Today (Tuesday 26 May) marks the launch of Eco-Tots Cymru – an exciting programme created especially for nurseries and settings working with under-fives.

Eco-Tots Cymru offers early years settings a free, engaging and flexible approach to sustainability education. It is designed to help nurture a lifelong connection with nature from the very earliest stages of learning.

West End star Sophie Jenkins celebrated the launch of Eco-Tots Cymru at Rachael’s Playhouse in Hirwaun, near Aberdare – one of 18 settings across Wales that have been involved in testing the programme. As a mum of two young boys, Sophie understands the importance of giving children the chance to connect with nature early in life.

I’m so proud to be part of Eco-Tots Cymru. We need initiatives like this to help future generations explore, understand and care for the natural world around them. It’s fantastic to see Keep Wales Tidy giving young children across Wales the opportunity to learn about sustainability through play and engage with nature so early in life.
Sophie Jenkins

Designed with early years experts

Funded by the Moondance Foundation, Eco-Tots Cymru has been designed in collaboration with early years experts across Wales. It offers a wide range of free bilingual resources, including songs, practical activities and guidance that can be tailored to different ages and settings.

At the heart of Eco-Tots Cymru are six imaginative themes: Power Protectors, Reduce and Reuse, Starting from Seed, Tidy Team, Terrific Trees and Wonderful Wildlife – each highlighting different ways we can care for our planet.

Settings that take part can work towards an Eco-Tots Cymru Award, which celebrates high-quality, sustainable early years practice. Keep Wales Tidy hopes this will become a trusted mark of excellence for early years settings.

The habits formed in a child's earliest years shape how they engage with the world for life - that's the foundation Eco-Tots Cymru is built on. By ensuring children start learning about nature at this stage, we're giving them the strongest possible start in life. It is an investment in their futures, and in a better future for the Welsh environment they will one day inherit.
Owen Derbyshire Keep Wales Tidy Chief Executive