Food & Healthy Eating:

_At kiddies Lounge Pre-school Day Nursery, we encourage children to develop a positive attitude to food and healthy lifestyles. This is achieved through adopting a whole nursery approach which encompasses children, their families and staff. We are committed to you and your child to provide healthy well nutritionally balanced diet with more emphasis being laid on homemade food.  Our meals are freshly prepared, and Our menus shall be displayed weekly which will include fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables, healthy snacks, diary, proteins, carbohydrates and other refreshments, with vegetarian and other dietary requirement options.  Our caterers have experienced and well qualified cooks who will meet the dietary needs of your child.

Our breakfast menu includes toast with variety of spreads, different types of cereals, porridge and fresh fruits. We offer snack to replenish the children‘s energy in the mid-mornings and mid-afternoons.

Lunch time is a relaxing and enjoyable time for our children with various nutritional meals, including for example; rice, diced/roast/boiled potato, chicken, beef, turkey pies and mixed vegetables etc.  Lunch is followed by puddings which ranges from apple crumble, homemade cakes including fruity-cheese cake, custard and rice pudding.  We offer fruit with all meals and water is also made available throughout the day.

We also offer afternoon snacks, with choices of various kinds of fruits, grated cheese, rice crackers and breadsticks etc.

Allergies/Food Preferences/Special Diets

We will obtain and record necessary information from parents/carers regarding any special dietary requirements, preferences or food allergies in advance of the child being admitted to the nursery. A care plan will be completed and will be reviewed during attendance at the nursery.

Food Groups

Starchy Carbohydrates include: breads, cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes – these provide a good source of energy.

Fruit and Vegetables include: fresh, frozen, tinned (fruit in juice, vegetables in water with no added salt or sugar), dried and juiced fruit and vegetables (dried and juiced fruit will only be consumed as part of a meal) – these provide a good source of vitamins and minerals.

Dairy Foods include: milk, cheese and yogurts – these provide a good source of calcium for healthy teeth and bones.

Foods containing protein include: meats, fish, eggs, pulses and nuts – these are required for growth and repair (whole nuts will not be served due to risk of choking; It is company policy not to include nuts in any of our recipes for food produced in the nursery).

Drinks

• Children will have access to drinking water at all times.
• Children under the age of 12 months will be given breast or formula milk
• Children over the age of 12 months will be given whole cows milk.
• Children who do not drink water or milk will be offered herbal teas with agreement from their parents.

5 A DAY

All children need at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Each main meal provided has lots of vegetables and snack time is an ideal time for nursery to encourage children to eat fruit and veg with their meals.