What is "RESPECT" Award?

"Recognition of Excellent Sustainable Practice in Early Childhood Teaching"

The inaugural RESPECT Award commenced in 2008.
We felt that early childhood best practice should be rewarded and recognized.
2009 Winners are showcased in the Green Beginnings December newsletter and the winning entry and runner up won a plaque and a basket of prizes.
Be a leader in sustainable education and share with others how you achieved your goals.

Respect Awards

• Winner of the RESPECT Award 2011 (single service division)
• Winner of the RESPECT Award 2011 (multi service division)
• Honourable Mention RESPECT Award 2011
• RESPECT AWARD Application form, respect award 2012.pdf
• Winners from 2010

Winner of the RESPECT Award 2011 (single service division)

Eltham Preschool

Name of the project: Eltham Preschool Wicking Garden Project

Brief outline of the project: The aim of our project was to provide a garden that would be used as a regular part of the program for the children to grow vegetables and fruits. We also wanted our wicked garden beds to:

• be used to make links with the wider community by holding workshops and invite other community groups, such as our Friends of the Eltham Lower Park, and Permaculture Melbourne friends, to come and spend time with the children
• provide opportunities for the children to learn through direct involvement about the food cycle, its link to environmental sustainability and the importance of healthy eating.
• provide opportunities to involve our kindergarten families with growing produce and involvement in the program through experiences such as cooking.
• give the children a sense of ownership of the kindergarten grounds through their direct involvement with their outdoor environment.

The inspiration for the project: This project developed as a result of a growing interest with staff and some parents to explore and integrate sustainable practices and education into our program and the way we run our centre.

The inspiration for this project originated with our first attempt at a vegetable garden, in our front playground last year. At this time the children were working with another local revegetation group to extensively plant indigenous species throughout the kindergarten grounds to establish a wildlife corridor. It was really enjoyed by the children, the staff and the parents and sparked interest in other areas of sustainable gardening and where our food comes from. We set aside some of our resources for a few vegetables and fruit trees and planted them in a small sunny area in our front garden, under a large netted arch (as we found we had a problem with rabbits and possums).

We successfully grew peas and herbs but our problem was that when the holidays came along and with it some warm weather, our garden drooped due to lack of watering and the competition from the surrounding gum trees.

One parent, who is part of the local Permaculture movement, thought we could overcome the shortfalls of our existing food growing set up with some wicking garden beds. A wicking garden bed is almost self-watering, with a built in water reservoir in the bottom to sustain it over the holidays, and is fully contained at the base so the surrounding gum trees cannot tap into it.

With the help of another grant, the staff and parents used the principles of the wicking garden bed model, to develop the child safe design of the beds that we now have.

The outcomes of the project:

• Parents have been inspired to learn more about and install their own wicking beds at home.
• It has been a valuable opportunity for parents and staff to share skills and knowledge, and the installation day was definitely a refreshing take on the usual working bee.
• We now have a functional, sustainable way for us to have a successful low maintenance fruit and vegetable garden.
• We can use our 2 rainwater tanks to top up the reservoir when needed, so the whole system can be run on saved water, rather than using treated tap water from our drinking water supply.
• Enhanced opportunities for staff to include gardening and environmental education into the regular program. E.g. Our garden pests and learning about ecosystems and food chains.
• It fits in with out healthy eating policy, as we use our garden as a pick and eat garden.
• The garden highlights the change of the seasons to the children and enhances opportunities to be more aware of the seasons and cycles in nature.
• Being located in our front playground along the main road, it attracts attention and communicates the sustainable philosophy that our kindergarten is working towards to the general community.
• Empowering the children to feel part of their environment, to observe and interact with nature.
• A general feeling of pride in the kindergarten community, as it always looks neat, fresh, GREEN, inviting and successful.
• Incursion and excursion to Edendale Farm to participate in the Bugs Life (incorporates the role of earth worms) and Magical Vegies programs. Excursion to Heide Museum of Modern Art where we explored the huge kitchen gardens.
• We plan to incorporate our worm farm into the wicked garden beds, providing food for the plants and enhancing the food cycle experience for children.
• Building stronger community connections.
• It has sparked interest from parents who love cooking and given new opportunities for parent involvement in the program.

