Mudiad Meithrin Awards – Nomination

Mudiad Meithrin Awards 2022

The nominationswere are closed. Nominating is your opportunity to thank and celebrate all the good work that is going on in your community.

This year there were 12 award categories which were:

• Leader
• Playing and Learning Outside
• Cylch Meithrin
• Small Cylch Meithrin (12 or less on the register) *New*
• Cylch Ti a Fi
• Cylch i Bawb
• Assistant
• Dewin and Doti
• Volunteer
• Day Nursery
• Committee
• Learning and Development *New*

An internal panel consisting of specialist staff from the Mudiad’s various departments shortlist all the nominations. The nominations are then submitted to an external panel consisting of experts in the Early Years and members of the Mudiad’s Board of Directors.

Not sure what to include in the nomination? See our guidelines below for ideas.

The nominating period is now closed.

The judging panel are looking for examples of:

• They succeed in building excellent relationships with children, parents and the community.
• They manage and lead in an innovative and motivational way.
• They transformed the cylch in a short space of time.
• Always looking for new, innovative ideas to develop areas of the cylch.
• Committed to the cylch, the team and the community.
• A confident leader who models positive language and behaviour.
• A leader who asks questions, consults and makes time to listen to staff, children, parents and partners.
• Advocates on behalf of the cylch and the Welsh language.
• Promotes the continuation to Welsh-medium education with examples of good practice
• A leader who monitors and observes consistently and adapts, changes and improves and necessary, letting the children lead the activities.

The judging panel are looking for examples of:

• Someone who supports the leader by offering great ideas and activities.
• A confident assistant who is comfortable leading activities indoors and outdoors
• Committment to the cylch, the team and the community.
• An assistant who asks questions, consults and makes time to listen to staff, children, parents and partners.
• Accepts opportunities to develop themself for the benefit of the cylch.
• Takes on responsibilities beyond those in the job description.
• Volunteers time in order to offer additional experiences to the children, e.g. a carnival on a Saturday.

The judging panel are looking for examples of:

• Dewin and Doti play a central role in encouraging the use of Welsh within the Cylch Meithrin.
• Dewin and Doti are brought into the Cylch Meithrin’s daily activities, e.g. emotion boards, physical exercise, snack time.
• Dewin and Doti are used creatively in ways that go beyond the Cylch Meithrin’s daily activities.
• Advantage is taken of national events in order to make further use of Dewin and Doti, e.g. parti pyjamas, Dewin and Doti’s birthday party.
• Doti – give excellent examples of originality when Doti is sent home with a child.
• Dewin and Doti are part of the activities of the Cylch Ti a Fi (if there is one attached to the Cylch Meithrin).
• The Dewin and Doti app is used often in the Cylch and promoted to parents to use at home.

The judging panel are looking for examples of:

• The outside area has been developed into an educational space of a high quality.
• Best use is made of the outside area to promote the children’s development.
• The cylch offers consistent and positive opportunities to play outdoors in an area where there are places for children to relax, mediate and be quiet, as well as run and be noisy.
• Opportunities for children to go to an area where children are safe in all weathers.
• Examples of creativity which extends the children’s skills.
• The outdoor area offers unique opportunities by making use of nearby areas e.g. woodlands, the park, a field.
• Gives opportunities for children to grow plants, e.g. flowers, vegetables, fruits.
• The outdoor area includes opportunities to expand language, numeracy and digital numeracy.
• Outdoor use includes opportunities to expand language, numeracy and digital literacy.

The judging panel are looking for examples of:

• Cylch is confident in sharing good and effective practice with others e.g. other practitioners, Academi or Hwb.
• Has offered a sustained service of a high level for several years.
• Frequents visits (both into and out of the cylch) are organised to promote the children’s development.
• Works closely with the local Welsh-medium school to promote continuity and undertake innovative transfer arrangements.
• Cylch responds to parental demand for additional services, e.g., wraparound care, the 30-hour offer.
• Using innovative ways to communicate with current parents and to market to prospective parents, e.g. apps, newsletters, social media accounts, Welsh language newspapers.
• Staff regularly attend training on various matters in order to offer extra learning experiences within the cylch.
• The cylch offers enriching experiences to children.
• Great work in the fields of literacy, numeracy and digital literacy.
• The cylch has forged effective external partnerships within the community.
• The cylch offers enriching language immersion experiences.
• The children influence the themes and activities within the cylch.
• The cylch works with parents to develop the children’s skills.
• Everybody is fully committed to the cylch (staff, families, partners, the children and community).

