🌱 Blooming Futures Daycare Celebrates Achieving the First Step Towards the NOF Award! 🎉

We are absolutely delighted to share some wonderful news with our community here at Blooming Futures Daycare! We are thrilled to announce that we have achieved the first step on our journey towards the prestigious NOF Award by successfully receiving the Rooting Award — marking a major milestone in our commitment to children’s health, wellbeing and nutrition.

The Nourishing Our Future (NOF) Award is a county-wide initiative supporting early years settings in Essex to champion healthy food, nutrition education, and positive mealtime experiences in line with the latest Department for Education EYFS nutrition guidance. It has been co-created by Anglia Ruskin University and Essex County Council Public Health alongside early years settings like ours, ensuring practical support and shared learning for everyone involved.

🌟 What Does the Rooting Award Mean?

The Rooting Award is the first tier of the NOF Award journey — a recognition that Blooming Futures Daycare has laid strong foundational practices in food, nutrition and positive eating environments for our children and families. This means we have begun embedding thoughtful food education, nurturing mealtime routines, and supportive partnership with parents into our everyday practice.

🤝 Our Commitment to Healthy Futures

Achieving the Rooting Award reflects our ongoing dedication to giving every child in our care the best possible start — not just in learning and play, but in nutrition and wellbeing too. We know that early experiences with food can shape lifelong habits, and we are proud to be part of a movement driving meaningful change across early years settings in Essex and beyond.

🌱 Looking Ahead

This achievement is just the beginning! Next up on our NOF Award journey are the Sprouting and Blooming levels — each one building on the last, celebrating deeper innovation, excellence and leadership in nutrition practice. We can’t wait to continue this journey and share more successes with you as we grow.

Thank you to our team, parents and children for being part of this milestone — together, we’re helping to shape healthier, happier futures!

💚 Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our NOF Award journey!