will let you know if they need more/less food.