How the project goals and outcomes link with environmental sustainability principles:

The project goals and outcomes link with the environmental sustainability principles outlined by UN-DESD by creating awareness of the importance of sustainable development with the families in our centre, the wider community and most importantly, with the children, ensuring the future for present and future generations. We are developing and sharing knowledge, skills, and responsibility between generations, linking children and families with environmental groups in our wider community.

Jo Barker, the director of Eltham Preschool, accepts the RESPECT Award from Stephanie Ralton.

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Winner of the RESPECT Award 2010 (multi service division)

Knox City Council

Name of the project: LittleGreenLeaves

Brief outline of the project: LittleGreenLeaves is an extension of Knox Council?s GreenLeaf Learning initiative which includes supporting modules in Resource Smart/AuSSI Vic schools; providing residential sustainability workshops; encouraging community leaders as environmental champions, and working with local business in sustainable practices. LittleGreenLeaves provides training, mentoring and commitment to sustainable principles, policies and practices to all our cluster managed early childhood services within Knox Council, including maternal and child health, playgroups, family day care, child care and preschools.

Over the past eighteen months, our early years program has included:

• The employment of an Early Years Sustainability Officer to act as the single point of contact for all early childhood service educators and families in relation to sustainability issues.
• A sustainability audit to obtain baseline data on water, waste and energy usage in all Knox Preschool and childcare buildings – quantitative and qualitative data collected from educators and families.
• An early childhood water pilot program delivered in collaboration by Melbourne Water and SE Water to many of our preschools- working on water conservation, water cycles and water animals.
• Numerous training sessions for educators and families on topics such as worm farms and composting, green cleaning, natural play spaces, edible classrooms, early years sustainability forum.
• All thirty of Knox Preschools and six childcare centres have registered and are participating in our KinderGardens for Wildlife biodiversity program which promotes the creation of habitats for wildlife in children?s services play spaces, such as, lizard lounge, butterfly oasis, frog haven, tall trees, minibeast mulch, small bird hideout.
• Formed an Early Years Sustainability partnership with industry service leaders such as EEEC, CERES, Play Australia, Swinburne National Centre for Sustainability, Healesville Sanctuary.
• Developed an overarching Sustainability Policy for all Knox Family and Children?s Services Policy and Practices including policy on purchasing policies, green cleaning, waste management, natural play spaces.
• Developed Memorandum of Understanding with early childhood services including the nomination of volunteer sustainability officers on committees to liaise with Council on Sustainability Action Plans.
• Resource kits for children and educators to assist in discussing sustainability concepts with young children.

The inspiration for the project: Our early years sustainability program has been inspired by both research into early years sustainability principles and philosophies conducted over many years by Sue Elliott and Julie Davis, together with the current Early Years Learning Framework. The underlying premise for our program is that life-long learning and a disposition towards sustainable living is best initiated at the very beginning of life rather than having to struggle with behaviour change strategies later. Consequently, early childhood educators have the perfect „window of opportunity? to work with young children and their families to help raise awareness of these important issues and concepts (Elliott and Davis, 2009). This statement is further supported by the Early Years Learning Framework which states that sustainability needs to be embedded into all early childhood services within their daily routines, so children are aware of the interconnected relationship with all living things.

And, Yann Arthus-Bertrand in his DVD "Earth from Above" (2005) who says, "It is not about being optimistic or pessimistic, but to be determined [to work towards sustainable living]…"

The outcomes of the project:

The outcomes of our LittleGreenLeaves project has already become evident in the children, families and educators attitudes and sustainable practices, for example:

• There has been many examples of increased children?s learning and engaged play within the wildlife habitats that have been created and established in the children?s natural play spaces.
• Children's awareness of the local flora and fauna has been evident in their discussions and comments, for example, one child at Murrindal Preschool commented that „we are planting these flowers to feed the butterflies?, while at Bena Angliss Kindergarten, the children know the water bowl in the lizard lounge is for the lizards at their Kinder to drink at; and the children at Cooinda Preschool were very concerned about where the magpies were going to live in the park next door when the trees were recently loped.
  

