...where children are happy to learn
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Now for 2025!
1 Watts Place West Hoxton NSW 2171
ph: (02) 9825 8822 mob: 0426 972 893
Welcome to the month of August
Dear Parents/Families,
Welcome to August! Officially the last month of Winter, Hooray!
Happy Days is working on a new initiative called “Together for Children”. Our aim is to collaborate with our families and the community to make positive changes within the industry and our centre, providing children with the upmost care and safety.
We are so excited for all the events coming up this month. All events are found on OWNA or our events board. Participating in these events helps educators plan for future events and shows great partnerships with families when it comes to assessment and rating. Make sure you RSVP to events on time so that we can include you in all the fun and engaging events.
What's On this month?
Happy Days Emergency Drills
We will be holding the following emergency drills at the kindy:
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None will be completed during the month of August
We have prepared the children for these drills, however, please continue the discussions at home so they can be better prepared.
Dental week -
4th-8th of August
We will be learning all about healthy teeth and happy smiles! Children will explore the importance of brushing, eating tooth-friendly foods, and visiting the dentist through fun stories, songs, and hands-on activities.
Red Nose Day -
Monday, 18th of August
We’re wearing red and having fun for a very special cause! On Red Nose Day, we raise awareness and support for the prevention of sudden infant death and childhood illness. Through stories, songs, and red-themed activities, children learn about caring for others and the importance of helping keep little ones safe.
Book week -
25th-29th of August
We’re celebrating the magic of stories during Children’s Book Week! Throughout the week, children will enjoy special Storytimes, dress-ups, and fun literacy activities that inspire a love of reading. It’s a wonderful time to explore imagination, creativity, and the joy of books together! Don’t forget to dress up as your favourite book characters.
Smile with me mobile dental visit –
Monday, 4th of August @ 10am
Smiles will be visiting HDKWH on Monday the 4th of August at 10am and providing free dental health check for all children aged 1+. Make sure you complete and return your dental health forms to Miss Ashley.
National Pyjama Day -
Tuesday, 5th of August
We’re getting cosy for National PJ Day! Children are invited to wear their favourite pyjamas as we enjoy a fun-filled day of stories, relaxation, and comfort-themed activities. It’s a great way to celebrate rest, routine, and the importance of a good night’s sleep! We also ask for gold coin donations to raise funds for children in foster care.
Jeans for Genes Day –
Monday, 11th of August
We’re wearing our jeans to help support vital research for children living with genetic conditions! On Jeans for Genes Day, children and educators are encouraged to wear denim and take part in fun, age-appropriate learning about kindness, helping others, and making a difference—one pair of jeans at a time!
Daffodil day –
Friday, 22nd of August
We’re dressing in yellow and celebrating hope on Daffodil Day! This special day supports cancer research and reminds us of the strength and courage of those affected by cancer. Children will take part in yellow-themed crafts and learning experiences that promote kindness, compassion, and community support.
We're Going Off The Grid
Tuesday,12th and Friday the 29th of August
The team at HDK often follow many early childhood social media pages to ensure they keep up to date within the industry and a term that has often been brought up is “off the grid”. I’m sure no matter what time you have walked in during morning drop off you have seen all educators with either an iPad or laptop in hand ready to capture as many moments as they can so that they can then upload them to our program Xplor so that you can stay up to date with what your children are doing whilst in our care. As you know technology has taken over a huge chunk of our lives, it’s how we communicate and complete our work and when we get some spare time it's what we use to wind down. Being that technology is such a big part of our lives it is only expected that our children are introduced to it at such a young age. Here at HDK and in many childcare centre’s technology is how we communicate with you regarding your children, which means technology is eating up a big part of the educator's time instead of spending it one on one with your children. Many centres are now going off the grid once or twice a month so that they can maximise their time with your children, forming relationships and just playing. It’s a spontaneous day where the decisions are left up to the children and what they feel like doing for the whole day whether it be painting with their feet, cooking, building castles and forts using furniture, the ideas are endless and completely up to the children. When “off the grid” takes place educators are to put away all technology iPads and laptops and no photos will be taken, no updates will be uploaded to Xplor except for mealtimes, sleep, and nappy change. “Off-the-grid” days will change every month so that every child gets to experience such a fun day and if you would like to know what we got up to feel free to speak to an educator or simply just ask your children. We would love to hear your feedback on what you think about being “off the grid” twice a month.
