Meet Millie Giraffe at Childcare Expo Midlands

Monday 2nd September 2019

Guest Blog from NDNA (and Millie Giraffe!)

Millie Giraffe is the large, friendly giraffe mascot for Millie’s Mark, the gold standard accreditation for paediatric first aid in early years. Millie Giraffe loves to join in all the fun of Childcare Expo – she particularly enjoys meeting all the guests at each event, taking photos and most importantly, promoting her life saving cause.

Millie’s Mark is named after Millie Thompson, who died after choking on food at nursery in 2012 when she was just nine months old. Read more about Millie’s legacy here. To prevent this tragic event happening to others, Millie’s family set up Millie’s Trust in her name and along with it, a giant pink giraffe as its mascot – in honour of Millie’s favourite toy. NDNA now works in partnership with Millie’s Trust to run Millie’s Mark, the paediatric first aid accreditation which aims to keep children across England and Scotland safe in nursery.

Millie’s Mark is awarded as a special endorsement to childcare providers that go above and beyond minimum requirements by having 100% of their nursery staff trained in paediatric first aid. Accreditation involves a comprehensive process and in order to be awarded, settings must demonstrate their staff are confident, ready and capable should an emergency occur. It is available to nurseries, nursery schools, pre-schools, primary schools and childminders in England and Scotland.

Childcare Expo has always been a great event for Millie Giraffe – she loves to spread the word about her amazing cause and chat to nursery managers and practitioners about how it can help them. Make sure you come and say hi to Millie Giraffe and Linda on stand E22 at this year’s Childcare Expo Midlands.

Millie Giraffe can be a little shy sometimes but Linda is always on hand to explain how the paediatric first aid accreditation can benefit your nursery. The award reassures parents their children are in safe hands, and since its launch over 450 childcare settings have become accredited.

Make sure you come along, say hello and even sign up to this fantastic cause and ensure that your nursery’s children can play, explore and learn in the safest possible environment. Millie Giraffe and the NDNA Expo team look forward to meeting you on the day!