NDNA Scotland announces winner of Children’s Rights Award 2026
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Scotland has proudly announced the winners of its second annual Children’s Rights Award. Members, nursery leaders and practitioners gathered at our spring NDNATalk event in Scotland to celebrate exceptional rights-based practice across early learning and childcare (ELC) settings.
The award recognises outstanding work in embedding the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) within nursery environments. This year’s top honour was awarded to Just Be Kids Nursery in Nitshill, Glasgow, with Riverbank Nursery in Ayr named as well-deserved runners up.
Tim McLachlan, Chief Executive of NDNA said:
“We are incredibly proud of this year’s finalists and winners. Just Be Kids demonstrated an exceptional, thoughtful and innovative approach to embedding children’s rights in daily practice.
Riverbank Nursery also impressed the judging panel with strong commitment to children’s participation and wellbeing.
A true commitment to children’s rights in early years means embedding approaches in day to day practice, through culture and staff development and genuinely hearing the children’s voice, even among babies. The dedication shown across all entries reflects the passion and professionalism of Scotland’s early learning and childcare sector.”
Celebrating a rights-respecting approach in settings
Our judges were impressed by Just Be Kids’ clear commitment to children’s rights across all ages. Staff demonstrated how even the youngest babies are supported to express their preferences, make choices and engage in nursery life. The team practiced strong examples of voting, participation and child-led decision making, ensuring every child’s voice was heard.
Lorraine Kirkwood, Head of Service at Just Be Kids, said:
“Our team has worked hard to strengthen how we look, listen and respond to children—creating an environment where children of all ages can express themselves freely and confidently.
We embraced inclusive communication tools such as British Sign Language (BSL) and Makaton to make sure every child can participate, regardless of age or ability.
Embedding children’s rights is at the heart of our ethos and I am incredibly proud of the passion, respect and empathy our staff show every day.”
Staff at Just Be Kids drew on expertise in linguistics and ASN to enhance their approach, ensuring inclusion and respect were central to each interaction and decision.
NDNA Scotland has praised both the winners and the runner‑up for their commitment to children’s rights and for modelling exemplary practice within Scotland’s ELC sector.
Supporting the sector to embed children’s rights
The Children’s Rights Award is part of NDNA Scotland’s wider programme of support for ELC settings as they work to implement the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act. NDNA’s UNCRC toolkit, training and best practice resources continue to help nurseries across Scotland strengthen children’s participation and ensure even the youngest learners are listened to and respected.
As the sector embraces new responsibilities around children’s rights, NDNA Scotland says the achievements of Just Be Kids and Riverbank Nursery demonstrate what high‑quality, child‑centred practice looks like in action.
- Scotland
Similar Articles
Free spring maths activities for early years | Easter maths ideas for nurseries
Childcare Offer for Wales funding rate rising by 4%