School photos -
Wednesday, 6th of August
The wait is finally over! Happy Days will be holding both the Little Learners and Big Explorers school photos on Wednesday the 6th of August. We ask that all children arrive before 9:30am so that no one misses out on their individual and class photos. This year, a QR code will be placed in the centre for parents to scan and complete the photo pack forms. Make sure your child is dressed for their photo with their hair done as educators will not be able to do this for them.
National Science Week –
11th-15th of August
It’s time to explore, experiment, and discover! During National Science Week, children will engage in hands-on activities that spark curiosity and introduce basic science concepts through play. From mixing colours to exploring nature and simple experiments, we’re nurturing little scientists with big ideas!
Community Engagement
Check out what is happening in our community for the month of August!
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Music and Storytime at Ed Square: Wednesday 6th August – 10:30am to 11:15am. Encourage a love of stories for your child through music, listening to great picture books and other activities. This free program is aimed at children aged 0-5 and their careers. We use songs, action rhymes, simple questions, and games to keep your child engaged and foster early-literacy development and social skills.
Important Reminders
Control of Infectious Illnesses
Please HELP us contain infectious illnesses by keeping your child at home when they are sick. If your child is absent from school due to an illness, please make sure to bring in a clearance letter from the doctors on their next booked day. If your child has been sent home from school on their booked day, in correspondence to our SICK CHILDREN’S POLICY, your child must stay home for 24 hours before bringing them back, to reduce the spread of illnesses.
Staff have the right to turn down your child’s attendance if they are experiencing any flu-like symptoms or have had Panadol or Nurofen prior to attending the centre. Please do not “Dose and Dump”.
Absences
If your child is going to be absent from the centre, please call our centre landline on (02) 9825 8822 or our centre mobile on 0426 972 893 to inform the staff. Notifying us of your child’s absence allows us to open that spot to a family that might need it as a casual day.
LABEL LABEL LABEL
A BIG reminder to please label your children’s belongings. If a "loss" item isn’t collected within 2 weeks, they will go towards our MS fundraising bin.
Happy Days is not responsible for any lost item.
Safe sleep
Safe sleep practices you can implement in your home
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Always place baby on back for sleep, not on their tummy or side
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Keep your baby’s head and face uncovered. Covering baby’s face or head with clothing such as a hat increases the risk of sudden infant death.
-
Keep your baby smoke-free before and after birth.
-
Have a safe sleeping environment night and day. Make sure the mattress is firm, clean and flat, in a safe cot that meets industry standards. Make sure there are no blankets, soft bedding, toys, pillows or bumpers in the cot.
-
Sleep your baby in your room for the first 6 months
-
Breastfeed your baby if possible.
Risk Assessments
Risk assessments are continuously being updated and reviewed, feel free to access some risk assessments via OWNA and others in our risk assessment folder located in the office.
Signing-in/out
It is a government requirement for every parent or carer to sign your child in & out of Happy Days for your correct attendance.
Your Centrelink entitlements will be affected for non-compliance.
What to Pack
This is just a friendly reminder on what to pack for your child when attending Happy Days.
In your child's bag they must have the following (ALL LABELLED with your child's name):
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Spare clothes suited for the season and weather, including short sleeve/long sleeve t-shirt, shorts and pants, underwear, socks, jumpers or jackets.
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Bedding including a fitted sheet and blanket
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A water bottle
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Nappies or pull ups if required
FOB keys
We would also like to remind parents to please use their FOB key when entering the centre and refrain from using the doorbell, quite often educators are busy attending to your children and do not have the time to keep letting parents in, so please expect wait times at the door if this is so. If you have misplaced your FOB key or need to grab another one, we will happily replace it please just let an educator know.
Policy Reviews
Every month we review a set of policies to ensure that they are relevant and up to date according to regulations. You are invited to provide feedback on our policy of the month below (send your feedback to westhoxton@happydayskindy.com):
“Extreme Weather Policy & Procedure”.
The below policies are in the process of being reviewed and updated for 2025. Members of our parent committee and extended families are encouraged to access and review our policies and provide feedback. Policies are also available on OWNA.
- Adventurous (Risky and Nature) Play Policy
- Child Protection Policy
- Furniture and Equipment Safety Policy
- Managing an Unidentified Dog Policy
- Sick Staff/Educator Policy
- Bullying, Discrimination and Harassment Policy
- Dealing with Complaints Policy (Staff)
- Dealing with Complaints Policy
- Social media Policy
OWNA
Please ensure to regularly check the posts on OWNA as this is currently one of our main sources of communication.
Posts are sent regularly about attendances, events and general reminders.
