I was reading on my local council’s website about this program and became very interested and thought it worthwhile to share …
What is Little Green Steps and how does this work?
Little Green Steps is a program originally developed by Wyong and Gosford Councils in 2004 to provide support to early childhood educators wishing to communicate sustainability messages to very young children (aged under 5 years)
Canterbury, Hurstville, Leichhardt, Waverley and Woollarah Councils partnered to successfully gain funding from the NSW Government’s Environmental Trust to run this project in Sydney.
Little Green Steps takes a practical approach to environmental education for the under fives. Children learn through hands-on education, observation and participation. Families are involved through hands on implementation, meetings, sustainability workshops, newsletters and displays. The project also involves conducting environmental audits, developing environmental management plans for the centres, professional development for early childhood professionals and the creation of environmental education resource kits – including environmentally themed children’s books, large laminated photos, educational activities etc.
Desired outcomes of Little Green Steps include:
- adoption of positive sustainable habits and views by the children
- behavioural change amongst centre staff and parents
- a reduction in energy, water, waste, toxins and resource consumption
- appreciation of the value of nature
- networks to share resources, experiences and knowledge
- increased sustainability in children’s centres’ operations and services
- quality sustainability education, targeted to young children.
A great idea for teaching our children and our families on ways we can live more sustainably!! Is your child/ren attending a centre implementing this program and do you have first hand experience? I would love to hear some stories.
Photo by Filip Urban on Unsplash
