STARTING your eco-journey
Are you an early years provider hoping to inspire others? Perhaps you run a nursery, are a childminder or are looking for steps to take in order to make your provision more sustainable…
Effective leadership
In a childcare setting leadership style has a huge influence on how new ideas are effectively passed to your team. Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses as a leader is crucial for success, as is communicating the vision and ensuring appropriate training and support is in place to enable colleagues to do what they do best for the business.
In preparation for the changes Cheryl planned for Tops Day Nurseries she undertook a post graduate course in Sustainability Leadership with the University of Cambridge. If you would like to do something similar, and fit it in with a busy work and family schedule there are several online short courses available from the same institute:
With this grounding, here are some steps you may like to consider to start your eco-journey:
Make a business plan
Decide what it is you want to do. Present your ideas to colleagues with the aim of inspiring them. Explain your goals and how you expect to reach them and achieve a united front ready for when it is discussed for the next group of colleagues… This is particularly important as you need to remember not everyone will have the same sustainable mindset as you.
Be realistic
No one can change the world overnight. The number of changes and how quickly they are implemented has to be each businesses individual choice, but changes take time, effort and research.
Change philosophy
When proposing changes in your business in a bid to become more sustainable, you will first need to think about the reasons why you want to make them. The thinking process behind any change you propose needs to be communicated at the outset, so it is important that you have an answer to everything.
Support
Colleagues will undoubtedly have questions about any new change that comes into play, especially if they don’t have a clear understanding of the reasoning behind it. It is important that information is shared in detail, and that support from managers and the senior team is available as well as any resources… Why not point them in the direction of GECCO!
Use incentives
Not everyone will consider sustainability a priority and may have little interest in the changes you plan to make. Tops Day Nurseries introduced a green award, in which each nursery had to meet set criteria.
Don’t ignore feedback
Accept, ask and act on feedback.
Stay Informed
GECCO has lots of information on steps you can take within your provision to work towards a new sustainable approach. So bookmark our website, join us on Facebook and sign up below and receive updates direct to your Inbox.