Nurturing a culture of equality
Equality is very important to us. We nurture and celebrate individuality, treating everyone fairly and squarely. Inclusivity is part of the everyday experience at our nurseries and we make sure that all our little ones are cared for the same – regardless of race, ability, gender, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief.
We are led by our values. They represent the cooperative way of doing things and have a positive effect on children and the wider community. Within our nurseries, our Little Pioneers characters bring these principles to life in a fun and engaging way and encourage children to make their own choices, express their feelings and make a difference in the world. Alice is our champion of equality. She knows that everyone is different, and that it’s our differences that make us special!
Practice what we preach
Last year Co-op Midcounties appointed a Chief Values Officer, Pete Westall. Pete has a clear remit to ensure our values are evident in all that we do and measured effectively throughout the organisation. When we say equality and inclusivity are part of the Co-op DNA, we mean it.
"Our approach to diversity and inclusion goes beyond just legal compliance and is crucial to our core activities and values. Over the last few years, we have worked closely with third parties such as ENEI (the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion) and Disability Confident, to ensure we are doing the right things and that we are doing things right. We’ve involved many colleagues across the Society in our ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ work, and that’s helped shape our policies and procedures, and will continue to do so."
Phil Ponsonby Group CEO of The Midcounties Co-operative.
In our commitment to being a fully inclusive nursery provider, we audit ourselves to ensure that all nurseries are wholly inclusive to all children and their families, including any parents who may be seeking a place for children with disabilities or additional needs. We strive to ensure that all children are actively and unremarkably involved in their nursery.
We pride ourselves on always welcoming a child from any race, ability, gender, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief if we believe we can support them as an individual.
The wonderful thing about children is…
That they are all so different. Every child is one of a kind; a unique person with their own mind. One enjoys games and the other loves books, another likes to explore outside, and the next wants to get creative (which usually involves getting messy!). We understand that all children have different tastes and needs, so we make sure that everyone feels included.
Using role play, cultural resources and books helps children understand and value differences, explore ideas and learn about other cultures and places around the world. If you want to read with your child at home, here is a list of 30 children’s books that celebrate diversity.
Big ideas brought to life in little ways
We don’t just say equality is important, we show it, every single day, in each of our nurseries.
Here are just a few examples of what we do:
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We use different clothing from around the world to learn about other cultures. These could be wooden African masks or Indian Saris, for example.
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We travel the world (using our imaginations) and visit iconic buildings such as the Sydney Opera House and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
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We break gender stereotypes through pictures of diverse jobs such as a male nurse and female builder.
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We encourage an understanding of languages by giving children access to books written in different languages.
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We explore culture through music. For example, we take relaxing moments with a CD of Shaolin monks chanting, we work as a team as a church choir and we create a fun-filled dance to the sound of a sitar.
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We make art using techniques and materials from around the world such as weaving with wool, ribbon, bamboo or palm tree leaves.
The options are endless, which we love because it means every day the children have the opportunity to learn something new - about themselves and the world around them!
Every day, in little ways, we teach children about equality, diversity and inclusion. We will never stop because we want to make a big difference to the communities that we live in now, and to the communities that we will live in in the future.
We are listening
We believe that to thrive, a community must listen to its members. As a parent/carer in the Co-op Childcare family, your voice is so important, and we want to listen to make sure we are meeting the needs of everyone.
Through conversation with your child’s nursery team and our Parent Surveys through iConnect online we ask for your opinions and give you the opportunity to help make decisions. We encourage parent volunteering; each nursery has appointed Parent Reps and hosts regular parent meetings where parents and carers can have their say – you’re the experts too! You can influence investment at your nursery, menus choices, extra-curricular activities and so much more! Our nurseries also host Children’s Councils so they can have a voice (and learn about democracy too).
A key co-operative difference is that we’re owned by our members – our colleagues, children and you! It helps us create local communities that are actively involved in the running of their own nurseries. We’re open, honest and we listen to all our members. Let’s talk.