What we've been Up To
Glow Disco -
Friday 4th July
Happy Days children, staff and families had an absolute blast in celebrating our annual Glow Disco!! On this fun and funky night educators set up lots of glowing decorations, glowing glasses and bands and lots of fun activities. We had a lovely face painting and tattoo set up featuring a range of glowtastic colours and shapes. We also had lots of yummy lollies and chocolates on our candy stand, along with some yummy pizza, fruit platters and beverages. Thank you to all our lovely families who came out and celebrated our amazing disco.
NAIDOC Week
Monday 7th to Friday 11th
Wow, what an amazing celebration we had throughout this month for NAIDOC Week! The children showed such enthusiasm as they explored and learned about Aboriginal culture and traditions. They engaged in a range of creative craft experiences, using vibrant colours and traditional Aboriginal patterns to express their learning. From dot painting to storytelling, each activity sparked curiosity and a deep respect for First Nations culture. It was heartwarming to see how well the children participated and how much they enjoyed being part of this meaningful celebration.
100 DAYS OF SCHOOL DRESS UP
- Wednesday, the 16th
Reaching 100 days of the school year is a special milestone and a fun celebration for the children! It marks 100 days of learning, growing, and making memories. To celebrate, children were invited to dress up as if they were 100 years old – a playful tradition that always brings plenty of laughs. While we didn’t have a large turnout for dress-ups this year, the children enjoyed seeing their friends' creative outfits. Both classrooms participated in exciting craft activities to mark the day. The Little Learners explored their creativity with watercolour painting, while the Big Explorers engaged in a vibrant paper collage experience. The day was filled with joy, laughter, and a sense of accomplishment for all!
Teddy Bear Picnic -
Friday, the 18th
The kids had an amazing day at school with their teddy bears! They kicked off the fun with teddy bear colouring and painting, letting their creativity run wild. Each child got to decorate their bear however they liked, making every one unique. But the fun didn’t stop there! They also had their meals with their stuffed friends, turning lunchtime into a cozy, bear-filled picnic. The classroom was full of giggles and excitement as the children shared stories, played games, and showed off their bears. It was a heartwarming day full of laughter, creativity, and unforgettable memories!
Living safely with dogs incursion -Thursday, the 24th
The recent "Living Safely with Dogs" incursion provided the children with a valuable and memorable learning experience focused on safety, empathy, and respectful animal interaction. Through an engaging and age-appropriate session, the children gained important knowledge about how to safely approach, interact with, and behave around dogs in a variety of everyday situations. One of the highlights of the incursion was the opportunity for each child to gently pat the visiting dog under supervision, helping them to build confidence, develop a sense of care and kindness towards animals, and understand the importance of gentle touch and body language. This hands-on experience supported not only their understanding of animal safety but also reinforced concepts of empathy, responsibility, and emotional regulation.
Crazy Hair Day -
Tuesday, the 29th
We had such a fun time celebrating crazy hair day! The children came in with all kinds of silly, colourful and creative hairstyles. There were bright colours, funny shapes and even some sparkles! The educators joined in on the fun too, wearing their own crazy hairstyles and making the day even more exciting. Thank you to all the families for helping us make it such a fun and special day.
Educator of the Month
This year we have implemented a new program for our educators; An “Educator of the Month”. Each month, Miss Hannah, as our educational leader and ECT, will observe the educators in all aspects of the day, collecting evidence of their work, their practice and involvement with their daily responsibilities. At the end of the month, the educator who has achieved the most, shown imitative, gone above and beyond in their role will be rewarded with “Educator of the month’ along with a small prize. This isn’t just for the benefit of staff development and prizes, this motivates the educators to excel in all areas, including Quality Area 5- Relationships with Children. This month, Miss Feyza has been awarded Educator of the Month for the second time! She is being recognised for her incredible dedication to planning and organising exciting excursions, as well as her tireless efforts towards our SIP goals—enhancing inclusion across the service. Well done, Miss Feyza, and thank you for your continued passion and commitment!
Focus Learning programs
Eco-Warriors
Happy Days Sustainability Program
We're just about wrapping up our recycling topic, and starting next month, we'll dive into composting! The little learners had a blast painting a recycling sign, which is now proudly displayed in the classroom. They also watched an awesome educational video that taught them all about how recycling works and which items go into which bins. The big explorers have been busy too—painting old pot plants to get ready for a fun project later this year. Plus, they got super creative making sensory bottles using water bottles and a mix of cool sensory objects. It's been a hands-on, educational month, and we’re excited for what's coming up next!
