The finalists, as chosen by a panel of judges, are Alfriston Pre-School in East Sussex, Beaufort Hill Nursery in Gwent, Wales, Bradford Academy in Yorkshire, Hope Nursery School in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Overtown Community Nursery in Wishaw, Scotland.
All finalists will receive ‘discovery and learning’ equipment for their setting. The nursery or pre-school whose entry receives the most votes, chosen by the public on the Nick Jr site, will win £20,000 for their setting.
Nurseries and pre-schools who registered for the Help Dora Help activity pack, which includes themed curriculum-linked session plans, launched as part of the Help Dora Help initiative in May, were invited to apply for the award fund (News, 25 May 2011).
To enter, children at early years settings had to fill Dora the Explorer’s backpack with items for an adventure. Nurseries and pre-schools were also asked to include a supporting statement to explain why they deserved to win.
Tina McCann, managing director of Nickelodeon UK, said, ‘We were overwhelmed by both the volume and quality of entries we received for the Help Dora Help Award Fund. The high standard of creativity and effort that children put into their submissions was quite inspirational.’
- To view the shortlisted entries and cast your vote, visit www.nickjr.co.uk Voting opens on 1 October.