At Grow Early Education it is our priority to work with families to support and encourage healthy eating for children in our care. Our centre menus, prepared by professionally qualified Chefs are age and development appropriate and include a wide variety of nutritious food of different tastes and textures consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines. We use seasonal and local produce and ensure that our menus provide more than half a child’s daily nutrition requirements.

What if my child has Special Dietary Needs?

Some children may have very specific food requirements due to allergies/food intolerances, their cultural background or other family preferences. We work in consultation with all families to make sure individual children’s needs are met as part of our menu planning process.

Mealtimes provide an important opportunity for children to develop good eating habits and learn about nutrition and food variety. They are also an important time for social interaction with other children and adults.

Our Educators adopt meal time strategies to teach children about good nutrition. These include;

• Involving children in creating a healthy menu
• Encouraging younger children and toddlers to talk about healthy food choices
• Providing children with opportunities to eat food and engage in the mealtime routines of different cultures
• Talking with children about nutritious food during mealtimes. Our Educators also model healthy eating practices for children
• Making sure mealtimes are pleasant occasions, where children and staff can socialise with each other