Help us find the family children’s champion 2020
Today sees the launch of Famly Children’s Champion Award 2020 . In partnership with CREC and other EY organisations, this new award aims to raise the profile and celebrate unsung early years heroes and, through nominations and vote, crown Famly Children’s Champion, and award them £5,000.
After a year that has seen endless selflessness and resilience from Early Years staff the award is our way of saying a massive Thank You to the sector, while helping to find and promote the heroic stories that will help raise the profile of Early Years teams.
The Coronavirus pandemic has brought so many challenges, but the sector workers have really shown the world how vital their day-to-day work is. From nurturing child development in settings and online during a global crisis to ensuring key workers’ children are cared for in the eye of the storm, they’ve gone above and beyond.
How does it work?
We’ll be asking leaders, fellow staff, and parents to nominate their Children’s Champion to give them a chance of winning £5000. After a round of public voting and deliberation, a shortlist of 10 will be assessed by a panel of 10 Early Years experts to decide the 2020 Children’s Champion. More about the process and the panel can be found here.
Why does the Famly Children’s Champion matter right now?
COVID-19 has made this year a very difficult one. Early Years workers will have felt the stress and worry as much as anyone else, but they have been soldiering on throughout the hardship. They work tirelessly to make sure children receive the care they need. As unsung heroes, they deserve to know how important they are. The pandemic has finally begun to shine a spotlight on the importance of Early Years workers, and the team at Famly want to magnify that further by telling their stories wider. This is a chance for the public to celebrate and start talking about the Early Years, and for us all to bring this important conversation to the forefront.
Who can enter?
The competition is open to all individuals working with children who have made a significant impact in some way in 2020. If the nominee lives in the UK, is over 18 years old at the time of entry and is an Early Years professional working in an Early Years setting, then they are eligible to enter.
We want to encourage entries from across the UK and across the sector. If you know somebody who you think has gone above and beyond to support children through their work, please nominate them so that their story can be told and their efforts recognised.
Anders Lausten, Famly CEO said:
"I'm not exactly going out on a limb to say 2020 has been an unsettling year. And yet I've been overwhelmed time and time again by the stories of resilience, care and dedication told about staff who care for and educate our youngest children. What we also know is that these unsung heroes of the pandemic haven't always been celebrated or had their stories shouted from the rooftops as they deserve. That's why we're launching the Famly Children's Champion Award, to celebrate the devotion of the wonderful Early Years teams who continuously put every child in our communities first. We want to use this platform to celebrate and tell as many of those stories as possible, and to find one truly exceptional Early Years professional worthy of becoming our very first Famly Children's Champion.
Just like in other industries, the winner of such a prestigious award deserves a prize worthy of the accolade, and that's why we're putting up £5,000 of our money, alongside a free Premium subscription to our software and many other wonderful prizes from our treasured partners. It's the least we can do in a year with so many stories worthy of celebration, and I hope it encourages as many people as possible to tell them."
Prof. Chris Pascal, CREC Co-Director said:
"From work and research we have undertaken over the years and, more recently, since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have seen examples of some fascinating, skillful and creative approaches to supporting young children and families blended with a massive amount of energy and dedication from professionals working in the sector. Most of those are humble hard-working people who often do not realise the deep value and impact of their work. So when Famly approached us to take part, we did not hesitate.
We hope this award will encourage professionals from many different places across the sector to nominate their colleagues – to not only highlight their hard work, dedication and commitment, but also to shine the light on what’s being achieved by many staff, teams and settings across the early years sector.
We call on our CREC community to help us spread the word and encourage nominations – tell us about the work of your colleague whom you value and admire, how much it means to you, your team and the children they serve. Have the confidence and courage to also highlight the importance of the daily work of the whole team and your setting through your nomination. It’s time to applaud and celebrate the deep contribution made by those who work every day at the front line of support for children and families."
About Famly
Famly have provided online management solution to nurseries since 2013— putting things like child information, registrations, staff planning, invoicing, payments, learning journals and parent communication all in one place, streamlining services and saving time. Famly also provides tens of thousands of readers news and guidance about the latest and greatest in the sector.