Hopscotch &
The Environment
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As a business we aim to reduce, limit and offset our environmental footprint across our nursery settings whilst as early years educators, we want to develop eco-minded children who are passionate environmental protectors.
We teach our children the importance of looking after the planet and equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need to respect and protect both their local and global environments. To ensure our children grow into socially responsible adults tomorrow we are responsible for educating them today.
Energy
To cut down on the reliance of fossil fuels, the electricity and gas we use at all our settings comes exclusively from renewable sources. We are proud that this commitment has reduced our carbon footprint significantly and has helped support the UK’s energy transition to Net Zero and the global COP initiatives.
We have recently commissioned in-depth energy efficiency surveys for each of our nursery buildings and we will be acting on the recommendations of these surveys throughout the year.
Trees
In 2024 we have introduced an exciting new initiative – that we will plant a tree for every new child that registers at Hopscotch. This will be done via the Ecologi platform.
You can see our progress here.
Transport
Our company cars and van are electric. We encourage sustainable travel and for our parents and carers and staff to walk, cycle or take public transport to their nursery where this is possible.
We organise regular outings for our children where we walk or use public transport and teach them about the benefits of these modes of transport.
We are also signed up to the Green Commute Initiative Cycle to Work scheme which allows us to support our staff to purchase bicycles, which are one of the most sustainable forms of transport, for their journeys to and from work.
Food and Sustainability
We work closely with our external catering supplier Little Tums to ensure that local and sustainable produce is preferred for their ingredients to limit unnecessary food miles and promote local and seasonal food options in their meals.
Learning
For our Brighton and Hove based nurseries we organise trips to the Rampion Wind Farm visitors centre on Brighton Beach. Here children learn about renewable energy. This is then followed up with activities at nursery around the subject to solidify children’s understanding of the subject.
Outdoor Environments
All our settings have outdoor spaces where children can run freely and participate in activities like gardening to encourage more wildlife in those spaces. Our settings are located near parks, green spaces and the seaside so our children are regularly able visit these natural areas to learn about wildlife and nature. We link up with gardening groups to help plant and nurture plants in local parks for the public to enjoy.
Hopscotch Explorers
As part of our Early Years curriculum, we have launched Hopscotch Explorers. This outdoors learning experience takes place at the local beach or park and encourages children to be creative and expressive within nature. These give children a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural world.
Beach Cleans
As all our settings are based in coastal towns, we have made a commitment to help keep our beaches clean and litter free for everyone to enjoy. In conjunction with the local councils we have organised regular beach cleans with our children.
Single Use Plastics
We undertake regular audits of how we use resources in our nurseries, and we have taken steps to limit our use of single use plastics. This includes a ban on glitter as a direct result of its negative environmental impacts.
