HEYA - healthy eating

"Good nutrition in early childhood is fundamental to cognitive development, with the brain growing more quickly during the first 1000 days than at any other time. Nutrition in these early years provides fuel for brain growth and neural development, supporting the building blocks for cognition, memory and motor skills as children grow" - Boosting early years nutrition to support a healthy childhood: May 2025. Find out more at Early Years - Food Foundation.

The early years present a unique opportunity to lay the foundation for a lifelong relationship with food that supports childhood health, development, and overall well-being. Providing a varied and nutritious food environment during this critical stage fuels their growth and establishes positive eating habits that influence their long-term health outcomes.

Reflecting this priority, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework requires providers to offer meals, snacks, and drinks that are healthy, balanced, and nutritious. From September 2025, the EYFS requires settings to follow the EYFS nutrition guidance found at Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition.

Participating in the Southampton Healthy Early Years Award (HEYA) Nutrition Healthy Eating Award equips your setting with a practical framework to align with EYFS nutrition guidance and  to promote a nutritious start in life for the children in your care. The process of completing the award allows you to build on your current practices and integrate a nutrition approach that supports children’s growth, learning, and overall development.

These flowcharts help you to identify what is needed for each award. View the:

• Bronze award flowchart
• Silver award flowchart

Remember to download all relevant documents at the appropriate level, either bronze or silver.

HEYA training must be attended to achieve the silver award

This is fully funded for Southampton providers. For dates of training, please contact the HEYA team.