This
pre-school regards snack and meal times as an important part of the
pre-school's session/day. Eating represents a social time for children and
adults and helps children to learn about healthy eating.
At snack
times, we aim to provide nutritious food, which meets the children's individual
dietary needs. We aim to meet the full welfare requirements of Statutory
Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
·
Before
a child starts to attend the pre-school, we find out from parents their
children's dietary needs, including any allergies.
·
We
record information about each child's dietary needs in her/his registration
record and parents sign the record to signify that it is correct.
·
We
display current information about individual children's dietary needs so that
all staff and volunteers are fully informed about them.
·
We
implement systems to ensure that children receive only food and drink which is
consistent with their dietary needs and their parents' wishes.
·
We
promote healthy eating, however occasionally through festivals and celebrations
food provided may include sweet treats.
·
In
addition to wholemeal bread toast, a variety of seasonal fruits are provided at
snack time.
·
We
provide nutritious food at all snacks, avoiding large quantities of fat, sugar
and salt and artificial additives, preservatives and colourings.
·
Parents
are responsible for providing mid-day meals and we request they include the
following elements:
- protein
for growth; and
- essential
minerals and vitamins in raw foods, salads and fruits.
·
We
include food tastings from the diet of each of the children's cultural
backgrounds, providing children with familiar foods and introducing them to new
ones.
·
Through
discussion with parents and research reading by staff, we obtain information
about the dietary rules of the religious groups to which children and their
parents belong, and of vegetarians and vegans, and about food allergies. We
take account of this information in the provision of food and drinks.
·
We
require staff to show sensitivity in providing for children's diets and
allergies. Staff do not use a child's
diet or allergy as a label for the child or make a child feel singled out
because of her/his diet or allergy.
·
We
organise meal and snack times so that they are social occasions in which
children and staff participate.
·
We
use meal and snack times to help children to develop independence through
making choices, serving food and drink and feeding themselves.
·
We
provide children with utensils which are appropriate for their ages and stages
of development and which take account of the eating practices in their
cultures.
·
We
have fresh drinking water constantly available for the children. We inform the children about how to obtain the
water and that they can ask for water at any time during the session/day. We advise parents to use ice packs with their
pack lunch.
·
We
inform parents who provide food for their children about the storage facilities
available in the pre-school.
·
We
give parents who provide food for their children information about suitable
containers for food.
·
We
have rules about children sharing and swapping their food with one another in
order to protect children with food allergies.
·
For
children who drink milk, we provide semi skimmed milk.
·
We display Healthy Eating information
posters prominently in our reception.
·
We encourage children to adopt healthy
foods by providing different seasonal ‘take-home’ food samples each week.
This
policy was originally adopted at a meeting of Winyates Playgroup
Pre-school
12/03/2011
Held on
(date)
Julie Skipp
Signed
on behalf of the pre-school