At Puss In Boots Morningside Early Childhood Learning Centre we are committed to protecting our environment to ensure a sustainable future for our children and through continuous improvement we strive to be better tomorrow than we are today. That’s why sustainable practices in childcare are an essential element of our early learning centre and education program.
As we move through the 21st century, we’re more aware of the impact our decisions have on future generations. Climate change, resource shortages and our throwaway mindset make nurturing a love for nature and the environment an obligation.
Sustainable practices are those activities which meet the needs of the present without harming the environment or infringing on the needs of future generations. It’s about living within the means of the natural environment to support life.
The environment is a critical element of our Morningside Childcare Centre. It impacts all seven areas of the National Quality Standards (NQS). It also contributes to each of the five learning outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).
The NQS directs us to teach children environmental sustainability by showing them how to be sustainable and explaining why it’s important.
At Puss In Boots, our values seek to create hope and wonder in our children by encouraging awareness and respect for the natural environment. Our goal is to pass on to future generations an environmental duty of care and a love for nature and the environment.
We recognise sustainable practices in childcare involve environmental sustainability within our service operations. These practices also extend to our everyday room routines and learning program activities. There are many opportunities for us to teach about:
Even in our nurseries, there are everyday moments where we introduce children to sensory experiences that encourage a love for nature. They may learn through song or rhyme as our educators verbalise what they are doing. Children over three can begin to reason why practices are needed and to understand the impact that their actions have on the planet.
Sustainable practices are embedded in the children’s daily routine and in their day-to-day activities. These include:
Though Puss In Boots has group goals to develop sustainable practices in childcare, we endeavor to work with our community to deliver local programs. We want our children to develop a love for the environment and nature through play-based learning and active participation.
By making choices that improve our environment our educators are role models for environmental sustainability. We can show our children how to be environmentally conscious, while also developing their understanding of why we need sustainable practices.
It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little. Do what you can!