Tutu Day at Foundations
What is Tutu Day?
Tutu Day is a special day for Foundations Family Day Care, held on the 22nd of February each year, although most of our Educators celebrate it for the whole week to enable all the children to join in the fun. It is a day that celebrates connection and friendship.
Where did it come from?
Back in the throes of COVID-19, there were months when we couldn’t see each other. Getting together for playdates, excursions, and social outings for Educators & children was not allowed due to the lockdowns in Melbourne. We endured seven lockdowns, with the longest one being 18 weeks long, being required to have work permits and lockdown rules limiting us to staying within a 5-kilometre radius. Doughnut days, which were when there were either zero new cases or zero deaths, were cause for celebration, but in a limited and disconnected way. It was obvious that we needed our team to feel they belonged and that we were joined through our friendship and collegial bonds. Double doughnut days were a particular cause for celebration due to both cases and deaths being zero, which resulted in anything to do with doubles or the number two being seen as a positive thing. And, as we were starting to have more doubles, we realised there was going to be a special date, 22/22/2022. With that number of twos, what else could it be called but “Two-Two Day”? Of course, “two-two” sounds very much like “tutu,” so we planned a special bonding day, with all the staff, Educators, and children dressing up, with many in tutus but also other dress-ups, and taking photos to share within our service. Despite being unable to meet in person, the feelings of connection, belonging, and friendship spread throughout our service. We named this Tutu Day, and it was one of the things that resulted in our team feeling closer post-COVID than prior.
Since then, we have celebrated Tutu Day every year. It has become an important part of the Foundations Family Day Care calendar and has even started being shared with other services and service types.
How do we celebrate Tutu Day?
On Tutu Day, or during the week in which it occurs, all our Educators and children, and even family members and pets, dress up. We take child-safe photos and then share them within our service. Many will wear tutus, but we often see a wide range of dress-ups, particularly princesses and superheroes. We receive photos that were taken at the Educators’ homes, playgrounds, libraries, and even the zoo. This way, the children can see other children in Family Day Care across urban, rural, and remote areas of Victoria and South Australia. For our team, we get to have a little fun and forge friendships across distances, building our bonds.
How can you get involved?
Incorporating Tutu Day at your service is easy! It’s not a fundraising event or cause-related, just a chance to dress up, let your inner child out, and connect. Encourage all the adults to get dressed up for the day (or the week!) and invite families to send their children in dress-ups. Take fun photos of everyone’s great costumes and share them with each other. If you’re in centre-based care, you might even like to make a display wall of all the great photos captured! Consider having Zoom or FaceTime calls with other Educators so children can say hello to each other, going on a group excursion, or just visiting another Educator’s home to increase opportunities for relationship building.
If you love the idea behind Tutu Day, we really hope you choose to implement it and reap its benefits in your service!