Meal Planning
	St Paul’s provides healthy food for your children.
	We provide morning tea; lunch, afternoon tea and a late snack at 4.30pm for those children picked up late. Our meals are well planned and are nutritionally balanced. They look, smell and taste great and they are always healthy. Whilst your child is at Child Care a large part of their nutritional daily dietary requirements will be met. Our goal when preparing meals for young children is to provide food that maintains children's health by: - * Helping them to stay alert and energetic all day * Build strong bodies * Ward-off illnesses like colds and 'flu Healthy eating means providing bodies with a wide variety of foods everyday. Our centre believes nutritional meals are essential for the well being of children and to encourage good eating habits from an early age. We provide drinks that consist of either plain milk or water (given regularly at the centre), which has the most nutritional value available to children. It is important that breakfast is given to each child prior to arrival of a morning. It is believed that "The Human Body Works Best, If It Is Supplied With Top Quality Materials From The Diet". (Rosemary Stanton, 1990). Therefore it is our responsibility to introduce children to a consistent pattern of eating healthy foods. Most healthy foods taste great, so children are able to grow to know and enjoy healthy foods. It is therefore important and easy to provide a diet according to the Healthy Diet Pyramid. Ideas for Healthy Eating:- 1. Get them off to a good start. Provide a wide variety of foods for the family. 2. Fussy eater? Let them choose from a variety of healthy foods. 3. Don't forget leftovers like stir-fries, pasta, rice dishes and even potatoes. 4. Try frozen fruit at home - sliced banana, orange or grapes. 5. Beware of the juice junkie! Lots of water is best. 6. Set a good example - eat a wide variety of foods yourself. 7. Low fat diets are unsuitable for infants and young children. They need full fat dairy foods for growth and energy. Rosemary Stanton stated (1990), "Children who grow to know and love fine foods will get far more enjoyment out of eating than those who are confined by their early childhood experiences to the mundane tastes of fries and fast foods." Please inform the Director if your child has special dietary needs, as these can be met with your assistance. Most children with healthy appetites are ready to eat almost anything that is offered to them and a child rarely dislikes food unless it has been suggested to them. Special dietary needs do not include likes or dislikes. Under no circumstances shall a child be forced to eat. Summer and Winter menus are planned and are displayed for parents to see in each room. Parents find this helpful in organising home meals. Recipes are displayed daily. Please feel welcome to take a copy. Staff plan cooking with the children occasionally, which provides many enjoyable learning experiences. Foods from home must not be brought to the centre with the exception of birthday's etc and then prior notice must be given to the Group Leader to allow for special diets to be organised.