East Linton Playgroup
Meeting – Monday 1 February 2010
Crown Hotel
Present: Maxine Kinnaird, Wendy Galloway, Ailsa Swinburne, Rebecca Devon, Zoe McCarthy
Emma Niven, Donna Tsang, Jill Craven, Pam Tannahill (minutes)
PURPOSE OF MEETING
Monthly committee meeting
Review of Actions from Last Meeting
Most completed – following outstanding:
NAME
Wendy
Pam
Maxine
Zoe/Wendy
Maxine/Pam
Maxine/Pam/Wen
dy
ACTION
Provide list of planned themed days for website
Produce A5 flyers to give to Robyn/for use in surgery
Look into joint ad with B&T in ELDA
Update induction booklet by mid January
Consolidate recruitment and other policy docs in
January/February
Review work done on policies and procedures last year, any
updates needed?
Notes on above/other actions from last meeting:





Induction booklet is work in progress and is almost done. Copy to be sent
to committee before February holiday for review. New booklet to be
used from now on – first induction 25/2.
4 week notice – agreed that kids offered nursery places during term
should be exempt from 4 week notice period. Donna to add to treasurers
notes to pass on to next committee.
Wendy to forward cribsheet of policies to Maxine and Pam (as per
parents handbook)
Community Hall Committee – Chairperson and Treasurer still to be filled.
Agreed to include in newsletter to see if any parents/grandparents
would be prepared to get involved.
Discussion on dishwashing duty and whether necessary to take home. In
order to ensure sufficient adult-child ratio agreed we would continue
this practice.
Playleaders Report
After a slow start due to the weather everyone has settled in to the new term.
There has been quite a bit of paperwork done this month. We have completed
the Care Commission forms (both playleader and parent forms). SSSC (Scottish
Social Services Council) registration and Scottish Executive Census forms are to
be completed. SSSC registration required for all staff – Wendy as lead
practitioner by May, but to do sooner rather than later. Once we have the new
start on board, we will get them to fill in their form immediately.
An anonymous person informed the Care Commission of Wendy’s absence at
Playgroup on one day due to her attendance at a family funeral. In the future
should this happen we should:
 Inform the Care Commission
 Inform parents in advance of the situation so they can choose whether to
leave their child
Other
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

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activities over January include:
Meeting with Zoe to update induction booklet
Displaying pictures of the children
Updating the scrapbook
Starting a diary (see below for more info)
Wendy has a diary in which she records changes in pick-ups, absenteeism and
themes/snack info as displayed on the whiteboard. Agreed we would get a
Thursday duty parent to complete with whiteboard info.
There was 1 new start in the month of January. Current numbers are running
at:
 Monday -17
 Wednesday - 15
 Thursday – 14
There are 14 on waiting list, we have one child restarting after Easter and one
new start that has been deferred until Easter.
Discussion on request for a new child to have flex on which day they attend (ie
pay for 1 choose which one they come each week). Given current numbers and
waiting list agreed that we are not in the position to offer this. We will offer
the child one fixed day a week which they pay for regardless of whether they
attend or not. Ailsa to contact.
Finance update
Current balance £2135.42 taking into account all cheques and payments being
processed. As we have had no Assistant Playleader to pay during January, there
has not been a loss this month. There have been a lot of payments of fees and
childcare vouchers over January.
We received a £300 grant from the council in December, another grant should
be allocated at end Feb or March.
Still awaiting invoice from coop (problem on their part with new computer
system) – should be ~ £200.
We agreed that memory sticks would be purchased to ensure back up of all
files by Donna, Ailsa, Wendy and Rebecca. Donna to purchase.
Agreed that we would not increase fees at moment, to be reviewed in May,
Fundraising
Cookbook – not yet broken even, sales sitting at £95. Plan is to get outlets in
the village to sell on our behalf (butchers, coop, PO). Action Jill.
Haven Fun and Fitness – remind parents to sign up in newsletter.
Raffle – discussion on raffle. In order to conform with licence, need to have
tickets on sale at a public event and for the draw to be made at a public event.
Discussed options for fundraising event but agreed that would do post summer
(maybe September/October) starting the work pre summer. Pam to add to
April agenda.
Other ideas – Discussed various ideas for a fundraising event including Teddy
Bears Picnic, Football Match, Cheese & Wine, Wine tasting, race Night,
Traditional Coffee Morning. All to have a think to come up with quirky, doable,
easy event, probably one that would involve parents.
