policies...

Environmental Sustainability

Statement of Purpose

As a pre school community, we take an active role in caring for the environment. We recognise that we can encourage and increase awareness of environmental responsibilities, and promote and implement practices that contribute to a sustainable future.

Aims

landdulas playgroup aims and is committed to Promoting respect for, and appreciation of our living world and our natural environment amongst setting staff, children, families and the wider community.

Developing children's understanding of the living world, the impact e have on it, and the interdependence between people, plants, animals and the land.

Encouraging children and their families to adopt attitudes and practices that care for the environment, beyond the setting.

Ensuring that setting staff engage in sustainable practices so as to minimise the environmental impact of our setting.

The whole of our playgroup setting community (staff, children, families and the wider community) will play an integral part in ensuring that the above aims are achieved and that environmentally sustainable practices are embedded into the operations of Llanddulas playgroup. We seek to achieve this in the following ways.

Setting staff
All staff are made aware of our Environmental Sustainability policy and their responsibilities relating to environmental issues. All staff are welcomed and encouraged to contribute to the formulation and implementation of our policy.

All staff are encouraged to attend training to develop appropriate skills and knowledge of the environment and environmental issues.

Discuss sustainable practices with the children and families as part of the preschool curriculum and collaborate with staff, children, parents nd the wider community to identify environmental sustainability strategies for implementation at the setting or Ensure environmental education and sustainable practices are incorporated into the curriculum through planned activities to explore and reinforce the concept of caring for living things. Plan opportunities for children to connect with nature and the natural world, within the setting and beyond, to develop the children's natural curiosity about their location and the world around them, e.g. walks within the immediate vicinity, trips to the beach, forest school etc. where discussion is encouraged and follow up activities carried out.

Role model positive practices to children, their families and the wider community.

Staff will make sustainable practices a part of daily routine. To minimise the setting's environmental impact we will engage in various activities including energy and water conservation. Staff will role model energy and water conservation practices of turning off lights, taps etc when not in use. Water play containers will be emptied onto garden areas and rain water is collected to be used in watering the garden.

Adopt the reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink principle to encourage a sense of responsibility for waste created, as well as establishing lifelong sustainable practices. Recycling is integral to the way we work with, and dispose of equipment and resources.

Use a composting bin/local authority food collection to reduce food waste.

Purchase equipment that is eco-friendly, where possible. Staff will reduce the amount of plastic and disposable equipment they purchase and select materials that are made of natural fibres, as appropriate. This also involves purchasing local produce and items with minimal packaging.

Domestic strength and environmentally friendly versions of substances such a washing up liquid and cleaning fluids are used within the setting.

Containers will be re-used through craft activities. Families and the local community will be asked to collect and bring in items. We will try and and limit the amount of materials we buy for craft activities and will make every effort to design activities around the materials available to re-use. This will challenge the throwaway mentality that children experience every day in relation to waste.

Children

We recognise that early childhood is an important time for learning about the environment. It is important for children to understand their place in the world and the role that they can play in protecting the environment. Children will be supported to become environmentally responsible and show respect for the environment by becoming involved in a number of age appropriate learning activities including:

Recycling - We will include recycling as part of everyday practice by providing containers throughout our setting. Children are encouraged to use recycling bins and understand why.
Gardening - Children will be supported to grow a diverse range of plants both indoors and outside (flowers, fruit and vegetables). Children will also learn how plant diversity encourages animal diversity.
Children help care for animals kept at the setting, or wild animals, eg feeding birds or minibeast surveys and will learn how to respect needs and habitats.
Composting - Children will be encouraged to place food scraps into containers for use in the composting bin/local authority food collection, learning why we compost or recycle food waste, and its role in our provision and wider community.
Water conservation - Children learn that we use water carefully and how a lack of water affects the local and wider community.

Family and community involvement

We will provide information for families on sustainable practices that are implemented at playgroup and encourage the application of these practices in the home. This will involve sharing ideas with families about sustainable development, implementation and resources. This will be done at committee meetings, through displays, leaflets, newsletters and informal conversations. All parents will have access to our Environmental Sustainability policy and are welcomed to make comments and recommendations to be included within the policy.

Local authority and government departments will be used as sources of information on sustainable practices used in the local community. We liaise with local authorities and government departments for possible grants available to put in place environmental sustainability strategies.

Members of the local community are invited to the provision so that children can learn about their roles and responsibilities, and how we can help each other. Visits to the local community (shops, fire station, library etc) are also undertaken.

Llanddulas playgroup is committed to taking part in local and national eco-friendly schemes, as appropriate.

We hope that by implementing this policy and through working together as educators, children, families and the wider community, we can embrace environmentally friendly practices at Llanddulas Playgroup.

Date policy adopted June 2019

Policy reviewed June 2020 by J Heap
Next due for review June 2021