Family engagement the key to success
- Created: Tuesday, 03 November 2015 23:02
Tapping into its rich melting pot of cultures and strong family links has proved a successful recipe for First Steps Everglade.
The South Auckland preschool has achieved its second Pā-Harakeke (gold) Healthy Heart Award and the key has been bringing whānau on the journey.
Centre Manager Annu Nadan says her staff have worked hard to understand each child’s culture around food. “We often ask our children’s parents about the foods they eat at home and ask them to share recipes with us. In turn, we often share with them our cook Marietta’s popular recipes.”
With children from many cultures, the preschool also celebrates just about every festival you can think of, including Matariki, Chinese New Year and Diwali.
“We also encourage parents to take part in cooking healthy foods, gardening and joining in with sports and games. Every month, we share a tip on healthy eating in our newsletter,” Annu says.
“Because we have such good relationships parents feel a sense of belonging and feel that the centre culture is warm and welcoming. Our goal is to have a centre full of rich cultures and this reflects in the centre programme and environment and staff practices.”
First Steps Everglade offers a strong example to other early childhood education (ECE) services taking part in the Healthy Heart Award.
Staff at the preschool recommend putting strong foundations in place around parent communication and consultation. “Also, ensuring your whole team is involved in this is the key to success,” says Annu. “Include your cook, and all of the teaching team. It cannot happen with only one person.”
Annu says the staff, children and parents of First Steps Everglade Preschool are all extremely proud to have achieved their second Pā-Harakeke Healthy Heart Award.
“We’re proud to share this with our new enrolling parents, and our chances of getting more enrolments increases. We know we’re feeding our children healthy meals and value the role of outdoor physical play experiences. We are on the right track to fostering children's wellbeing.”