The support provided by RAFAKidz to help military families through the challenges of service life won a national early years award on Saturday 26 September.
The RAFAKidz team scooped the ‘Working with Parents’ Award at this year’s Nursery World Awards, an annual event that celebrates and recognises the work of individuals and organisations across the UK’s early years sector.
The team were able to demonstrate to the judges that the tailored and informed approach in place at RAFAKidz settings offered excellent support to Service children and their families through all stages of deployment.
Josie Mapes, Executive Director of RAFAKidz, said: “We are incredibly proud to have won this award. The children and families we work with face many challenges not experienced by the general population. One of these challenges is deployment. Having one or both parents away for long periods of time can be extremely disruptive for the whole family. Our goal is to reduce that impact by ensuring the entire family get the help they need to cope with the upheaval and uncertainty deployment can create. This award is testament to the dedication and compassion demonstrated by our employees across the RAFAKidz network and they should all be rightly proud of this achievement.”
the Royal Air Forces Association Doodle Packs service has been instrumental in supporting children of deployed family members. Doodle Packs are free separation resources centred around creative activities to provide children and families with a creative outlet to help families navigate deployment. Some of the activities are simply there to provide a little fun and distraction, while others help children feel closer to their loved one. Whether it is watching their seeds grow, creating a personalised pillowcase or making bunting ready for their loved one’s return, each activity provides an opportunity to make deployment that little bit easier.
You can request your free Doodle Pack by emailing [email protected]
RAFAKidz was created by the RAF Association in 2019 to help the RAF overcome a wide range of childcare issues that were impacting negatively on the serving RAF community. With 23 settings operating across the UK, RAFAKidz is now the largest provider of early years childcare to the RAF, playing a key role in supporting military families.
