This blog was written by Taylah Steer, a Health Promotion Practitioner at Peninsula Health
Just last month, Jetty Road Childcare and Kindergarten in Rosebud achieved recognition as a health promoting early childhood service from the Victorian Government by completing all six health priority areas of the Achievement Program.
In the image above you will see Educators, Tarni and Stacey from Jetty Road Childcare and Kindergarten standing next to their Achievement Program recognition.
Since registering with the Achievement Program in 2020, Jetty Road Childcare and Kindergarten have focused on reviewing and updating health and wellbeing policies for both children and staff at the centre to help create a culturally and physically healthy environment.
Alongside work on policies, Jetty Road has introduced some exciting initiatives that support health and wellbeing in the centre.
The children at the centre received a visit from the Peninsula Health Dental Team for a screening and education session and have created a foyer display of health information for families at the centre.
The foyer display includes brochures such as the Healthy Eating for Children Guidelines and brochures to support breastfeeding parents, see below.
The centre has created a fantastic wellness station to support staff. The space includes exercise equipment, such as weights and a yoga mat to support physical health and wellbeing and information to support mental health and wellbeing.
The space is already being put to good use: “a group of our Educators have taken The Push Up Challenge very seriously and are using the space for this” says Coral- Centre Director. See the wellness station at Jetty Road Childcare and Kindergarten below.
The Health Promotion team would like to extend our congratulations to Jetty Road Childcare and Kindergarten for committing to creating such a health promoting space at the centre. We look forward to continuing to support the centre in being a health promoting early childhood service for our community into the future.
If your early childhood centre is looking for any support, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We can work together at a pace that suits you.
Now could be the perfect time to work together on the Achievement Program, with a focus on six key health priority areas; healthy eating and oral health, mental health and wellbeing, physical activity and movement, sun protection, safe environments and tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.
Taylah supports Early Childhood Services in the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula regions, and can be contacted at: tsteer@phcn.vic.gov.au
If you are interested in creating healthy environments, would like to partner with us, or have a question, please contact us at: healthpromotion@phcn.vic.gov.au
For more info on the Achievement Program, visit https://www.achievementprogram.health.vic.gov.au/