Present: Cindy, Viv, Diane, Ronnie, Phil, Liz, Ruth, Heather and Laura
1. Apologies for absence: Poppy
2. Confirm minutes of last meeting:
Need to write on front of last meetings minutes that we agreed the present hourly rate will remain and Liz will initial this.
Actions from last meeting:
Cindy has updated photos on the website and Cindy and Heather are creating a video to show to prospective parents around the setting virtually and to help new children with transition.
Cindy has spoken to Heather who has volunteered to be Chair and take over from Liz at the AGM. Ongoing actions:
Laura has spoken to Rob from Waresley regarding the sandpit cover and he can make a wooden frame with chicken wire for approx. £150 plus his labour. Alternatively, Laura could make a lightweight breathable fabric cover with bungee cords to attach around the posts. Action: Laura to send photos to Cindy who will then discuss the sandpit cover options with the team and get back to Laura who will aim to have either option ready to go for September.
Cindy has emailed the advertising poster to all members and Laura and Heather are going to post this on various Facebook pages.
Heather has created the parental questionnaire which has been sent out to all parents, and so far, all the responses received have been positive. Action: Cindy will send an email to all parents to remind them to complete the questionnaire if they have not done so already.
3. Matters arising:
a) Advertising – will be done through Facebook by Laura and Heather.
b) Covid 19 update – staff are doing a brilliant job. Looking after the children is great, we are carrying on as per our new normal, however the extra cleaning has been quite hard going; finishing earlier has helped with this. We have had 32 children attend over the 5 days so we have been full. We are still following guidance as it comes out. When staff are not in playgroup, they have been keeping in touch with their key working families via tapestry, Facebook, phone calls and some have seen or visited their families or had video calls. In September guidance states we should be allowed the usual 30 children but will possibly have to carry on restricting the toys. With regards to settling in new children, we are hoping they will have a time slot on the day before we open where families can come in and meet their key person and have a play / explore in the setting. Home visits will continue but will take place in gardens and staff will have in depth chats to ensure families are happy with the settling in arrangements. Cindy will send home the video to new starters as well as staff photos and staff ‘all about me’ information. For children who may find settling in hard we think we can accommodate parents in the playground if all other children are inside.
c) Parental questionnaire – has been created and sent out to parents. Responses have been received already and they have all been positive!
4. Chairman vacancy and upcoming Treasurer vacancy: Heather will be our new Chair! Still need to find a replacement for Phil after Christmas. Action: Cindy to look through new starters and see if there are any parents she may be able to speak to about this role.
5. Manager’s report: In September we will have 18 existing children staying and 10 new starters. We have had 2/3 more enquiries and another child who is hoping to start in October. We have had an enquiry about a child with Special Educational Needs who will be invited in after we close in July so they can look around and I can meet the child too. We are running end of term parties in the afternoon of Tuesday / Friday of next week which will include a picnic lunch, party games etc. I will send out a mini newsletter to inform those attending. Those who are not attending, we will ask if they wish to come to Playgroup and collect (from a distance) their leaving gifts. Alternatively, their key person or myself will deliver these to family’s homes. We will have to come in at the end of August to set up so we are ready for September which is outside of our normal working hours. This will be myself, Mandy and any other staff who are available. Training will take place as soon as we are able and we will prioritise First Aid, Enco, Child Protection updates etc. Sharon has helped to check my list so I know which staff need to do which training. Fundraising money: The Trike ride generated £450 so far! I will purchase a couple of mini trikes for next week as we need new trikes for the 2 year olds. Tea towels made approx. £100 Toni is leaving at the end of term; however, we will still be ok to cover sessions with existing staff. Amy will stay on and Celina will not start, however, she could be bank staff for later on in the year – I will speak to her about this. I am still down for Jury duty in September for 2 weeks, Mandy is prepared and ready for this and a provisional rota will be organised. There will be no OFSTED inspections until January. Thank you to all the committee and trustees for your support; it has been an interesting year!
6.Treasurer’s report: The annual accounts for the Fiscal year April – March have been audited and approved. Profit of £4,000. My accounts from September – June show profit so far of £6,000+. Still under budget by about £7,500 due to reasons explained in the last meeting, however this has now come down to approx. £5,000. £20,000+ in our Bank Account and our savings account has £67,000+ in it. Staff salaries have been higher than predicted, however further profit in July means we will hopefully break even by August.
7. AOB:
(a) Appreciationgiftsforthestafffromthecommittee–Lizwillsortoutcakesandfizzforthecommitteeto enjoy during their socially distant party on Friday.
(b) Fundraisingideas–LaurawilltaketheleadonthisandwillorganisethefirstfundraiserfortheAutumn term – possibly a scavenger hunt at Playgroup. Ruth will support Laura with this.
(c) Cindyandteamhavenoticedastrangewarmelectricalsmellinplaygroupnearthecrafttable. Action: Cindy will speak to Tom who will investigate.
8. Date of next meeting: AGM Tuesday 15th September. Will need to decide the week before if this will be an open Zoom call or if this can take place at Playgroup.