Welcome Packs

[JKL]

Hi All,

I want to put together my "Welcome Pack" for parents with various bits in but can't for the life of me get my brain to work!!!

What do you have in yours? What would you recommend putting in? What don't you include?

Thanks in Advance! x

[sarah707]

everything I want parents to know about me, my family and my business ... it's developed over a long time and is a really comprehensive introduction to what we do here

[wee_elf]

I wouldn't put in loads of policies and procedures as it may overwhelm them , you can go through this at a later time

[Kidston]

Im struggling with this at the moment too. I have no idea what to put in either.
Its one of those things seeing somekne elses would really help to get the ideas flowing

[natlou82]

I have a welcome page, which is about me and my family and why I decided to become a childminder, contact info, business details, typical day and sample menu. It covers most info that parents want to know and they like something they can take away x

[Glitter]

Mine has a leaflet with details about my family and house, a copy of a contract (so parents know from the beginning what the would be signing up for) and my menu. I also give them a sheet with information about my time off, charges, what they have to provide, and some of the activities we are planning in the future.

I try to keep it all as short and simple as possible. Parents rarely have the time to read pages of information. Policies etc. are given to them if they decide to use me (usually a few days before they come to sign the contracts).

[rickysmiths]

I have two things.

An A4 fold in 3 leaflet which has a snapshot of what I offer, a small map of where I am and my full address. This they can take away.

The other is my Welcome or Parents Info Folder as I prefer to call it. It is a 40 page display folder with the clear pages you put sheets in.

It has in it a copy of all the forms and the Contract parents would have to sign if they joined me.

A bit about me and my setting with some photos

A copy of my latest Ofsted Report

A Copy of my PLI and Employers Insurance Certs

A copy of my First Aid, Safe Guarding and Level 3 Certs

A leaflet about EYFS

A copy of all my Policies, Emergency Procedure and Complaints Procedure. I have never had loads, just the basics and what I need to run my business they never go over 8 pages for all of them.

They do not take this folder away with them they sit and look at it when they come and see me. I have this folder out and a Parents Feedback folder and a photo album and that is it for the Interview.

I personally don't give lots of info to take away, in my experience it rarely makes any difference in a families choice the fact that they can walk away with comprehensive information. They see your setting and they meet you. As long as the setting meets their expectations they are actually buying into you as a person, not your ability to produce paper information which is expensive to do as well and you will find 99% of it ends up in a bin. On very rare occasions as long as I have full address which I have verified (visited so I know that is where they live and I try to do this by delivering my leaflet to them prior to their visit) I may lend my Parent Info Folder for 24 hours if only one parent has got to the interview. If it is not returned I will go and collect it and I usually find those are the parents who won't use me anyway.

I have found the best parents are the ones who take the time to ask questions at the interview, who take some interest in my family life and so get a good picture of how I tick and the ones who ring you on the way home to say they want to use you. Without fail these for me anyway, are the relationships that work best and for longest. If they want to come and visit again, want to see me working, want to borrow the folder and take it home, want loads of references they are not the parents who are going to use me or ones that I will be able to work with.