Early Years Wales Awards 2024

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Early Years Wales Awards 2024

Please complete and upload supporting evidence that you feel will support your application.

Please note:

Childcare settings (including Childminders) must be registered with CIW and have no areas of non-compliance.
Entries will be requested to complete a declaration stating that all submitted evidence is a true reflection of their service.
We will read all latest CIW and Estyn reports where applicable and will also look at your social media pages as part of the judging process.
Entrants must agree to the full terms and conditions.

Last date for applications is: 5pm on 9th December 2023

How to use the form

Select an award from the drop down list.
Read the information carefully.
Prepare the required evidence.
Important: Log in to your membership account prior to completing the form.
Enter the details of the setting/business.
Upload supporting evidence by clicking on Choose File, select the file you wish to attach and then click Upload.
Use the Next and Previous buttons to navigate through the form. Use the Save Draft button to save your progress.
To return to a saved application, log in to your account and return to the application form.
Once all evidence has been uploaded, read and sign the declaration.
Preview your submission, please check this carefully before submiting.

Important: If you would like to apply for multiple categories, complete and submit one application at a time. Once submitted, return to this page and select another award. Do not select multiple award categories in one submission, any information inputted may not be saved and you will need to start the process again.

Choose an award *

The panel are looking for services that respond to local need and work directly with parents and young children. This could be Parent and Toddler Groups, community groups or groups/businesses providing sessional activities to parents and children such as play, child development, parent support, physical activities, life skills, social interaction.

They can be a volunteer service or a private business or part of a community hub but must be a member of Early Years Wales

The panel is looking for services or projects, with an inclusive approach to improving the lives of young children and their families, supporting them to build connections with the community and inspiring a sense of Cynefin.

What the panel are looking for:

How do you work to build connections with families and young children?
Show how your service makes a difference to parents and children, giving them skills and confidence, positively impacting well-being.
How does your service engage with and give children and parents a sense of being part of a community?
Does the service reach the wider community and harder to reach families?
How do you adapt your service to changing need?
Do you work collaboratively with any other community services?
Give a full description of how you make use of local expertise and resources wherever possible e.g. tradesmen and suppliers.
Does the service take part in local events/fundraisers?

Evidence required

Completed application form
Written Statement – please tell us about your service and how you have achieved the standards above. Please limit yourself to up to 6 A4 sides (minimum 10 font)
Copies of latest inspection reports if applicable
Latest Quality of Care report if applicable
Feedback from children parents and professionals
Testimonials
Up to 6 photos

Members - remember to log in before starting the form to save your progress.

This can be an individual, a setting or a business who has shown the way with new approaches and ideas to support children to thrive. Innovation can take many forms. We are looking to recognise creative thinking and the impact of innovative practice on the children and families’ experience.

For example:

Do you have an innovative approach to staff wellbeing?
Do you have a unique approach to sharing spaces and resources?
Have you written a book?
Maybe you hold cooking classes for parents to encourage healthy eating.
Do you have a unique approach to physical activity?
Do you have an innovative approach to recruitment and retention of staff?
Do you have a particular approach to working with children who have ALN?

The list is endless tell us what makes you unique.

What the panel are looking for:

Show the panel how your innovation improves quality of experience for children and their families.
Please give the rationale behind the innovation.
What about your innovation makes your approach unique?
Has your innovation inspired good practice and made a positive difference to your provision, the children, and the staff?
How does the innovation improve childrens’ outcomes?
Is your innovation guided by research?
Have you adapted your service to an identified need in the local community?
Is your innovation easily accessible and how do you measure the impact of the same?
Do you have any plans to further develop or enhance your innovation?

Evidence required

Completed application form
Written Statement please include a description of service/setting, evidence of innovation and its impact. Maximum of 6 A4 sides (minimum 10 font)
Up to 6 photos
Testimonials

Members - remember to log in before starting the form to save your progress.

This setting can be any kind of registered provision. This award is looking at how settings use their own outdoor space and the wider spaces around them.

The panel is looking to recognise a setting that has created or makes use of outdoor spaces in an engaging and inspirational way.

Activities that promote well-being, creativity, first-hand learning experiences, and a deeper connection with nature are sought. As are, settings that make the most of their space, whether that is big or small.

