1. Healthy food at Childcare
Encouraging Healthy Eating

2. Healthy Food at Childcare
Munch & Move Service, providing
Healthy breakfast / morning tea / afternoon tea
Support for families to provide healthy lunchboxes
A supportive environment for healthy eating
Regular nutrition information for families
Water is encouraged throughout the day
These are some of the ways that we support the healthy food message at Childcare.
We are a Munch & Move Service … this means we aim to promote the key messages of the Munch & Move program which is a NSW Health program supporting the healthy development of young children attending early childhood services across NSW.
We provide a Healthy … (Delete / add what meals/snacks are provided)
We have fact sheets etc. available to help with strategies / ideas for healthy lunchboxes
We plan healthy eating activities around the Munch messages of:
Choose water as a drink
Eat fewer snacks
Select healthier snack alternatives
Eat more fruit and vegetables
These learning experiences are designed to introduce young children to the concept of healthy food and drinks and to generate positive attitudes towards these healthy choices. In addition, unstructured unplanned learning experiences to support the key healthy eating messages are also integrated throughout each day.
We provide a supportive environment for healthy eating, for example through our nutrition policy and development opportunities for our educators
We aim to provide information on healthy eating to families on a regular basis

3. Breakfast provides energy and nutrition for the morning
helps with healthy body weight
helps learning and concentration
helps get in the habit of eating in the morning
What is a healthy breakfast?
Some examples…
Wholegrain cereal, reduced fat milk and fruit
Wholegrain toast, spread and glass of reduced fat milk
So, before children even get to childcare, (or when they arrive if breakfast is provided), it’s important they get their day off to a great start with a healthy breakfast… Why?

4. Childcare Lunchboxes
Children can eat up to half of their daily food intake at childcare
It is important to pack nutritious food to help your child to:
have energy to play
concentrate and learn
grow and develop
When packing your child’s lunchbox, these are a few things to keep in mind…

5. Childcare Lunchbox Tips
Keep it simple (not too much choice)
Ensure foods can be opened and eaten easily
Pack foods that travel well
Pack food in labelled reusable containers rather than buying small pre packaged snacks
Keep lunchboxes cold with icepacks or frozen water.

6. What to include in a Lunchbox
A good helping of fruit and vegetables
Fresh fruit is easy to pack, or a tub of canned fruit. Raw vegies such as carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber or capsicum strips.
Starchy food
bread, rice, potatoes and pasta (wholegrain, wholemeal or high fibre breads, rolls, Lebanese bread, pita, lavash, bagels; brown and white rice; or pasta)
Lean protein
tuna or salmon (fresh or canned in spring water or canola, sunflower or olive oil); boiled eggs; beans; lean beef or chicken
Reduced fat dairy food
reduced fat yoghurt, reduced fat cheese or reduced fat milk
A bottle of tap water
Freeze on hot days to keep the lunch box cool.
OPTIONAL:
Link to Lunchbox Video (runs for 3 minutes) if you wish to show:

7. Healthy Snack Ideas Choose from:
Wholegrain crackers, rice cakes or corn cakes with cheese or Vegemite® spread
Fruit or plain scones
Pikelets
Fresh fruit – whole or cut up in a container
Dried fruit – sultanas, apricots
Crunchy vegetables – capsicum, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes
Yoghurt or custard
Cubes or slices of cheese
Reduced fat milk
These are some of the many examples of healthy snacks based on foods from the core food groups.

8. Healthy food initiatives at Childcare
Planned and unplanned teaching, e.g. about “everyday” and “sometimes” food
Special occasions – healthy food and drinks encouraged
Caring for the environment – composting, worm farm, vegetable garden, waste free lunch days
Rewards – non food items such as stickers, stamps, pencils
Healthy fundraisers
Optional points to discuss – delete whatever isn’t appropriate for your service

9. Food allergies Our Service has a (*insert allergen*) free policy
If your child has a severe allergic reaction to food - please notify service.
Optional slide – if your Service has a child with a severe allergic reaction to food, please add information specific to your Service.

10. Food at School ‘Nutrition in Schools Policy’
based on the Fresh School healthy canteen strategy
covers a ‘whole of school’ approach to healthy eating, including :
School canteen
School functions
Fundraising
Food as rewards
Vending machines
Crunch & Sip break – for children to eat fruit, vegetables and water
OPTIONAL SLIDE – IF USING FOR TRANSITION TO SCHOOL PRESENTATION
Looking forward to when your child starts school…
DEC schools have a Nutrition in Schools Policy, and Catholic schools have a similar policy
These policies cover all aspects of healthy eating at school, based on the Fresh School healthy canteen strategy.
1. Nutrition in Schools Policy (DEC July 2011)
PD shtml?level=Schools&categories=Schools%7Cwellbeing%7Chealth
2. Nutrition in schools policy for the Diocesan School System (Nov 2011)
Fresh School policy has nutrition criteria to determine which food and drinks can be sold in the canteen.
Soft drinks and sugar sweetened drinks are banned for sale.

11. More information Central Coast Health Promotion website
Healthy Kids website – host site for Munch & Move