Food and Nutrition
Burringbar Community Preschool is a nut free preschool. We also have a litter free lunchbox aspiration. We encourage you to send your child to preschool with no litter that needs to be disposed of – apart from food scraps that our chickens get the benefit of! Our policy about food is to promote healthy foods and drinks based on the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. We provide a positive eating environment that reflects cultural and family values, including the art of conversation at dinner. We encourage and promote lifelong learning for children, staff and families about healthy food choices. We also promote environmental awareness by reducing the amount of litter in lunch boxes. We do discourage the consumption of processed snack foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar and low in essential nutrients.
Therefore:
- We encourage children to recognise and choose more nutritious foods provided in their lunchbox, such as sandwiches, fruit, cheese and yoghurt as their first choice
- Parents are asked to limit sometimes food to once per week. It’s preferable that sometimes foods are something that you make with your child. Eg: a pikelet, a small muffin or a small biscuit
- Parents are asked to be considerate of the environment by eliminating gladwrap or clingwrap – instead placing sandwiches and other foods in child friendly containers, ensuring that our lunches are litter-free
- A register of food allergies in children and staff is maintained
- High standards of hygiene are maintained throughout food handling
- Food will not be heated for children
- Water is available for children who forget their water bottle
- Staff members sit with the children at mealtimes and foster self-help skills, manners and maintain a pleasant sociable atmosphere
- Parents will be advised if their child isn’t eating well
- Cooking activities within the Preschool will be a regular part of the program
- Please do not bring nuts, chocolate or foods containing chocolate such as choc-chip muesli bars or chocolate biscuits, lollies, roll ups, chips, cordial, fruit juice, nuts, peanut butter or nutella.
All lunch boxes are refrigerated throughout the day. When on Bush Kindy we ask all families to ensure they have an ice-pack with their child’s lunch box to keep food cold whilst out and about exploring.
Healthy Lunchbox Ideas
We understand that packed lunches can get a little boring from time to time. Below are
some ideas to help you. We also try to include healthy eating and recipe ideas in each of our newsletters.
Fresh fruit – if you cut fruit into bite sized pieces your child will be much more likely to eat it…… except bananas….they’re much to fun to open fresh!
Vegetables – try carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, capsicum or cucumber. You can even include a small container of dip, cream cheese, cottage cheese or hummus.
Yoghurt – buy yoghurts in larger tubs and scoop a small amount into a container for your child each day. Dairy desserts are not yoghurt.
Cheese and crackers – remember fresh is best so cut up a few cubes of cheese and add some rice crackers or plain crackers.
Wraps – can be much easier to prepare than a sandwich. All you need is a small whole-wheat wrap, spread with a thin layer of mayo or butter. Add your child’s favorite meat on top; along with any salad items and grated cheese. Roll into a tight log.
Interesting Breads – bagels, pita bread, pumpkin bread, fruit loaf, buns and rolls, rice cakes and corn thins or crisp bread.
Soup – on colder days, pack a small soup thermos with chicken noodle soup and add cheese and crackers as a snack. (don’t forget, we are unable to heat food at Preschool) Ham and Cheese Rollies – what about cheese and ham slices rolled together and secured with a toothpick?
Snacks – hard boiled eggs, nut free trail mix, and homemade mini quiches are also great nutritious snacks.
Water – is the only drink your child needs at preschool.