South Shields nursery children get visits from the police and dentists as they learn to stay safe and keep healthy
Children at Nurserytime in South Shields had visits from a dental expert and some friendly police officers as part of the teams efforts to give the little ones the best start in life.
Carole Stephen, an oral health educator from St Michael’s Dental Practice in Westoe Road, gave a talk with the pre-school children around the importance of ensuring and maintaining good oral hygiene.
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Hide AdAnd officers from Northumbria Police gave the pre-schoolers an insight into their crucial role in the community – with the inquisitive children also managing to bag themselves a turn of their hats, helmets and jackets.
Helen Coulson, manager at Nurserytime, thanked the special visitors for taking the time to work with the children and help them get an understanding of some important aspects of life.
“Nurserytime recognise the importance of dental health and acknowledge that for some families, it is an area in which they require further support and encouragement,” she said.
“St Michael's delivered a child-friendly discussion and interactive session, as well as providing fabulous goody-bags for the children to take home with them.”
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Hide AdHelen said the visit from the police came about after noticing children a trend in children’s play.
She said staff often observed children at the nursery engaging in imaginative role-play scenarios involving the police and found that they were very curious to find out more about their all-important job.
"We feel that it is imperative for our children to recognise that the police are present for our safety," said Helen.
“We need to remove the negative stigma often associated with ‘the police taking them away’ and ensure that if they find themselves in danger that they have the confidence to approach a police officer.
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Hide Ad“Nurserytime would like to say a special thank you to Northumbria Police for taking time out of their busy day to come and chat with us.
“Our children are now equipped with invaluable knowledge to enable them to always feel safe and foster positive relationships with our local policing team.”