The Kiddies Day Nursery – Eco School Programme
The Eco schools programme was developed in 1994 to involve young people in finding solutions to environmental and sustainable development challenges at a local level, as identified at the UN conference on environment & development of 1992, otherwise known as earth summit.
The Eco schools programme aims to raise children’s awareness of the environment and related sustainable development issues through classroom study together with school and community action.
Pupils are encouraged to take an active role in practical steps to reduce the environmental impact of the nursery.
Eco schools help to extend learning from the setting and develop responsible attitudes and commitment both at home and in the wider community. The Eco schools green flag, awarded to schools with high achievement in their programme is a recognised and respected Eco-label for environmental education and performance.
In March 2009 The Kiddies Day Nursery, Kidderminster unit, joined the Eco schools programme and since then has been working hard to contribute to a sustainable environment detailed in their Action Plan (see below). The aim is to make children and their families more Eco aware.
The Kidderminster unit achieved the Bronze Award in April 2009 closely followed by the Silver and Gold Award in July 2009.
Environmentally friendly children from the Kidderminster nursery shot to the top of the award stakes by securing their first coveted Eco-Schools Green Flag Award.
Managed in England by ENCAMS (who also run the Keep Britain Tidy campaign)
Eco schools encourages children to look at problems from how much rubbish they throw out to how much electricity they waste and create an action plan to sort them out.
Eco co-ordinator Leah Wooldridge said, “Obtaining the Green Flag Award is something that the whole nursery and its surrounding community can be proud of. Each of our children will be able to take away some degree of satisfaction in the knowledge that their actions have significantly altered their local environment. It has been a fantastic initiative for all involved, however it is by no means over, as the greater challenge is to maintain what we have achieved so far and look towards ways of improving even further.”
The children have been working their little socks off to transform their nursery’s daily routine into one that benefits the environment. Simple changes, like ensuring all unnecessary lights are switched off and that paper, cans and other materials are recycled. Plus, the Eco-Schools programme not only changes and improves the environment – it has also helped to lower the nursery’s running costs. Collection boxes are in place at both Kidderminster and Stourport units for children to collect – used postage stamps, old dvds, cds, computer games, toner cartridges, and a huge galvanised bin for the collection of textiles – including belts, shoes and bags!!!
Stourport nursery is working toward achieving their own Green Flag this year…..
The benefits of working towards an award such as the Green Flag extend beyond the improvement of the environmental quality of the nursery. The programme gives the children a sense of responsibility and pride in what they have achieved. With this comes the hope that the children will continue this behaviour in the wider community.
The Green Flag arrived in the nursery in May 2010 and all the nursery children watched as the flag was raised!
http://www.ecofriendlykids.co.uk EcoFriendlyKids is all about kids and their environment. Containing a wealth of information, tips, quizzes and fun games for children, this site is ideal for parents who want to share in their kids’ adventures as they start to explore the natural world, and to guide them towards a more in-depth understanding of ecological issues as they grow older.
