Childminders from Northern Ireland are invited to attend a free conference to find out more about various topics that affect them.
The conference on Saturday, September 29 in the Armagh City Hotel, will provide an opportunity for childminders to find out more about speech and language development, nutrition for childhood development, cyber safety and outdoor play.
Organised by the Northern Ireland Childminding Association (NICMA), this year’s theme is ‘Big Cook, Little Cook: Healthy Active Lifestyles.’
Celebrity chef Jenny Bristow has been unveiled as a guest speaker.
The Public Health Agency is delighted to be working in partnership with NICMA to encourage and support childminders in providing healthy and nutritious food.
NICMA CEO, Patricia Lewsley-Mooney CBE, said healthy eating and tackling obesity are real issues, and one of the most effective ways that they can be addressed is to increase understanding and awareness of diet.
“Earlier this year, we saw the introduction of the ‘sugar tax’ and yes, that is one measure that will influence consumer behaviour, but there are still a lot of misconceptions around the types of foods that are good for us to eat,” she said.
She said as childminders interact with children and young people on a daily basis, it is really important to equip them with the right information about healthy eating.
“Understanding how to create a balanced diet is critical to a child’s development and will support the goal of tackling obesity,” she added.
The Big Cook, Little Cook Conference is financially supported by NICMA, The Public Health Agency and the Health and Social Care Board.
From 10.30am to 11.30am, and from noon to 1pm, delegates will be treated to cookery demonstrations by Jenny Bristow who will demonstrate how simple ingredients can be combined to create tasty nutritional meals and snacks.
“Very often meal times can become a pressurised environment. When you are rushing to make something quickly so that you can make the next school pick-up or trying to feed a child before they go to an activity, time is of the essence,” she said.
“During the demonstration I’ll be showing delegates how they can integrate healthy eating into their daily routine. Using simple ingredients, you can make quick, nutritional meals or snacks that are filling, tasty and cost effective,” she added.
In the afternoon, a series of workshops will be held exploring various child development related issues. Workshop places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
To register your attendance at the Big Cook, Little Cook Conference, please visit www.nicma.org and complete an on-line booking form and return to NICMA by Wednesday, September 19.
