Catch ’em young: philosophy inspires the under-fives

Purpose-built centre could be flagship for eco-nurseries movement

Children in the seaside town of Paignton hope to become some of the greenest under-fives anywhere, when they move into a new nursery next year.

The new Paignton Day Nursery is still raising £400,000 to pay for the project, which will feature wood from sustainable sources, non-toxic paint, solar water heating panels, under-floor heating and lavatories that are flushed using rainwater. Rubbish will be re-used, recycled or composted, the building will be insulated using natural materials - most probably straw or sheep’s wool - and locally produced organic food will be supplied by a nearby farm project. The new nursery’s kitchens will be bigger than before, to feed the 62 children and also to teach cooking and healthy eating to others in the local community. There are 48 registered eco-nurseries in England but Cathie Hewitt, director of the nursery, said: “We are the only one we know of that is having it purpose built in this way. Initially it’s going to be very expensive but we will get a lot of that cost back in lower energy costs, water bills and things like that.” At the Liverpool Everton Early Childhood Centre, which has been running for three years, teacher Leslie Donohue is enthusiastic about how quickly the under-fives respond to a curriculum with an emphasis on nature, healthy living, saving water and energy, and reducing waste and litter. “Some people think it is a bit gimmicky,” she says, “until they see the impact it is having, and it will be 15 or 20 years before we really start to see the effects of eco-nurseries.” Chris Baker

21 July 2005

Chris Baker