Frequently Asked Questions
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Quick Link to Activities at Children's Centres |
Contact Details Leaflet for all Children's Centres in Milton Keynes.
Are you a nursery or playgroup / can we leave our child with you?
No. Parents must stay with children at all times.
Can you tell me what courses are running, if any?
Children's Centres work closely with a range of local educational providers and support services to offer a range of parenting and skills based courses. These include
Milton Keynes College, Adult Continuing Education
(ACE) and
Women and Work.
Do I have to book in advance (for a session)?
We will sometimes ask families to book for sessions if we need to limit numbers due to the size of the room or to ensure families get the most out of an activity. We also normally ask parents to book onto any courses being run so the tutor is able to prepare appropriate resources based on the size of the group and also to ensure we have enough support staff for the crèche if this is being offered. Where there is a requirement to book this will be clearly stated on the centre's activity calendar. There are many sessions however where there is no requirement to book and we would welcome families just to come along.
Do I have to stay with my child?
Yes, usually all of the activity based sessions provided at the children's centres are for parents and children to attend together. We encourage parents to be actively involved in their children's learning and our sessions provide a range of fun activities to encourage parent-child interaction.
Do you cater for older children in the holidays?
Many Children's Centres do include sessions for children over five years old during school holiday times. They may also be able to signpost you to activities for school age children provided by schools and external partners. You can also visit the
Families Information Service (FIS) or contact them on 0800 0350335 or visit
www.mysaymk.com. Please contact individual Children's Centres for further information.
How much do sessions cost?
Many of the sessions held at Children's Centres are free although we would always welcome a small donation from families towards any refreshment costs. If there is a cost to a session it will be clearly identified on the centre's activity calendar.
What ages are the sessions suitable for?
All sessions provided during school term time are for pre school children (aged 0-5) and their parents/carers/grandparents. During school holiday times some centres are able to offer some activities for children and young people over the age of five working in partnership with other agencies.
What is happening today/this week?
There are several ways to find out what is happening at your local Children's Centre including:
- Looking on the Milton Keynes Children’s Centres website for the individual centre's activity calendar.
- Ringing or popping into your local centre and speaking with centre staff.
- Picking up an activity calendar from your local centre, school, library and many other community venues.
Why can't we eat our own junk food that we bring into the centre?
We encourage healthy eating within the centre and we provide healthy snacks at snack time.
Why do you need so much information from the parents on the registration forms?
The information we collate is to help us to target the correct people for our sessions/courses. Also, the information provides us with details of whom and how many people attend our centre.
