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Goals

Understand the importance of good oral health for children’s health and wellbeing outcomes and improve the oral hygiene of children in our setting.

What we did

• undertook oral hygiene training, and appointed an oral health champion to lead on good practice and the case study
• created an action plan of key aspects we wanted to improve
• supervised each child as they brushed their teeth at the setting

We also

• ordered supporting resources, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, 2-minute timers and storage racks
• consulted our nutritionist to ensure optimum calcium provision in our menus, to support strong teeth
• kept parents informed of best practice in the home via our monthly Parents Forum and newsletter

Results

• children are better able to look after their teeth and have learned more about the importance of good oral hygiene
• children have a better knowledge of foods that contain calcium
• staff and parents are more able to support children towards good oral hygiene

Next steps

Toothbrushing and strong oral health remain key aspects of the nursery’s wider provision for each child’s health and wellbeing. Staff continue to report improved understanding and attitudes towards toothbrushing and oral hygiene across all age groups in the setting. The nursery will continue to find ways to support children’s oral health along with broader aspects of healthy lifestyles to encourage optimum physical and emotional health and wellbeing.

Read the full case study.

Goals

Give our children access to the natural environment. Many of our parents and children live in flats and do not get the benefits of garden areas.

What we did

• as early as 2015 we were taking our children on local trips to forests/green areas
• signed up for seasonal sessions at Barnsbury woods
• took public buses so the children had enough energy to explore the woods
• extended forest experiences in weekly visits to local parks
• planned activities based on the children's interests, skills and seasonal changes - for example, building a bird's nest

We also

• invited parents to join us
• created a mud kitchen in the garden area

Results

• calming effect on the children when exploring the natural environment
• increase in physical activity by the children - both in the nursery and out with parents
• the children are more in touch with nature and their surroundings, and are learning skills like tying knots, making dens, handling tools and using twigs to write in the mud
• families are making use of wild spaces and have been visiting these over the weekends and holidays
• a new opportunity to improve the childrens' social, communication and physical skills

Next steps

We found that by using cameras in Epping forest, the children were more engaged and focused on what they were finding. The parents were given prompt sheets with questions/key words for them to use on the hunt. The children were encouraged to use all of their senses to describe the objects that they had found.