Highbury Community Nursery has become the first childcare setting in Islington to be awarded Millie’s Mark.

Millie’s Mark is an accreditation introduced by charity Millie’s Trust to ensure that all staff are trained in pediatric first aid.

Cathy Antink, Highbury Community Nursery’s family liaison coordinator, led the effort to gain the accreditation and trained all her colleagues in-house.

“We’re so proud to be awarded Millie’s Mark,” she said. “First aid is a huge priority for us because of the number of children using our nursery - around 90 families trust us with their kids. We’re going above and beyond to ensure staff are confident first aiders and we’re dedicated to keeping our children safe.”

An important aspect of Millie’s Mark is that staff must demonstrate a commitment to what they learn during the process in order to be able to act confidently in an emergency situation.

Cathy added: “We’ve gone further in running classes for parents to learn paediatric first aid, which has proved very popular. We’re also teaching the children things like the recovery position, how to use a doctor’s kit and what to do if you see somebody in need.”

There are currently 338 nurseries England that have been endorsed with Millie’s Mark, 56 of which are in London.

The Trust was set up by Dan and Joanne Thompson who lost their daughter Millie after she choked on food at nursery in 2012. It is backed by the Department for Education and administered by the National Day Nurseries Association.