Well-being
At St Vincent's Nursery we are committed to supporting our children, families and staff well-being in a safe and secure environment which was highlighted when becoming an award-winning Healthy Nursery of the Year in 2019.
We promote areas of self-regulation through Calm Caves in each room and practitioners practise emotion coaching when supporting children's well-being and risky play.
We offer a range of nutritionally balanced meals that are cooked freshly on site by our qualified chef. We pride ourselves in having incredible outdoor facilities, ranging from the sports field, where our Pre-school children take part in the Daily Mile every morning, to our fabulous, newly redeveloped garden for all the children to enjoy.
Mental Health First Aid:
We have four qualified Mental Health First Aiders on site to support our children, families and staff with any specific needs that may relate to their emotional well-being and mental health. The First Aiders are specially trained to be able to support people who may find themselves in a mental health crisis and can point them in the right direction of where to seek further support or medical assistance.
Well-being Days:
Once every half term, we have a Well-being Day; our Well-being Days are planned for by our Well-being Champions who plan the theme and whole nursery activity for that day.
Each Well-being Day follows a different theme and is centred around emotional well-being and how to take care of it, including developing successful self-care strategies.
Some of our previous themes focused on:
- Aromatherapy
- Earth Day
- Nature
- Sensory Day
- Physical Day
Our Well-being Days are 'no technology' days... all IT devices stay locked away in the cupboard and the emphasis is purely on being present in the moment every minute of the day.
Events:
Each year, we celebrate events such as World Kindness Day, World Mental Health Day, Children's Mental Health Week to promote the importance of supporting our children's well-being.
During a recent Children's Mental Health Week, we followed the theme 'My Voice Matters'. The children from all age groups planned an exciting outing to spend some quality time together.
- The Young Explorers visited Smithills Farm
- The Early Learners visited Blue Planet Aquarium
- Pre-school visited Chester Zoo
Support Bags for Home:
We have several resource bags for home relating to mental health topics and children's first experiences to help parents andfamilies support each other through any unsettling events, first transitions or changes in their lives.
The support bags that we have on offer are, for example:
- Bereavement Support Bag
- Long-term Illness Support Bag
- Potty Training Support Bag
- Bipolar Disorder Support Bag
- A visit to the Dentist Support Bag
Staff Incentives:
At St Vincent's Nursery, we pride ourselves in taking care of our team. We offer long-service awards to show our appreciation for the long-term commitment and hard work that they have shown our nursery.
Other staff incentives include Champion of the Month awards, Well-being Baskets, parent hero awards, to name but a few.
