Gaarfields Daycare

Address: Education Buildings, Johnstone Place, Brora,
Sutherland, KW9 6PJ

Telephone: 07791 156725

Opening Hours: 8.30am - 5pm, Monday to Friday

Download: Handbook for Parents & Carers (Early Years)

Handbook for Parents & Carers (Out of School)

You'll find all Gaarfields' latest news on their very own Noticeboard on the:

**What parents say about Gaarfields**

My child loves attending Gaarfields and enjoys mixing with the other children. Jennifer Skea

I think Gaarfields is fantastic. I don’t know how people coped before facilities like Gaarfields were established, I would have been unable to return to work. Thomas loves attending Gaarfields. Lesley Macrae

We all feel guilty going to work but knowing my child is happy, safe and secure gives me peace of mind. Joanne Macleod

Gaarfields provides a homely and stimulating environment with highly experienced and professional staff. Our running costs are met through fees and funding from the Local Authority.

Gaarfields opened 11 years ago primarily as an afterschool provision. Over the years we have adapted to meet the needs of the users. Gaarfields now provides many services including:

Breakfast club
Escorting & collecting children to & from playgroup, nursery & P1-3
Wrap around care
All day care
Afterschool care

Our centre caters for children from birth to 16 years of age, and we split these children into 3 age groups, which include:

Birth - 3 years
3 years – 5 years
5 years – 16 years

We have a breakfast club available to school age children from 8.30am to 9am. We provide a mid morning and afternoon snack for all the children all of our snacks are nutritionally balanced to provide a healthy diet. During snack we aim to encourage the children to develop their social skills including personal hygiene, turn taking, sharing and the use of cutlery. The cost of snack is included in the session fee.

Children staying between 12.30pm and 1.30pm should also bring a packed lunch. Alternatively during term time only you can purchase a school lunch, a copy of the school lunch menu is displayed in Gaarfields so you can order in advance. A school lunch costs £1.80 for two courses plus a drink.

We plan each day around the needs and interests of every individual child, enabling each child to develop at a rate that suits them. However the overall structure and pace of the day remains the same, as we know this adds to a secure environment for children as they will know what to expect and therefore how to behave.

We have separate sections set up with the children’s age and stage of development in mind; the focus of each section is to enable the children to explore, develop and learn in a way that is right for them. Staff ensure that they know each child through talking to parents and playing with them. They plan activities that will engage and interest each child, extend their skills and experience, and of course, make sure they have fun!

Wherever possible, we like to be able to allow children to choose whether they play indoors or outdoors. If the environment does not allow this, we have access to the school gym and soft play room. The children are given as many opportunities as possible throughout the day to explore and play outdoors.

Our Staff Team

Centre Coordinator – Annarie Heneghan

Senior Playworker – Clair Gregory

Senior Playworker – Wilma Payne

Playworker – Isla MacPhail

Playworker – Rowan Macdonald

Group Support Worker – Siobhan Heneghan

Parents as Partners
We believe that parents are the prime educators of their children and are always welcome in Gaarfields. Our aim is to work in close partnership with parents to complement their approach to childcare, particularly to assist children when learning new skills such as weaning and potty training. The closer the parent and Gaarfields team work in partnership, the more rewarding the child’s time in Gaarfields will be.