Spotlight on…Louise Hardaker

Tell us a bit about your role as physical activity and nutrition co-ordinator?

I did a unit on the PANCO role as part of my Level 4. I wasn’t aware of the role before, but another team member and I were asked to write a new policy and spread it across all the nurseries. Now all Portico nurseries have one and we are incredibly active in anything and everything to do with children’s health and well-being.

What have you introduced?

We established a new breakfast routine as many children weren’t getting time to eat before coming in. They choose their food and serve themselves. It’s a really nice opportunity for children and staff to enjoy a meal together at the start of the day and socialise. We also use Doodle Sticks to support early literacy skills, ABC stretches to use different muscles, and fine motor activities, like using tweezers to thread pasta.

What has been the response?

The parents enjoy the breakfast routine and it helps them in the morning. The staff say we have helped the children with concentration and movement development, and it spurs on the staff themselves. I have been PANCO for just over a year and I am happy to keep the role indefinitely.

How does the new 'Time to change' pledge at Portico tie in to your PANCO work?

Our Time to Change employer pledge is linked to supporting mental health and well-being of staff, so it is also connected to well-being aspects of the PANCO work. I am a mental health and well-being workplace champion, so I am helping to introduce ways of easing staff stress, such as spa nights. This gives them support to be able to be in the moment with the children.