ECEC sustainability forum

42 nurseries across UK

Recently Nick has been working with June O’Sullivan and CACHE on L4 qualification – Eco Champions. Course content: covers the 3 area of sustainability, and includes a green project which takes places within the community.

Pedagogy: All incorporated with children’s voices.

June is open to sharing pedagogy, especially if this means helping sustainability move forward within the EY sector.

John is a member of the OMEP-UK executive committee, an honorary Professor of the University of Plymouth, and a co-director of SchemaPlay which developed the OMEP-UK Early Childhood Education for Sustainable Citizenship Award.  He has published widely on early childhood education for sustainable development, and took the lead in developing the original OMEP Educational Rating Scale Sustainable Development in Early Childhood (ERS-SDEC)

Enya is a passionate advocate of project-based and child-led practice. Building on her qualifications in Childhood Studies, Enya’s used the knowledge and experience she gained at international settings to start her own childcare setting in the UK.

Since opening doors in 2016, her ‘Outstanding’ Reggio-inspired and eco-centric setting has since enjoyed continuous growth and multiple awards for both revolutionary and environmentally responsible practice. This is testament to the work she has done to cultivate her own pedagogy that focuses on both the whole child as well as their environment, and the part they play as part of a natural global community.

Enya is excited to be joining a forum comprised of so many talented, passionate, and like-minded professionals who are working hard to protect our beautiful planet and its fragile climate while teaching the next generation practical ways to care for it.

“I am fortunate enough to see, first-hand, how children marvel at the natural world and have an innate passion for it. That has really brought home to me that they learn – from adults and our actions – to overconsume, to be passive and lazy in their actions and to really disrespect the planet. By trying to make sustainability a part of their education, and really a way of life, we hope to instil good habits that will last a lifetime and hopefully undo some of the damage done by generations before them. Children are enthusiastic little sponges, they want to learn the best way of doing something, so it is our job to teach them. My hope is that the childcare sector, families and wider society will see you don’t have to sacrifice all that much to make better choices and positive change.”

Currently looking at science in the Early Years – plenty of opportunities to bring sustainability into and raise awareness through discussions and activities. Would love to feed messages from the forum into the development of this.

Launched first sustainability report in September and applied for Queens Award (second time); hardly any people win the Queens Award, but feedback received is really useful; Cosy are using this to set their new vision and missions.

“Earth Warriors is the world’s first comprehensive climate education school curriculum for 3-11-year-olds that uses a positive & empowering approach.”

44 nurseries across UK all with EcoSchools accreditation, 39 nurseries of these with Green Flag

Sustainability accreditation: PlanetMark

Sustainability is all about an engaged process – Chairman of Childbase is engaged with sustainability process and there are lots of people within the business that are keen on sustainability. Company strategy: Zero carbon by 2030.

Pedagogy: Teaching children about sustainability to improve the future

Started working in Early Years in Alaska in 1987.

Lots of involvement out there, before moving back to England to start up a nursery with a friend (use reusable nappies for 22 years)

Started working for Tops Day Nurseries, Nursery Manager – lead nursery to being UK’s first nursery to be awarded with Plastic Free School Award.

All of Tops Nurseries now have Green Flag (30 settings)

Helping launch the Real Nappy Project

Working with the settings from the ground up – help with the environments, sourcing the plants (making sure they’re robust enough to not have to be watered all the time), pushing the staff to re-use, recycle, to really get them to engage

Part of Tops Sustainability Group, which is steering Tops on its journey to net-zero carbon by 2025.

Based in London – Quite new group, but expanding rapidly

Have own curriculum, based on 4 pillars – one is global responsibility (encompasses sustainability, environmental, wellness and holistic health)

Working towards Eco School Green Flag in all nurseries

Build from bottom up and get team on-board

Working towards Bcorp as well

Works with Diane Boyd – Naomi is relatively new to sustainability – the need to understand the interconnected nature of sustainability – links between the environment, the economic & political and the social & cultural – requires educators who are reflexive, aware of personal bias and assumptions and awareness of human and non-human relationships; really excited to be part of the group, which shows an appreciation of sustainability making a difference.

Masters in Human Rights & Global Ethics @ University Leicester

Teacher at Alfreton Nursery School (20 years) and previous TES teacher of the year winner; environmental education is my driver, its why I do what I do; current project in school “outdoor STEM hive” dedicated to education of Young EY children – deforestation, pollution and climate change, interdependence between natural and industrial worlds. Supporting children to understand that exploitation is not the way forward and not the kind of relationships that we need to be developing and respect for life is critical for the future.