The judging panel are looking for examples of:

• The session is inclusive of the area and makes an effort to attract families from different backgrounds.
• Plans a variety of activities which succeed in attracting new families and keeps families coming back week after week.
• The Cylch Ti a Fi has adapted over the lockdown period, offering a virtual service or engaging families creatively at a distance.
• Community-spirited with an intergenerational attendance.
• Carries out community projects, e.g., working with homes for the elderly.
• Offers exciting and innovative opportunities as it introduces Welsh to families.
• Examples of excellent work done to turn a cylch around quickly, e.g. by increasing numbers, good marketing.
• Works with the nearby Cylch Meithrin to ensure that children transition into the Cylch.
• Examples of innovative fundraising.
• Examples of introducing Welsh for families by partnership work, e.g., Welsh for Adults, Clwb Cwtsh.

The judging panel are looking for examples of:

• The setting carries out excellent work in order to adapt itself to ensure that each child is included, e.g. creating specific areas in order to help a child cope.
• The cylch makes consistent use of visual strategies e.g., Makaton, choice cards.
• Effective work with external agencies and schools for the children’s benefit.
• Examples of planning strategies which respond to and satisfies each child’s individual needs.
• The cylch offers multicultural learning experiences, e.g., Diwali, Chinese New Year.
• Staff have attended training courses e.g., ELKLAN, Asthma.
• Examples of how the cylch has offered support to a child/family where English and Welsh are second or third languages or a family from a BAME family.
• Examples of how the cylch welcomes every child and his family, regardless of their language or background.
• Examples of how men and other gender identity are included in the day-to-day life of the Cylch i.e. within the workforce, fathers’ groups etc.
• The Cylch Meithrin promotes intergenerational work within the community.
• Examples of how the cylch goes about preparing activities and finding resources which depict variety and/or seek to prevent the development of prejudice regarding groups of people.
• The cylch raises awareness of racism and shows through example that action needs to be taken to prevent racism.

The judging panel are looking for examples of:

• Has played a leading role in supporting the cylch through a period of change, e.g., a change of venue, substantial expansion of services, registration with ESTYN or CIW.
• Has dealt with challenging periods during their time in the role, e.g., damage to buildings, substantial changes to staffing, reopening the cylch following lockdown.
• Leads the way by searching for funding / grants to support the cylch’s work.
• Is motivated and skilled work at fundraising and organising fundraising events.
• Contributes to the care and experiences of children within the cylch, e.g. assisting, introducing the language, reading stories.
• Is committed to attending training in order to develop new skills.

The judging panel are looking for examples of:

• Has dealt with challenges, e.g. damage to building, staff changes, sustainability and lockdowns.
• Identified opportunities to develop the cylch’s services and staff.
• Strong, robust relationship between staff and committee and examples of working as a team.
• Undertaken marketing work and thought of different ways to advertise the cylch.
• Succeeded in sustaining the cylch through a yearly funding target.
• Committee meets regularly in order to manage the cylch and implement its development plan.
• There is an ethos of continual professional development within the cylch.
• Parents, staff and partners are all committed to the cylch.
• The committee take every opportunity to enhance their services i.e. the childcare offer, wrap around care etc.

The judging panel are looking for examples of:

• The nursery is a close community and regularly organises events to raise money and bring families together.
• Appropriate resources for all children and all age ranges, both indoors and outdoors.
• Uses innovative ways to communicate with current parents and to market to prospective parents, e.g., apps, newsletters, social media accounts, Welsh language newspapers.
• Frequents visits (both into and out of the cylch) are arranged to promote the children’s development, whatever their age range.
• Promotes progression into Welsh-medium education.
• Staff regularly attend training on various matters in order to offer extra learning experiences within the cylch, e.g., circus skills.
• Excellent work done promoting literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy.
• The nursery has forged effective external partnerships within the community.
• The nursery offers enriching language immersion experiences.
• The children influence the themes and activities within the nursery.
• The nursery works with parents to develop the children’s skills.
• Everybody is fully committed to the nursery (staff, families, partners, the children, and community).

The judging panel are looking for examples of:

• Evidence of motivated staff, who commit to attending training to develop new skills.
• Evidence of staff taking up-skilling opportunities by attending academy courses or the Croesi’r Bont scheme, or by taking on an apprentice (through the MM Apprenticeship Scheme).
• Evidence of staff who have attended regular training in various areas to provide additional learning experiences at the cylch / day nursery.
• Evidence of staff who have made good linguistic progress through a Camau course or Clwb Cwtsh scheme.
• Examples of how the cylch / day nursery has improved or changed their ways of working following attending academy organized training.
• Examples of how the cylch / day nursery has made use of academy Learning and Development resources (Mudiad Meithrin Learning and Development Resources).
• Cylch Meithrin which proactively shares examples of good practice with others (e.g. other practitioners, MM, Academi or Hwb).