Cheryl Hadland, Managing Director of Tops Day Nurseries, has recently published her brand new book: Creating an Eco-Friendly Early Years Setting. Proceeds of the book will go to the Charity, GECCO, because Cheryl wants to spread the word to help anyone who works with children, both in the UK and internationally, to care for, and educate children in a more sustainable way.
Tops Day Nurseries has gained global recognition on a number of occasions for its sustainability approach, including the infamous glitter ban across all settings, prohibition of single use plastics, installing solar panels and utilising electric vehicles to name a few. The driving force behind these changes is CEO and Managing Director, Cheryl.
Sustainable growth is a huge part of Tops’ success and Cheryl is an outspoken advocate for environmentally sustainable business practice and education. When Cheryl opened the first Tops Day Nursery in 1990, she had no idea how the company would grow and become pioneering champions for sustainable early years. Having achieved some momentous personal accolades over the last 30 years including Most Influential Person in Childcare, Most Inspirational Person in Childcare, Lifetime Achievement Awards, a Masters Degree in Education, All Party Parliamentary Group leader and UNICEF champion, Cheryl has a wealth of knowledge and is in high regard within the childcare industry.
Cheryl commented “I am happy to announce the launch of my new book, Creating an Eco-Friendly Early Years Setting, and sincerely hope it inspires some reflection and some change towards more sustainable childcare.
The book is modelled on the changes we made within the Tops Day Nurseries family but can be replicated in any early years setting, office or even at home. There are chapters in the book on pedagogy, sustainable resources for children, pets , indoor and outdoor gardening, improving air quality for children and adults as well as inspiring change in our behaviour.”
‘Creating an Eco-Friendly Early Years Setting’ offers a comprehensive, researched guide, from small steps that can be taken to reduce waste and improve efficiency to setting up partnerships. It illustrates how sustainable choices can become a natural part of every child’s education and how children, parents and staff can all inspire sustainable behaviour across local communities and at national and international levels.
Drawing on the experiences of real nurseries and including a wide range of activities and lists of resources, this is an essential read for practitioners, leaders, policymakers and all settings that want to help make sustainable choices a natural part of young children’s lives.
Tops Day Nurseries care for children aged from 3 months – school age, plus over half of the settings offer a Hi5’s Club for primary school children out of school. Tops also offer emergency placements between the hours of 6am-8pm, subject to demand and availability.
GECCO is a registered charity, providing on-going information and support for day nursery owners, child minders, and nannies wishing to provide a more sustainable education, on www.gecco.org.uk
To purchase your own copy of the book, please click here.
