The Eat Well Early Years Award is for nurseries, pre-schools, children's centres, and childminders. It's free to sign up.

To achieve the award, we expect you to serve healthy food, and encourage children to make healthy choices.

You must also:

help children to learn healthy habits at a young age
teach children about food
give staff healthy eating training

What the award includes

There are three levels of award - bronze, silver, and gold.

Bronze

To achieve the bronze award:

your setting must be registered as a food business, and have a food hygiene rating of 4 or above
your menus must meet the Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition guidance
you must have a nutrition or healthy eating policy
you must provide an environment where children can focus on - and enjoy - eating, interact with others, and learn skills like setting the table and serving food
staff must encourage children to eat healthier foods
managers and kitchen staff must have completed the relevant Eat Well eLearning

Silver

To achieve the silver award:

you must have a written packed lunch policy which is shared with families
all teaching staff must be aware of the Eat Well Award, and complete the relevant eLearning
you must have a display board or area which includes healthy eating information and details of support services like eco shops and foodbanks
you must not use food or drink as a reward

You must also meet all of the bronze criteria.

Gold

To achieve the gold award, you must meet at least 7 of the non-core criteria. These are:

Your menu changes seasonally, with two or more menus a year.
You have at least one meat-free day a week.
Your setting is signed up to the South Tees Welcome to Breastfeed scheme.
You consult with children and parents about your menus.
You limit the amount of cakes, biscuits, and other foods high in fat and sugar at events, meetings, and fundraising activities.
You promote your setting's healthier food and Eat Well Award online and on social media.
You provide opportunities for children to grow food.
You monitor food waste and work on reducing it.
Your crockery and utensils are reusable, and you only use the disposable kind (like paper plates and single-use plastic cutlery) occasionally.

You must also meet all of the bronze and silver criteria.

How to apply for the award

Before you apply, you'll need to choose a member of staff as the key contact for the award.

You must meet all of the bronze criteria at a minimum. You can find explanations of all the criteria in the Eat Well Early Years Award guide.

If you're struggling to read the guide, email eatwell_award@middlesbrough.gov.uk.

If you do not meet the criteria, make the necessary changes before you apply. Email eatwell_award@middlesbrough.gov.uk if you have any questions.

If you meet the criteria, you can apply for the award when applications open soon. Or you can email eatwell_award@middlesbrough.gov.uk now.

Once we've got your application and looked at your menu, we'll contact you to arrange an audit at a time which suits you.

What happens next

If you pass the audit, we'll send you a certificate showing your award level. You can display the certificate in your setting.

The award is valid for one year. We'll audit your setting every year to make sure you're still meeting the criteria. We'll arrange this when we send your award.

If anything changes during the year, let us know by emailing eatwell_award@middlesbrough.gov.uk. For example, if there's a new key contact for the award, or you're struggling to keep on meeting the criteria.

If you do not pass the audit, we'll work with you on an action plan, and do another audit after 6 months.

Upgrading your award

If you want to upgrade your award level, we'll do another audit to look at criteria which would not have been assessed at your current award level. Check the Eat Well Early Years Award guide to see what you need to do.

We can check these extra criteria during your annual audit, or you can email eatwell_award@middlesbrough.gov.uk to arrange an audit if you want to upgrade sooner.