Kiddi Caru Day Nursery takes steps to becoming an Eco-Schools nursery in Matford Green, Exeter

Our Kiddi Caru Day Nursery & Preschool in Matford Green, Exeter, is excited to share that they have achieve their Eco-Schools Green Flag Award this year, taking one step closer to becoming one of the best Eco-Schools nursery in Matford Green, Exeter!

The nursery children and staff members have showcased their commitment to supporting and assisting the natural environment and encompassing environmental education within their education programmes.

About the Eco-Schools organisation and award

Eco-Schools is an international program that encourages young people to engage in their environment by giving them the opportunity to actively protect it.

The Eco-Schools Green Flag award provides a simple, seven-step framework that guides educational providers towards a more sustainable future. The steps include forming a child led Eco-Committee, conducting an Environmental Review, developing an Action Plan, monitoring and evaluating progress, and creating an Eco-Code.

The Eco-Schools Green Flag award is the highest recognition educators can obtain, which demonstrates excellent actions towards protecting nature and our planet. Achieving this award signifies a school or nursery’s commitment to fostering environmental stewardship among its students and embedding sustainable practices in their setting.

What Kiddi Caru in Matford Green did

The Kiddi Caru day nursery, located with Matford Green business park in Exeter, has taken massive strides to becoming an eco-friendly nursery within their local community.

With tons of activities to support the environment and putting in a huge amount of effort to communicate the importance of looking after our planet to their wider community, the nursery children fully deserve this award.

Here’s what they did…

Environmental Review & Action Plan

The children and staff team, who made up their Eco-committee, identified areas within their nursery where they scored low in and made effective changes in their setting. This initial assessment was crucial as it set the foundation for a targeted and effective Action Plan.

The nursery’s Action Plan was an inclusive strategy designed to involve the entire school in their eco-activities. It focused on both indoor and outdoor activities to ensure a broad and inclusive approach to environmental education.

The Eco-Committee focused on accountability, monitoring, and evaluation to ensure they were meeting their targets set our in their Action Plan, ensuring that every step was measured and adjusted as needed. This meticulous planning and follow-through demonstrated their commitment to achieving meaningful and lasting environmental impacts.

Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Activities

Incorporating eco-friendly activities into their curriculum was another priority for the eco-committee.

They developed imaginative, practical, and fun examples that made environmental education accessible and engaging for each and every child. Learning about global issues, the eco-committee included these in both indoor activities and outdoor play.

For the indoor activities, the nursery created a lending library and set up recycling programs for clothes and books. Outdoors, they organised litter-picking events and initiated projects for growing vegetables and flowers. These activities not only engaged the children but also helped raise awareness among the staff team and their families too.

Spreading the word

Communication played a vital role in Kiddi Caru’s success.

Older children in the eco-committee shared their activities during assemblies at the day nursery, through class feedback sessions, and also included summaries of their actions within the school newsletter, on social media, and on their Eco-board. This helped keep everyone informed and involved in their initiative, fostering a sense of community and shared responsibility at the nursery and preschool.

Kiddi Caru’s eco-committee created an smart, concise, and effective Eco-Code which conveyed the nursery’s environmental values. Its punchy nature made it easy for everyone to understand and remember, reinforcing the nursery’s commitment to sustainability every day.

Nicola Lemon, Nursery Manager at Kiddi Caru day nursery in Matford Green, says…

“I’m incredible proud of all the staff team and children who participated in the eco-committee!

Their dedication and development of environmental education within our day nursery and preschool has been a true example of what early years children are capable of and how important the work we do here is – their is nothing more rewarding then nurturing young minds.

We have not only implemented sustainable practices into our offering, but have also seen the positive impact this has had on our children’s understanding and appreciation of the environment.

This wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for my amazing staff team, dedicated children and supportive parents and families, who I want to thank for all their hard work.

I can see a bright future for all the little ones who got involved in this initiative.”

Come and see our Eco-Friendly Matford Green Nursery!

Would you like to see first-hand the wonderful eco-initiatives at Kiddi Caru in Matford Green? Then why not book a visit and see our bright and sustainable learning environment, meet our friendly Nursery Manager and staff team.

Witness the positive changes we’ve implemented and discover how we are nurturing the next generation of environmental stewards. Contact our Parent Engagement team today to schedule your visit and be part of our green journey!