Nutrition and Healthy Eating policy and procedures
Following new guidelines from the Department of Education we have updated our nutrition policy, covering snacks, drinks and packed lunches.
The guidance for group and school-based providers and childminders in England states:
Providing healthy, balanced and nutritious food ensures that all children:
- Get the right amount of nutrients and energy they need while they are growing rapidly, which is especially important for children who might not have access to healthy food at home. This can help prevent children from becoming overweight or obese.
- Develop positive eating habits early on. Children’s early experiences with food can shape future eating habits. This can impact children’s long-term health including maintaining a healthy weight, and good oral health.
The early years are a crucial time to reduce health inequalities and set the foundations for a lifetime of good health.
The 4 food groups
Children aged 1 to 5 years have different nutritional requirements to adults. They need to be fed a healthy balanced diet with a range of foods even as they are introduced to solid foods. The Eatwell Guide (available online) uses government advice to show what a healthy and balanced diet looks like. It shows what a balance of foods should look like in one day or over a whole week. The advice in the Eatwell Guide applies to children from the age of 2 years. A healthy, balanced diet is based on the 4 main food groups (fruit and vegetables; potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates; dairy or dairy alternatives; and beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins). These provide essential nutrients to help children grow and develop.
Portion size for children aged 1 to 5 years
A portion size for a child aged 1 to 5 is generally smaller than an adult portion. Portion size refers to 1 part of a meal. For example – 1 portion of vegetables alongside a portion of carbohydrates and a portion of protein could be 1meal. There are no official guidelines on exactly how much food children need. Portions should be appropriate for a child’s body size and appetite. For toddlers, portion size is usually roughly the size of their clenched fist. About half a piece of fruit (cut appropriately) or a tablespoon of vegetables is a good portion size for a snack.
Packed lunches
Any child who stays for lunch at Zebedee Pre-school will need to be provided with a healthy packed lunch. Please follow the guidelines below:
We are committed to encouraging healthy food choices to maintain healthy weight and teeth.
Below are the food options for a healthy packed lunch- please include only one portion from each row in your child’s lunchbox.
- Sandwich, wrap, cheese and crackers, hummus and vegetable sticks, rice salad or pasta salad, including vegetables, tuna, chicken
- Small bag of crisps, preferably baked and not fried, pretzels, cheese savouries or snackajacks
- Fruit (e.g. apple or banana, grapes and strawberries cut lengthways), dried fruit such as raisins, fruit muffin, fruit flapjack or similar (be aware of the amount of sugar hidden in some bars)
- Small yoghurt, fromage frais or piece of cheese
- Drinks- water or low sugar squash (no fruit shoots, capri suns). Cartons of fruit juice should be watered down as they contain a lot of sugar.
Please do not bring in any of the following:
- Anything containing nuts, including Nutella, cereal bars
- Fruit winders or similar fruit flavoured gummies
- Popcorn (choking hazard)
- Chocolate- spread or sweets
- Sweets
- Fizzy drinks
We will return home any unsuitable items.
Snacks
During each 3-hour pre-school session, children will receive a healthy snack, (we ask for a voluntary contribution towards this). This includes:
- A choice of 2 fruits, including banana, apple, strawberries, pineapple, cucumber, kiwi, blueberries (this is not an exhaustive list).
- Crackers, breadsticks, toast or a plain biscuit in the afternoons.
- Cheese
- Milk or water
Safety whilst eating
Children will be closely supervised to ensure their safety whilst eating. Staff will ensure children are always within sight so that food is not shared and that choking risks are minimised. All permanent staff are first aid trained.
Allergies and intolerances
We have rigorous procedures in place to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing. These include on entry requests for any dietary requirements, daily laminates detailing children’s allergies and intolerances for staff preparing and supervising snack and lunch times. Staff training in anaphylaxis and choking.
Details are available on request.
Partnership working
We work with parents/carers to ensure children receive the support to make healthy choices which will benefit them throughout their lives. We ask new parents/carers to sign an information sheet regarding what is acceptable in packed lunches and send out regular information letters. We ask them to make comments or suggestions for ideas to support their children to make healthy choices.