Miss Hannah, Miss Josephine and Miss Shania
Munch and Move
Happy days health and fitness program
This month in our Munch and Move program, we focused on the fundamental movement skills of ‘Running’. The children enjoyed engaging in a variety of fun and energetic activities that encouraged them to build confidence and coordination, from chasing birds in the playground, running with friends, popping bubbles on the go, to playful games of chase, our Little Learners and Big Explorers had a blast staying active while developing their gross motor skills. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and growing agility through movement-based play.
Miss Shipra
Playing and Learning to Socialise (PALS)
Happy Days Social Skills Program
This month in our PALS program, we focused on the important social skill of following instructions. The children engaged in a variety of fun and meaningful activities that encouraged listening, understanding, and responding to simple directions. From group games to hands-on tasks, each child participated with enthusiasm and showed great improvement in their ability to follow through with instructions. It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they worked together, listened carefully, and supported one another.
Miss Halima
Projects
Happy Days In-Depth Learning Program
Throughout the month, children from both the Little Learners and Big Explorers rooms have been enthusiastically exploring the exciting topic of dinosaurs as part of our project-based learning program, guided by Miss Feyza and Miss Maddi. This shared journey into the prehistoric world has sparked curiosity and wonder, as the children engaged in a variety of hands-on and imaginative experiences designed to deepen their understanding of dinosaurs. From making colourful paper plate dinosaurs to using their own handprints to create unique dinosaur art, the children have been actively involved in expressing their learning through creative mediums.
The learning experiences extended beyond art and into sensory and discovery-based play, where children participated in dinosaur-themed sensory trays, scavenger hunts, and sand excavations to uncover hidden dinosaurs. These activities not only enhanced fine motor development but also encouraged teamwork, problem-solving, and imaginative storytelling. By incorporating a mix of tactile, visual, and collaborative elements, Miss Feyza and Miss Maddi have created an engaging and enriching learning environment that supports children’s interests while building key developmental skills. The dinosaur project has truly captured the children’s imaginations and has been a roaring success across both rooms.
Miss Feyza and Miss Maddison
Classroom News
The Big Explorers Room
The Discoverers (3-4 yrs old)
& The Inventors (4-6 yrs old)
This month, the Big Explorers have delved into a variety of engaging interest topics! We began by learning about different occupations and the important roles people play in our community. The children participated in conversations and creative craft experiences, making representations of police officers, firefighters, and many others. Following this, we celebrated NAIDOC Week — an event that sparked a strong interest among the children. Due to their enthusiasm, educators extended this topic for an additional week to allow the children to further immerse themselves in Aboriginal culture and deepen their understanding and respect for diversity. Our most recent topic has been healthy eating, where the children explored fruits through painting activities and even had the exciting opportunity to taste fruits they had never tried before!
The Discoverers
(3-4yrs old)
Throughout this month, our Discoverers group has been focusing on recognising our names, with a special emphasis on identifying the first letter. It has been such a joy to watch the children engage in activities that support early literacy, from exploring their name tags during group time to using letter blocks and personalised name cards in play. Each child has shown wonderful progress, confidently recognising and pointing to the first letter of their name. I am so proud of my Discoverers and the enthusiasm they’ve shown during this learning journey.
The Inventors
(4-6 yrs old)
Happy Days School Readiness Program
During our Inventors small group activities, the children have been enthusiastically extending their understanding of numbers from 10 to 20. They have engaged in a variety of hands-on and creative learning experiences, including completing number recognition worksheets that reinforced their counting and number sequencing skills. Through collaborative block play, the children worked together to build towers and structures using a set number of blocks, helping them visualise quantities and practice one-to-one correspondence. They also explored numbers through watercolour painting, where they expressed their creativity while forming numerals and representing quantities in vibrant, imaginative ways. These activities have supported both their cognitive development and fine motor skills, while making learning numbers a fun and engaging experience.
The Little Learners Room
6 weeks to 3 years old
This month, our Little Learners have had a fantastic time exploring their interest in cooking over the past month! They’ve been busy mixing, pouring, baking and learning all about different ingredients and how food is made. This learning interest was a great way to build skills like counting, following steps, trying new food and working together. Next month, our Little Learners will be moving on to a new and exciting focus learning to identify colours! We are looking forward to helping the children build their colour recognition in a playful and engaging way.
