Parent/Carer Participation

Working alongside and with parents and carers is one of the most important ways we can support our young children to progress through their early development.

There are many ways we like to involve you in your child's time at COG, so that you both have positive and interactive experiences during this important time in their lives, when learning and growth happen at the fastest rate.

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Online Engagement

Tapestry Online Learning Journal

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All children attending COG Pre-School have a Tapestry online Learning Journal. This allows Early Years Practitioners to build a record of each child’s learning and achievements during their time at pre-school.

The Tapestry system is hosted on secure, dedicated servers based in the UK. You will have password protected access to your child’s online Learning Journal and we encourage you to contribute to it by uploading photos and comments of their learning development and experiences at home.

You can login to the website here: Tapestry - Log In

The best way to use Tapestry, stay up-to-date with notifications and post photographs/videos of your child's learning at home is to download the Tapestry App from the App Store (for iPhones)or Google Play Store (Android).

Instructions to help you set up a Tapestry Account will be sent to you when your child starts pre-school at COG. User Guides can also be found at Information for parents/carers

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COG Facebook Page

Our Facebook page is a hive of information to keep you up-to-date with all that is going on at COG and to help you navigate your child's early years. Posts will include:

• pictures and information about interesting topics the children have been learning about
• posts about local events that may be of interest
• reminders of important upcoming dates, like primary school applications as well as our own events
• relevant national awareness days such as healthy eating week, signposting further information and organisations
• updates and thanks to COG's many funders and local supporters

and anything else we think may be useful and interesting to COG families and those in our local community.

Please like, follow and share our page and posts!

In-Person Activities

Toddler Groups and Activities

Toddler Groups and Activities at COG start from birth. This gives lots of opportunities for us to get to know each other, and for you and your new baby or toddler to build strong relationships with our staff, to make new friends and to feel comfortable in our environment. Many children who attend these popular groups will move onto COG Pre-School, where their early education continues seamlessly before starting primary school. Please find information about our groups for children and families on the Groups and Activities page.

Stay and Play Sessions

Several times throughout the academic year, we like to invite parent/carers to join their children for part of a pre-school session. Such sessions are usually open to all children and their families, even if they do not normally attend on the day of the event. They can include celebrating seasons such as Autumn, as the leaves change in our Woodland; joining the children for a cooking or craft activity, or simply joining in a musical 'circle time' and taking part in daily activities for a short time. When possible, we invite people from our local community and other linked organisations to speak or provide an activity at these sessions. They are always fun and interactive, providing parent/carers with the opportunity to see what their children do at pre-school, and for the children to share their daily routines and take pride in showing their families their learning environment.

Parent/Carer Events

As an inclusive setting, we aim to invite families to events which celebrate a variety of different special days and times of year. These can include Stay and Play sessions, in which families spend time with their children, and also parent/carer only events run by our wonderful Family Support Team. Check out some examples of fun past COG events...

COG's Early Intervention Family Support Team aims to host several 'pop-up' events each year for parents/carers. These will depend on requests and interests of families, as well as the focus and collaboration plans of other local community groups at the time. COG is invested and embedded in our local community and actively seeks partnerships that will benefit our children and families; both providing and signposting fun, informative and helpful events, talks and courses. You can find lots more information about this at Early Intervention Family Support.

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