Oakfield Close Childcare Centre awarded “Healthy Ireland Award” for being a Health Promoting Pre School

Oakfield Close Childcare Service in Mallow was recently presented with the “Healthy Ireland” Award for being a Health Promoting Preschool.

Oakfield Close is a Respond Housing supported service running in Summerhill in Mallow. It has just completed the “Healthy Ireland Smart Start” programme which focuses on Health Promotion within the Pre-school Setting. The areas of focus were: Nutrition & healthy eating, physical activity, oral health, health& safety (accident prevention) and supporting children’s emotional literacy and well-being

To assist the service to promote children’s emotional health and well-being, the service received a set of eight Trace Moroney Feelings books, accompanied by a music CD and finger puppets.  Internationally renowned for her work in producing resources that help children deal positively with their emotions, these publications have been informed by senior psychologists Bill Hallam and Dr Craig Olsson and have been exceptionally well received by all Pre-school staff participating in the programme to date.

Jacinta O Keeffe who manages the service said ” The overall course was extremely enjoyable, the knowledge gained has directly impacted our setting both on behalf of staff & families attending with a positive healthy outlook to their future. The children are more aware of health & conscious of what is brought in daily for their lunch”

To find out more about the programme, preschool and afterschool service offered by Oakfield, please come along to their Open Day on the 10^th June, please contact Jacinta on 022 51484.

The Programme is subsidised by the Department of Health, through the Health Improvement Division of the HSE and supported by the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.