Nottinghamshire project gives little ones an appetite for life

You can view the report here.

Chloe Smee, Senior Programme Manager at FFL, recently featured on Notts TV with The Learning Tree Nursery and Nottinghamshire County Council to celebrate the success of the early years project. She shares more about the positive impact we’ve had in nurseries and the important role early years and education settings play in building connections through food. 

Nottinghamshire project gives little ones an appetite for life

Chloe Smee, FFL Senior Programme Manager 

If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that schools and nurseries are vital parts of our society, and that education is far from their only function. During lockdown, schools and nurseries connected with families, food banks and social services to ensure children are safe, happy and well-fed. 

Even before we knew about face masks and social distancing, the roles of these settings in ensuring children get the nutrition and food education they deserve was already a pressing concern. Food for Life works closely with many progressive schools, nurseries, funders and local authorities that are keen to ensure good food is not a postcode lottery for children. 

Nottinghamshire County Council is one of the partners that we’ve relished working with before, during and after the pandemic. Their Local Government Association-funded Childhood Obesity Trailblazer project sought to explore how an integrated and supported early childcare system could do better for our youngest children, giving them not only the fuel they need to thrive but also the food education that will support them to make good food choices into the future. 

Seven brilliant nurseries have partnered with us in Nottinghamshire, opening their doors, their fridges and their minds. They’ve been open to making changes to their menus, learning about nutrition, planting and harvesting with their little ones and sharing their new approaches with families and local producers. One nursery moved from buying in frozen meals each day to cooking fresh meals that children and families love. They’ve shared their challenges with us and shared their successes. 

We’re delighted to have confirmed two years of further work with the dynamic nurseries across Nottinghamshire that are working to give our youngest food citizens an appetite for life.

Read the Nottinghamshire Early Years Project Report here.

Interested in supporting the very young to get the best start? Enrol with Food for Life.