Apply for the Healthy Early Years Award
Giving children and young people the best possible start in life is our key local priority.
We want every child to grow up with strong foundations for a healthy future – from preconception through to young adulthood. The first five years of life are a crucial stage in a child’s development. The experiences children and their families have during this period can shape outcomes for the rest of their lives. Research shows the impact of positive early life experiences on social and emotional development, academic achievement, and long-term health.
The criteria checklist below is designed to support settings to look at their current practice, identify strengths, and highlight areas for further development. Each section aligns with the key themes of the award. It encourages a whole-setting approach that involves staff, children, and families.
By completing the checklist, settings can build a clear picture of progress towards achieving the award. It forms part of the overall submission, alongside supporting evidence, reflections, and examples of impact.
Healthy Early Years award criteria [pdf document]
Guidance for early years settings in England
Healthy Early Years award guidance [pdf document]
The World Health Organization (WHO) Report from the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity recommends that formal childcare settings should ensure they only serve healthy foods, drinks and snacks, incorporate food education and understanding into the curriculum, and physical activity into the daily routine. They should also engage the whole community to support the promotion of healthy lifestyles for young children.
The Voluntary Food and Drink Guidelines for Early Years Settings in England have helped set a national benchmark for food provision in childcare.
They provide age-appropriate advice on how to meet the nutritional requirements of young children and how to support settings to meet the Early Years Foundation Stage welfare requirement to provide ‘healthy, balanced and nutritious’ meals, snacks and drinks.
Data Protection
When you complete your application form you are providing information about your premises, however, some of the information may be classed as personal data, for example, your name, address, and telephone number, if you also reside at that address.
Contact details of your business may be published in Award materials and on the Council’s website. If you do not wish to have your details published you must tell the Officer dealing with your application.
On receipt of your application you will be contacted by an officer from the Environmental Health Section within one working day to arrange a visit to your premises.
Apply for the award online
Frequently asked questions
The Healthy Early Years Award recognises and celebrates early years settings that create environments where children can develop healthy habits for life. It focuses on embedding sustainable approaches to physical activity, nutrition, oral health, emotional wellbeing, and family engagement within everyday practice.
Every setting is different in how it operates, and not every setting will be able to fulfil all the criteria – it will depend on your offer. That’s fine! In assessing the award, we take into account the individual circumstances of your location and discuss alternative actions with you.
That depends! You may find that you already have a lot of things in place, and it is a matter of tweaking your already good practice – or you may find that some of the changes will take a little longer to embed.
Our pilot settings have taken an average of 3 months to achieve the award, but you may want to work on it over a longer period. There is no set time in which you must complete your application.
On achieving the award, you will receive a certificate which you can display in your setting.
You will also be added to the Darlington Borough Council website as having achieved award.
The beauty of the award is that it links to everything that you already do with your children.
Settings who have worked towards the award are enthusiastic about the benefits to children, parents and staff alike.
- Working towards the award is a good way to explain changes you are making to sometimes reluctant-to-change parents.
- It’s a great way to promote oral health and embed this in your practice.
- It gives a focus to encourage staff to embrace and model behaviours with children.
- It provides the impetus to make small changes to a healthier lifestyle for everyone linked to your setting, not just the children.
- It’s a rich area for developing communication and language.
- It’s easy to link to all areas of your curriculum and to many different topics.
- It makes you part of the bigger picture of a healthy town and community.
