Health and Safety

Keeping Children Safe

Child safety guides everything we do, in line with the NSW Child Safe Standards and our Child Safe Commitment.

Every educator holds a current NSW Working With Children Check and completes child protection training.
Educators are positioned to see and hear all children, and ratios are met across the centre at all times.
Children are signed in and out on OWNA by a parent or authorised person, and an educator sees each child before you leave.
Only people named on your child’s enrolment, or authorised by you in writing, may collect your child. We check photo ID for anyone we don’t know, and no one under 16 may collect a child.
Our entry is secured with a door code given only to families and authorised people.
We practise evacuation and lockdown drills every three months, on different days and times, and tell families on OWNA.
To protect every child’s privacy, families and visitors don’t take photos or videos at the centre. You receive photos of your child through OWNA.
At closing, educators check every room, bed and outdoor area.

Meals and Nutrition

Our on-site chef prepares meals and snacks every day in our centre kitchen: morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a late snack, with milk at morning and afternoon tea and water all day.

Our weekly menu follows the Australian Dietary Guidelines and NSW Health’s Munch & Move program, and is shared in OWNA.
Children with allergies or medical, cultural or religious dietary needs have a menu tailored for them.
We are an allergy-aware centre, including nut-free and egg-free, so please don’t bring food from home, even for birthdays. Each room bakes a birthday cake together instead.
Babies are only offered foods already introduced at home, at a texture that suits them. Please bring formula or labelled breast milk, and we have a quiet space for breastfeeding.
Educators sit with children at meals, children serve themselves, and we never pressure a child to eat.
Our kitchen follows a written Food Safety Program overseen by a certified Food Safety Supervisor.

Our dining room with long wooden tables under round skylights

Sleep and Rest

Babies and toddlers sleep when they need to, following the routine you share with us. Older children have a quiet rest time after lunch; children who don’t sleep relax with books, puzzles, yoga or quiet play, and we never stop a child who falls asleep.

We follow Red Nose safe sleep guidance: babies sleep on their backs, faces uncovered, with nothing soft in their sleep space.
Sleeping children are supervised, with a physical check beside each bed at least every 10 minutes, recorded on our sleep record.
We provide bed linen, and you are welcome to bring a comforter for rest time.
Please tell us how your child sleeps at home, and we will agree a plan together.

Sun Safety

Bright Blooms is a member of Cancer Council NSW’s SunSmart Early Childhood Program. In NSW the UV Index is 3 or above for most of the year, so we use hats, clothing, shade and sunscreen whenever it is.

We provide SPF50+ broad-spectrum sunscreen (with your permission at enrolment), and ask that children arrive with sunscreen already on.
A sun-safe hat every day: broad-brimmed, bucket or legionnaire, no caps.
Tops that cover the shoulders.
Babies under 12 months are kept out of direct sun when the UV Index is 3 or above.

Illness and Medication

Please keep your child home while they are unwell. Children should be well for 24 hours before returning.
After vomiting or diarrhoea, children stay home until 24 hours after the last episode (48 hours for norovirus). Other exclusion periods follow the national Staying Healthy guidelines and NSW Health.
Children stay home for the first 24 hours after starting antibiotics.
If your child becomes unwell at the centre, we will call you to collect them.
We give medication only with your written authorisation, in its original labelled packaging.
Children with a medical condition or allergy need an action plan from their doctor before starting, and we make a risk minimisation and communication plan with you.
We let families know when an infectious illness occurs at the centre.

Immunisation

Under the NSW Public Health Act 2010, we can only enrol a child when you give us one of these Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) documents:

an AIR Immunisation History Statement showing your child is up to date for their age
an AIR Immunisation History Form showing your child is on a recognised catch-up schedule
an AIR Immunisation Medical Exemption Form

Children whose families object to vaccination can’t be enrolled. Some children, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children in out-of-home care, can start while we work with the family to get the documents within 12 weeks. You can get your child’s statement through your Medicare account in myGov or the Express Plus Medicare app. Please give us an updated statement after each scheduled vaccination. NSW Health: vaccination requirements for child care.

Raising a Concern

We want to hear from you. Please talk to your child’s educators or our Centre Director, or email info@brightblooms.com.au, and we will work with you to resolve it. You can also contact the NSW Early Learning Commission, the regulator for early learning services in NSW, on 1800 619 113.