Environmental Sustainability Policy - College Nurseries

1. Policy

   • 1.1 Leicester College Day Nurseries advocate supporting children to learn about sustainable practices and foster respect and care for the living and non-living environment. Children are able to develop positive attitudes and values about sustainable practices by exploring solutions to environmental issues, learning about the world around them and how to protect it and watching adults role model sustainable practices.

2. We promote a holistic, open-ended curriculum which explores ideas and practices for environmental sustainability and helps children understand the interdependence between people and the environment by:

   • 2.1 Helping children to explore nature through art and play.

   • 2.2 Supporting children to experience the natural environment through natural materials like wood, stone, sand and recycled materials.

   • 2.3 Helping children to learn about water conservation, energy efficiency and waste reduction through play-based activities and adult interactions.

   • 2.4 Going on nature walks and learning about plants they see in the local area.

   • 2.5 Developing a recycling area and encouraging children to share recycling ethos into the home environment.

3. We will embed sustainability into all aspects of the operations including:

   • 3.1 Recycling materials for art and creative activities and encouraging parents to bring in their recycling materials for the same use.

   • 3.2 When children take home models from recycled materials ensuring parents recycle these materials if they do not keep them. Leicester College Day Nursery EYFS The Learning and Development Requirements Understanding the World

   • 3.3 Considering our carbon footprint when purchasing materials

   • 3.4 Shopping local where possible

   • 3.5 Turning off equipment and lights when not in use

   • 3.6 Not leaving equipment on standby

   • 3.7 Unplugging equipment at the end of the day

   • 3.8 Using energy saving wash cycles

   • 3.9 Using environmentally friendly cleaning products where possible

   • 3.10 Using environmentally friendly washing products

   • 3.11 Using water saving strategies and ensuring taps are turned off and leaks fixed asap.

4. We discourage the use of food as a play material: instead we encourage activities which involve preparing and tasting different types of food. The exception is where food might otherwise be thrown away such as out of date pasta or flour.

5. Working together with all our parents and partners will help our environment to be more sustainable and make it a better place for our future generations to grow up in. We assess our nursery’s impact on the environment on a regular basis and discuss procedures we can put into place to counteract this impact.

6. Communication and review

   • 6.1 This policy will be shared with parents and reviewed every three years.