What the panel are looking for:

The panel is keen to recognise sustainable developments or sustainable use of outdoor spaces; provision that can demonstrate thoughtful use of materials and resources that make a positive impact on children, and do not negatively impact the environment.
Show how the applicant has developed and enhanced the outdoor space, whether large or small, urban or rural, and the wider spaces around the setting.
Show how these wider spaces promote children’s physical and mental health and well-being.
The panel would like to understand how the children interact with the space and see evidence that they are developing a caring and engaging relationship with nature and the outside.
How do the outdoor activities encourage creativity?
Show us how the provider commits to a sustainable environment that leaves no impact.
How is the children’s awareness of the world outside encouraged, and guided to know how to look after the environment and enhance it?
Tell us about how the setting reuse and recycle, the eco-policy and use of sustainable materials in and outside the setting
Do you have evidence of awards such as Healthy and sustainable pre -schools, Green award?
Local community spaces are explored and enjoyed as a learning resource and to enhance children's wellbeing
Policies are put into action. The setting will have a Welsh language policy which embeds Welsh into all aspects of the setting - children, staff and parents are encouraged to use Welsh throughout every aspect and they are actively working towards the Active offer

Evidence required

Completion of application
Written Statement – please tell us about your setting and how you have achieved the standards above. Please limit yourself to up to 6 A4 sides (minimum 10 font)
Copies of inspection reports
Latest quality of care report
Copy of policies that relate to environment
Feedback from children parents and professionals must relate to outdoor space
Minimum of 10 photos
Outdoor plan
Evidence of any other award

Members - remember to log in before starting the form to save your progress.

A home based childcare setting that is driven by their passion for supporting early years children and delivering quality childcare. They can be a childminder working alone or one with assistants. They produce a safe, stimulating and engaging home environment where children are encouraged to play, learn and thrive.

What the panel are looking for:

Describe how you offer a safe, clean stimulating environment, where children are encouraged to play, learn and thrive.
How do you ensure your environment is homely and nurturing?
What in your setting is unique and inspires and enables the children?
How do you adapt your service around children’s individual needs. How do you include childrens’ voices?
Tell us about your innovative approach to enabling and supporting children and families, and how you adapt to changes in family and sector needs.
Tell us how you continue to develop your knowledge, skills and practice. How are you mentored in this?
How do you use your daily evaluations and reflective practice, and how does this feed into your training and development plan?
Do you have opportunity to share good practice with other childminding practitioners?
Describe your links with parents, external partners and the local community and how you include their views?
What do you envisage for your service in the future? What areas of provision are you looking to develop?
How do you maintain a high-quality provision?
How do you embed the Welsh language throughout the setting? How are you working towards the Active offer?

Evidence Required

Completed application form
Written Statement – please tell us about your setting and how you have achieved the standards above. Please limit yourself to up to 6 A4 sides (minimum 10 font)
Copies of latest inspection reports
Latest Quality of Care report
Feedback from children, parents and professionals
Testimonials
Up to 6 photos

Members - remember to log in before starting the form to save your progress.

A setting who is driven by their passion for supporting early years children and delivering quality childcare. The main focus is to produce a safe, clean, stimulating environment where children are encouraged to play, learn and thrive. The setting holds their staff in the highest regard and has excellent links with parents, external partners and the local community. They have a wide range of resources to offer enhanced play activities.

What the panel are looking for:

The setting will have achieved or be working towards an Early Years Wales QfA award or other quality award
External reports such as Estyn, Care Inspectorate of Wales (CIW) will be of a high standard
The setting will have a Welsh language policy which embeds Welsh into all aspects of the setting - children, staff and parents are encouraged to use Welsh throughout every aspect and they are actively working towards the Welsh Active offer
Policies and practise will embrace equality and inclusivity
Tell us about your unique and innovative approach to enabling and supporting children and families, and how you adapt to changes in family and sector needs.
Show us how you meet the needs of individual children? How are their voices included?
Tell us What in your setting and practice inspires and enables the children?
What do you envisage for the setting in the future?
What areas of provision are you looking to develop?
How does the setting maintain high-quality provision? How do your policies and procedures support this?
Describe the links with parents, external partners and the local community. How are their views included?
The panel are looking for a good record of staff training and CPD opportunities for staff. Show the panel how you work to retain staff and provide opportunities to progress.
Show evidence that the setting promotes the health and wellbeing of staff and show how staff know that they are valued.
The setting has sustainable and robust governance and business practise
The setting engages with Early Years Wales
Tell us how your setting provides a safe, stimulating and engaging environment for the children
How does the setting ensure that high standards of care are maintained. Tell us about how your policies and procedures support the quality
Keep up to date with local and national developments in early years

Evidence Required

Completed application form
Written Statement – please tell us about your setting and how you have achieved the standards above. Please limit yourself to up to 6 A4 sides (minimum 10 font)
Copies of latest inspection reports
Latest quality of care report
Feedback from children parents and professionals
Testimonials
Up to 6 photos

Members - remember to log in before starting the form to save your progress.