Frequently Asked Questions

Yes you are required to pay your child's usual fees on any day that they are absent. 

Fees are based on the cost of running the centre of a 52 week period, this cost is spread out to create a per child space rate on which we base our fees.  Spreading the cost throughout the year allows us to keep fees consistently low.

We do not receive Ministry of Education funding on days that we are closed, yet like you we have fixed expenses that still need to be paid (wages, rent, power, internet etc) therefore we require parents to pay for their child’s space to help cover these costs.

Yes, for children 3 and over. You can book your child into Jumpstart for up to 6 hours per day, 20 hours per week and the government will subsidise the cost of their enrolment.

Many families are entitled to a childcare subsidy; these are paid directly to our centre. The subsidy is based on your annual income and you will need to apply to Work and Income to receive your entitlement. You will be charged at the full rate until your entitlement has been approved. We will then credit you the amount approved by Work and Income.

When making an enrolment you will need to pay a deposit (1 – 2 weeks depending on your payment schedule).

You will receive a weekly invoice each Tuesday showing the previous weeks to the current weeks charged. Accounts are payable weekly or fortnightly in advance.

Fees are to be paid by automatic payment.

Your account should always have a positive balance.

We have the right to withdraw your child from our service should your account be in arrea

We charge for the time your child is booked, as well as any attended time. Please note that time is calculated in 5 minute periods, if you drop off or pick up your child 5 minutes outside of their booked time you will incur a charge. There is a $10 penalty fee for picking your child up outside of our opening hours, this is added for every 15 minutes you are late.

Our enrolment policy is to always give priority to siblings of current Jumpstart children and the youngest child on our waiting list requiring the most hours of care. Unfortunately, we cannot confirm a booking more than 3 months in advance, however it is a good idea to get your child on our waiting list as soon as possible.

For more on how to enrol, click here.

When your child’s start date is confirmed we develop an individualised induction plan. This involves several visits with your child where a senior teacher will take care of you, answer all of your questions and help you and your child develop a sense of belonging. As your child grows more comfortable and confident in the Jumpstart environment, we’ll usually suggest you leave them with us for a short period, increasing the duration of your absence each visit.

Every child is different so our induction plans are adaptable to reflect that however we strongly recommend that  you allow about 4 weeks for your child to settle in prior to starting work (please note that fees are only charged for hours your child attends without a parent or caregiver during the induction period).

Teachers will endeavour to talk to parents about their child on a daily basis. We have an open door policy and invite parents/caregivers/whanau to visit whenever they wish.

We provide formal communication through our induction process, goal setting conferences and Story Park conversations and planning notes however we encourage parents to discuss their child with staff on a regular basis.

Each child’s learning journey is recorded using Story Park online learning portfolios. Individual portfolios contain a collection of evidence that supports your child’s learning and development, provides information for parents and teachers and displays your child’s learning journey through planning notes, learning stories, photos, video and samples of work.

Check out more about Story Park by clicking this link.

Te reo Māori is regularly used by staff when talking to our children, in their learning stories on Story Park and during music, play and story times. Leading up to and during Māori Language Week we take extra time to share te reo Māori not only with our children but with their whānau. Our children also love learning waiata and action songs.

Adults and children who are sick are not to be present at the centre – this is to prevent others from contracting infectious diseases or illnesses.

We understand that as a working parent/caregiver this can be an inconvenience and for this reason we do not take the decision to exclude someone lightly. We follow the guidelines set out by the Ministry of Health, follow this link to read the Ministry of Health's guidelines. 

Should your child become ill while in our care we will isolate them and contact you immediately. We will make the child as comfortable as possible while they wait to be collected. If it is an emergency an ambulance will be called, first aid will be administered and you will be contacted immediately.

Children are required to bring their own food for the day – they will usually sit down together for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Fridges are available in which to store food if required.

We encourage healthy lunches and our nutrition policy follows the healthy eating guidelines outlined by the Ministry of Health. This means that we do not allow children to eat what is considered ‘treat foods’ on a daily basis, these include chips, chocolate, lollies, juice / soft drink, chocolate muesli bars etc. Please do not pack these in your child’s lunch box. Caregivers can heat/prepare the meals you provide.

Please also note that we are working towards waste-free lunch boxes so encourage the use of reusable containers and wrapping.

Filtered water is provided all day at any time, therefore children are not required to come with a drink bottle. We prefer that all other drinks are left at home as we encourage children to drink water. They will be given their own drink bottle, clearly labelled with their name.

You are required to supply all of your child’s milk for the day. Bottles should be made up ready for use and be clearly named. All centres have fridges in which to store the bottles. Bottles will be cleaned and returned to you daily.

Milk will be warmed before it’s given to the child if preferred – we will discuss your child’s requirements with you during induction.

All our centres have a strict no nuts policy, which all parents and caregivers are made aware of.

As we encourage children to explore elements such sand, water, paint, play dough and clay we require children to come with at least two changes of clothes each day, more if the child is being toilet trained.

Each child must come with a sunhat, shoes and weather appropriate clothing – gumboots and wet weather trousers or overalls are a good idea in winter! All items of clothing must be named.

Yes. However, there is a charge for this for children over 2 years of age.

We charge $2 per day, this fee covers the nappies, wipes, gloves and the disposal and removal of waste. 

CAN I PROVIDE MY OWN NAPPIES INSTEAD?  Yes, you can provide your own disposable nappies if you prefer however this will only reduce the cost by $0.50 per day as the main portion of the fee is for the gloves and disposing of the soiled nappies.  The fee would be $1.50 per day instead of $2.00.

CAN I PROVIDE CLOTH NAPPIES?  You are welcome to provide cloth nappies, liners, wipes and a nappy bin with a lid that staff can put the spoiled nappies in for you to take home (teachers will flush away anything they can prior to putting it in the bin).

We supply sunscreen and shade for children however if your child has sensitive skin and/or requires a specific sunscreen please inform teachers and provide us with the appropriate sunscreen.

We are happy to administer medication with your written approval. All medications must be labelled correctly with the child’s name and the dosage required. Medicine must be handed to a staff member on arrival and the amount, date, time and name of medicine will be recorded in the medication book. Only registered staff will administer medication. This includes any creams or ointments other than sunscreen.

When you enrol at Jumpstart you will provide details of the adults who are approved to pick up and drop off your child. They will be given a unique code which will give them access to the child’s centre, which is locked at all times.

Nobody other than an approved adult will be permitted access to the centre, or to any child.

Cuddly soft toys, pillows or blankets can be brought along to the centre. These will be kept in their cubby for when they require it. Please ensure other toys are not brought to the centre.

At Jumpstart we provide the bed linen and blankets for all of our sleepers.  Children have their own sheets and blankets allocated and these are washed every week.  

However we have noticed that children who have their own 'special sleep space', created by their own blanket and / or pillow from home are happier to join the sleep room and settle into bed quicker and calmer (these can be left at Jumpstart).

As far as possible, we try to keep your child’s nap schedule similar to when they are at home. So you let us know when and how often your child needs to sleep and we do our best to keep to that. We know it’s always changing, especially with babies and toddlers, so we will communicate with you regularly so we’re all on the same page.