Cumberland Council are proud to announce the launch of the Healthy Happy Foundations Pledge for Early Years Providers. Settings and schools who join the scheme commit to going above and beyond to support young children to build strong foundations and it also acts as a quality marker to help parents and carers when choosing childcare.
The Pledge provides Early Years education professionals and settings the opportunity to showcase their commitment to fostering healthier, happier, and more sustainable environments for young children. It includes commitments in four key areas:
- Physical activity
- Healthy nutrition
- Emotional wellbeing
- Sustainability practice
Early Years settings have been piloting the scheme ahead of launch. Amy Britcher, Manager of Little Monkeys Days Nursery, Keswick, said:
“The Healthy Happy Foundations Pledge is a fantastic scheme to be a part of. To us children's physical and mental health are integral to their basic needs. By implementing the Pledge we hope we can improve children's outcomes whilst supporting parents to do the same at home. It's also been an eye opener to our staff, giving them time to reflect on their own physical and mental health. As Early Years practitioners we are role models for these children in all areas and so it's vital that we practice what we preach.
“The Pledge was easy to complete and gave us the opportunity to reflect on everything we offer, it highlights what you're doing well as well as things that we need to develop further and it's so important to us to be able to reflect and continuously improve and develop what we do.”
Mary Platt Methodist Pre-school, Cockermouth, also trialled the pledge, Jessica Harrington, Pre-school Assistant and Deputy SENCO, said:
“The Healthy Happy Foundations Pledge is a wonderful way for Early Years settings to reflect on their own practice. You get to look closely at the many areas of health and consider if your setting is doing all it can to promote the best possible start in life for the young children it cares for, their families and the staff members that work there.
“I found it really fun to get creative and introduce new initiatives within our setting using the Pledge. As a team we have embedded good practice into our daily routine with the children and share this with the children's families and encourage them to do the same at home. I encourage all Early Years settings to get behind this scheme and sign up to the Healthy Happy Foundations Pledge to improve the health and wellbeing of all the individuals that are part of their provision's community. I can guarantee that there are only positive changes that will come out from completing it for everyone involved.”
Cllr Elaine Lynch, Executive Member for Lifelong Learning and Development, said:
“We are thrilled to launch the new Healthy Happy Foundations Pledge to inspire Early Years Providers to aim for the highest standards in caring for the needs of young children. By committing to these four essential areas, settings can foster a culture of health, wellbeing, and sustainability that benefits children now and in the future.
“The Pledge helps to recognise the brilliant work Early Years settings are doing across Cumberland to support young children to develop healthy habits, become resilient and look after the environment.
“We would like to thank the pilot sites for their help in further developing the scheme and encourage others to join so we can continue to build the best possible environments for young children.”
To find out more about the scheme and sign up, contact HHF@cumberland.gov.uk