  
  Bena Angliss Kindergarten – Lizard Lounge

• Families at the children?s services are involved in all elements of the sustainability programs, including attendance at training sessions, the nomination of volunteer sustainability officers on committee, choosing and working on the KinderGardens for Wildlife habitats with the children and educators.
• Educators at all early childhood service types have reported an increase in awareness of sustainability principles and practices, as was evident in their responses to the sustainability auditors recently. The auditors commented very positively on the educators? knowledge and skill level in this area, though in previous staff surveys, sustainability was noted as a significant gap in knowledge and skills.
• The residential Gardens for Wildlife program in Knox have had a significant increase in participants in areas around the participating children?s services. The remnant bushland and wildlife corridors are more likely to be protected through these programs operating in tandem, with local families understanding the need to conserve our bushland flora and fauna.
• The Knox early childhood water program has been very successful in many of our early childhood services, with a family celebration session at the end of four sessions. Children, educators and families are becoming more aware of the need to conserve and understand water issues, and are keen to adopt water wise practices at home and at the children?s services.
• Waste reduction management has been widely adopted in the children?s services, with many educators collaborating across Knox to create their own „child friendly/child sized? recycling system, working with the children to understand recycling symbols. Anecdotal evidence has shown that families at home have also increased their recycling practices under the watchful eyes of knowledgeable children.
• Educators, children and families have been very appreciative of the sustainability resource kits that have been developed and distributed to assist adults in discussing sustainable concepts with young children. These resource kits were originally the incentive for educators and families to be part of the different modules in the project. However, over time the benefits to the children, their in-depth play, their comprehension of these complex concepts, together with the clear benefit to the environment, has meant that participants are eager to be involved regardless of the „prizes?.

How the project goals and outcomes link with environmental sustainability principles:

Our project goals and outcomes very clearly link with environmental sustainability principles as outlined in the UN Decade for EfS development, for example:

• "Acquiring various skills to enable citizens to face the challenges ahead" by assisting children to develop creative thinking, problem solving and a sense of responsibility and agency.
• Encouraging children, families and educators to be "respectful of the Earth and life in all its diversity" through our extensive training program for educators and families; our biodiversity program which assists everyone involved to be respectful of and understand the interconnectedness of all living things.
• "Creating public awareness of Education for Sustainability plans" by working on a holistic program which asks for all of service commitment and celebrates the successes of the program through awarding certificates, honour boards, ceramic and wooden symbols.
• "Rethinking and revising education from nursery to university to clear focus on the development of knowledge, skills, perspectives and values related to sustainability is important to current and future societies" - is an integral element of our program, in terms of life long learning of sustainable living beginning at the very start of life not at the start of formal learning in primary school.

"Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract – sustainable development – and turn it into a reality for all the world’s people."
KOFI ANNAN,
Secretary General of the United Nations

Deb Moore, the Early Years Sustainability Officer at Knox City Council and Lynda Pullen accepted the RESPECT Award for a multi service.

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Honourable Mention RESPECT Award 2011

Altona North Children's Centre

Name of the project: There are two projects 1. Adopt-a-Garden and 2. Yummy Boy

Brief outline of the project:

1. Adopt-a-Garden

The project involves the children and educators planting, caring for and growing a variety of vegetables in the veggie patch and large barrels of soil in the 2-5 year yard. Children were involved in the whole process and would often “pick and eat” a fresh veggie that was ready to eat whilst playing outside. Discussions occurred in the rooms about the nutritional value of particular vegetables. Some parents began donating seeds to grow and were asking “Glenn the gardener” for tips as well as sharing advice and stories. With the vegetables that were ripe, children and educators would cook meals to taste and discuss. An abundance of vegetables that were left over were placed in a basket and offered to families to take home and use. This extended to the “adopt-a-garden” project where a flyer was sent home to the families inviting them to donate seeds to the Centre. This enabled them to “adopt” a part of the garden so that in turn, they would take the vegetables that were grown home to cook for tea. A board was placed outdoors with photos, recipe ideas, along with the nutritional information for each vegetable grown. This was also carried indoors through discussions between children, educators and families.