Recipe of the Month
Pumpkin and Lentil soup
What you need:
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Olive oil spray
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1 brown onion, finely chopped
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2 garlic cloves, crushed
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1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
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2 tsp curry powder
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1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 1cm-pieces
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175g (3/4 cup) red lentils, rinsed
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1.25L (5 cups) water
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1 vegetable stock cube
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90g (1/3 cup) low-fat natural yoghurt
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Fresh coriander leaves, to serve
step by step instructions
Step 1
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Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add the onion and cook, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.
Step 2
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Add the pumpkin, lentils, water and stock cube. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin and lentils are soft. Set aside to cool.
Step 3
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Ladle half the lentil mixture into the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean saucepan. Repeat with the remaining lentil mixture.
Step 4
Place the soup over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until heated through. Season with pepper. Ladle among serving bowls. Top with the yoghurt and coriander to serve.
Families & Community Partnership
POISON SAFETY: Unfortunately, our little ones have a bad habit of getting sick quite frequently. When they are ill, we often administer different medicines to aid in fighting against the sickness.
Parents and carers must ensure that they appropriately store and handle different medications, ensuring that their children are not at risk of any serious accidents such as ingesting medication.
Some ways that we can prevent an incident from occurring is:
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Store all medicines in a locked and high cupboard that is out of reach to all children. Children are great climbers so make sure cupboards are locked with a safety latch for further prevention.
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Make sure all bags and purses that may have medications are placed up high and out of reach of children
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Keep all medications in original containers
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Be aware of what medications you have in the household and the quantity of each.
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Don’t underestimate your child’s ability to open up packages. Some child resistant packages are still not child proof.
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Never tell a child that medicine tastes like candy
In the event of an accident occurring, you are to call the Poisons Information Hotline (13 11 26) to provide you with the necessary information. If your child has stopped breathing or collapsed call 000. First aid is to be administered immediately in any circumstance.
SUSTAINABILITY AT HOME: At Happy Days we encourage all to be environmentally sustainable and be conscientious of the way we treat our world. Through our educational programs we are providing children with lots of ecological experiences. In doing this we are moulding their mind and teaching them about how we can care for the environment and help it flourish.
One way that we can not only be cost efficient but also sustainable is by reducing our water usage whilst at home.
Some ways we can limit out water waste is by:
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Using a low flow shower head and taking shorter showers
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Instal a duel flush toilet and educate children on the correct way to flush the toilet
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Repair all leaky taps
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Use a front load washing machine
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Collect rainwater to reuse on plants and lawn
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Do not run the tap unnecessarily
CHILD SAFETY:
It is very important that we are always keeping our children safe whilst in vehicles. By using the correct car seats that are properly fitted can reduce the risk of injury by 71%.
According to the NSW centre for road safety:
- for children up to 6 months they need to be seated in an approved rear facing car seat
- from 6 months – 4 years they can sit in either a rear or forward-facing car seat
- from 4 years + children can sit in either a front facing car seat or booster seat
- for children who are 145 cm or taller they can use the adult lap sash seatbelt
SAFE SLEEP PRACTICES:
Safe sleep practices you can implement in your home
-
Always place baby on back for sleep, not on their tummy or side
-
Keep your baby’s head and face uncovered. Covering baby’s face or head with clothing such as a hat increases the risk of sudden infant death.
-
Keep your baby smoke-free before and after birth.
-
Have a safe sleeping environment night and day. Make sure the mattress is firm, clean and flat, in a safe cot that meets industry standards. Make sure there are no blankets, soft bedding, toys, pillows or bumpers in the cot.
-
Sleep your baby in your room for the first 6 months
-
Breastfeed your baby if possible.
INCLUSIVE PROGRAM: At Happy Days our educators work together to ensure that we are an inclusive centre.
To be inclusive means to embrace all people irrespective of race, gender, disability, medical or other need. It is about giving equal access and opportunities and getting rid of discrimination.
As part of Inclusive Program, we offer resources to all families in different languages to ensure everyone is receiving the support and information they need. This month's topic is:
"Encouraging Positive Behaviour"
Arabic
كجزء من البرنامج الشامل ، نقدم موارد لجميع العائلات بلغات مختلفة لضمان حصول الجميع على الدعم والمعلومات التي يحتاجون إليها. موضوع هذا الشهر هو:
نصائح حول تشجيع السلوك اإليجابي
Vietnamese
Là một phần của Chương trình Hòa nhập, chúng tôi cung cấp tài nguyên cho tất cả các gia đình bằng các ngôn ngữ khác nhau để đảm bảo mọi người đều nhận được sự hỗ trợ và thông tin họ cần. Chủ đề của tháng này là