Parent Duty
Wendy Denholm is no longer coming to Playgroup.
Snack – to be planned in advance on 4 weekly basis based around themed days
to ensure variety and balance over week. Ailsa offered to coordinate. Wendy to
send Ailsa note of allergies.
Timekeeping and delegation of tasks to parents. Timekeeping (ie late starts)
has been the main issue flagged by parent forms – essential that this improves.
Wendy has the key role as the team leader to ensure this happens and must
ensure there is a clear plan of what is expected of parent helpers, delegate
tasks to them and keep on top of what they are doing to ensure smooth running
of playgroup. Wendy’s time is to be spent WITH the children when playgroup is
actually open and she must delegate to the parents helpers and parent helpers
must be prepared to ensure she is able to do so. It was agreed that there needs
to be less distraction at snack time – parents to stop clear up activity so
children can focus on snack activity, and Wendy is to set up base at the table
for the duration of snack. Wendy to update set-up plan and parent helper
activities/timing and highlight them to parents, then keep on top of on daily
basis.
Toilet runs – there is no getting round the fact that a considerable amount of
Wendy’s time will be spent on toilet runs. Ailsa is being enhanced disclosure
checked to give a bit more flexibility. Add need for extra disclosure checked
committee member to a list of handy hints for the next committee.
Winter Newsletter
Rebecca offered to produce winter newsletter. Variety of issues to be covered.
AOB
Ailsa suggested sending a generic letter/email to all parents on the waiting list
4 weeks prior to their start date to inform them of process.
Forms – Wendy holds the master for application form, induction form, rota duty
form, photo permission form. Email to be added to application form and
dishwasher duty to be added to induction form by Rebecca then forwarded to
Wendy to save as new master copy.
Zoe raised idea of selling collage of photos to parents. Wendy to consider.
Maxine asked that a teatowel fundraiser be added to next agenda.
Gala day is on 12 June. Theme will be announced end February/March. Maxine
is trying to sort out a trailer. We can use Papple (Maxine’s farm) to decorate
the float. Add Gala Day to next months agenda.
Bowling Club gave Playgroup £400 last year and we said we would get this
promoted in the Courier. Need to draft press release, send it and ask for
someone to come out to take pictures of children using new equipment bought
(scooters/slide). Maxine to draft, Pam to check.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Monday 1st March, The Crown
ACTION TABLE
NAME
Wendy
Pam
Maxine
Maxine/Pam
ACTION
Provide list of planned themed days for website
Produce A5 flyers to give to Robyn/for use in surgery
Look into joint ad with B&T in ELDA
Consolidate recruitment and other policy docs in
January/February
Maxine/Pam/Wendy Review work done on policies and procedures last year, any
updates needed?
Zoe/Wendy
Circulate induction booklet to committee by 12/2
Committee
Provide feedback on induction booklet by ??
Donna
Add exemption to 4 week notice period for mid-term nursery
places to Treasurers notes.
Wendy
Forward cribsheet of policies to Maxine/Pam
Rebecca
Include need for Chair/Treasurer on Hall Committee in
Newsletter
Wendy
Wendy to complete SSSC registration
Pam/Maxine
Ensure new start completed SSSC registration
Ailsa
Contact parent re flex request
Wendy
Get a Thursday duty parent to complete diary for week with
whiteboard info
Donna
Purchase 4 memory sticks
Pam
Add fee increase review to May agenda
Jill
Get local outlets to sell recipe book
Rebecca
Add reminder on Haven Fun & Fitness to newsletter
Pam
Add raffle to April agenda.
All
Think of fundraising ideas
Pam
Add fundraising event to March agenda
Ailsa
Coordinate planning of snack menu
Wendy
Send list of allergies to Ailsa
Wendy
Update set up plan and make sure parents know it is there
Pam
Add need for extra disclosure checked committee member to
a list of handy hints for the next committee.
Wendy
Consider idea of selling collage of photos to parents at the
end of the year
Pam
Add teatowel to March agenda.
Rebecca
Produce winter newsletter
Ailsa
Draft and send generic letter/email to parents on waiting list
4 weeks before start date
Rebecca
Add email to application form and dishwasher duty to
induction form and forward to Wendy
Pam
Add Gala day to March agenda.
Maxine
Draft press release re Bowling Club donation for Courier and
forward to Pam to check.