2. Yummy Boy

This project is being run in the 2-3 room and is titled "Healthy Living, Healthy Eating". It has allowed the educators to discuss healthy foods and physical activity. It has also expanded into growing herbs and sprouts in the room so that children can plant, care for and finally eat the foods they are growing.

Through discussions around fruits and vegetables "Yummy Boy" was created and named by the children. The children firstly helped draw a picture of Yummy Boy and then a stuffed toy was created. Through Yummy Boy the children were introduced to backyard veggie patches, compost bins and chooks in the backyard. He became the room mascot that is helping to extend the children’s learning and understanding of healthy living and eating from home to the Centre. This interest initiated making healthy fruit drinks together, doing some taste testing, and helping the children to become more aware of where our food comes from.

Yummy Boy goes home to each child's home for a visit. During this time the families keep a journal of what they have done with him, such as going for a family bike ride, sharing a meal together, going grocery shopping, picking veggies from the families veggie patch, playing soccer in the backyard. The home journal is then displayed in a folder with everyone’s experiences with Yummy Boy.

The inspiration for the project:

1. Adopt-a-Garden

Team passion and commitment to being involved in sustainable practices inspired the project. The team is motivated to extend their sustainable practices throughout the centre in a variety of different ways. The team is continually looking for ways to challenge themselves, however they also want to ensure that something is given back to the families and children.

2. Yummy Boy

The Educators in the 2-3 room highly value healthy lifestyles and through intentional teaching decided to implement the project.

The outcomes of the project:

1. Adopt-a-Garden

The children are learning about gardening and respect for nature and a sustainable future. They are learning to care for the growing plants and making a connection to what is happening at home- gardening, growing vegetables, cooking, etc.

Children and educators are discussing the nutritional value of the food as well as healthy eating habits, trying new foods and how healthy food helps us to have a healthy body with lots of energy for physical play. The children are involved in cooking and tasting. Families are taking home fresh food and recipes to try and talking with their children about what they have been doing at child care, following through at home with what the children are learning about.

The educators are seeing the values of intentional teaching and are aware that the children are getting more opportunity to share their ideas, their prior knowledge and how they can lead projects.

2. Yummy Boy

The children are learning about the importance of getting enough rest, eating a well balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables and keeping active on a daily basis.

The families are being part of this project by taking Yummy Boy into their home and discussing and practicing healthy eating and healthy living with their children and sharing this with the educators through a journal, again following through with the project at home.

How the project goals and outcomes link with environmental sustainability principles:

1. Adopt-a-Garden

This project links with the environmental sustainability principles, as it educates children and families, and encourages them to be involved and to test and extend their knowledge. It addresses sustainable development and engages the Centre community to develop awareness about their environment and the world around them. These ideas are included with the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014

It also addresses the VEYLDF and the EYLF linking into children having a strong sense of their own health and physical wellbeing. It involves integrated teaching and learning approaches from educators, children, families and our local community.

2. Yummy Boy

This project promotes the principles referred to in the UNDESD 2005-2014. It looks at environmental sustainability in a way that is understood by children and is relevant to them. It looks at the child as a whole and gets them thinking, questioning and involved. It also addresses the VEYLDF and EYLF linking into children having a strong sense of their own health and physical wellbeing.

Glen Luke from Altona North Children's Centre accepted the RESPECT Award of honourable mention for their Adopt-a-Garden and Yummy Boy projects.

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How to Apply

Follow The procedure below to apply for the respect award.

• Download the Application Form from the link Above.
• Complete the application before the due date in September. Ensure you provide evidence, a detailed example of what you have achieved and supply us with visual documentation.
• Send The form to EEEC.
• Call the resource center manager if you require further assistance or Tracy Young Project Officer 9214 6114.