At Kids College we provide the very best quality in all areas of childcare and teaching. We are all cognizant that this expands into all facets of what we do. Not just our education and care are exceptional but our menu is too. Each body is only as strong as the fuel that powers it. A massive factor in our every day lives is providing great quality food to fuel those fires for learning.A healthy brain provides a strong foundation for learning, behaviour and positive mental health. Research has found that nurturing and responsive relationships help build healthy brains. Good nutrition is necessary for healthy brain development, especially during pregnancy and infancy. These are crucial periods for the formation of the brain. Everyday experiences and communication with caring and responsive adults are the keys to healthy brain development. New experiences and brain connections are developed through the senses of touch, smell, sight, and hearing. It is important to expose your child to new experiences and to reinforce positive experiences by repeating them. This will help make sure that the brain connections become strong and work better together.
MENUS AT KIDS COLLEGE
Kids College promotes healthy food and drink choices to children, while also encouraging children to eat to their own appetites, develop positive attitudes toward selecting food, and enjoy eating. We are proud to provide freshly cooked meals every day by our two qualified childcare chefs. Our menus are based on nutritional content and are balanced carefully to ensure our children get the very best food. We serve morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea with a six -rotation of menu’s so our children enjoy a good variety of tasty healthy food. Not just a lot of joy goes into our menu’s but science too and we were very proud when our Kids College menu’s nutritional value was analysed by a group of last year Dietetics students at 98% perfect.
DIVERSE NEEDS
We take into account the mixed bag of needs of our diverse children. Children and families are represented in our multicultural menus, as we enjoy a wide range of wonderful variety from all over the world. We are an allergy aware centre who provides for the needs of children with anaphylaxis, asthma, allergies, religious beliefs and lifestyles. Every member of our staff team is trained in all these important issues.
FOLLOWING GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES
Kids College follow the Australian government’s ‘Get up and grow, healthy eating and physical activity for early childhood’ resources, which are informed by ‘The Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia incorporating The Infant Feeding Guidelines for Health Workers and the ‘National Physical Activity Recommendations for Children 0-5years’. Get up and Grow has guidelines and pamphlets for Directors/Coordinators, Staff and carer, cooking for children and a family book to ensure a consistency of messages throughout children’s lives. These resources can be found at http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/phd-early-childhood-nutrition-resources
We are encouraging a wide range of nutritious foods.
- eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits
- eat plenty of cereals (including breads, rice, pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain
- include lean meat, fish, poultry and/or alternatives
- include milks, yoghurts, cheeses and/or alternatives. Reduced-fat milks are not suitable for children under two years, because of their high energy needs, but reduced-fat varieties should be encouraged for older children and adolescents
- choose water as a drink
- limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake. Low-fat diets are not suitable for infants
- choose foods low in salt
- consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars.
HEALTHY EATING PLATE
Do you remember from past days the food pyramid? Healthy eating has been modernized now and we have a fantastic resource for teaching our staffing team, our families and the children themselves is ‘The Kids Healthy eating plate’. We were reflecting on our nutrition and found this family and children friendly idea that is modern, up to date and easily understood particularly in the classroom with the children. The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate is a visual guide to help educate and encourage children to eat well and keep moving. At a glance, the graphic features examples of best-choice foods to inspire the selection of healthy meals and snacks, and it emphasizes physical activity as part of the equation for staying healthy.
Eating a variety of foods keeps our meals interesting and flavourful. It’s also the key to a healthy and balanced diet because each food has a unique mix of nutrients—both macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein, and fat) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).
The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate was created by nutrition experts at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, based on the best available science, to enhance visual guidance. The Kid’s Plate reflects the same important messages as the healthy eating plate with a primary focus on diet quality, but is designed to further facilitate the teaching of healthy eating behaviors to children. The Healthy Eating Plate as a guide for creating healthy, balanced meals—whether served on a plate or packed in a lunch box. Put a copy on the refrigerator as a daily reminder to create healthy, balanced meals!
WHY IS NUTRITION SO IMPORTANT?
An estimated 28% of children and adolescents in Australia are overweight or obese. Also, being overweight and remaining so increases the chance of developing a range of medical conditions. For example, the rate of type 2 diabetes is continuing to rise in children and adolescents.
Quote from Kids College Philosophy
‘We have stringent hygiene, health, nutrition, maintenance, safety and protection standards.’
National Quality Standard
QA 2.1.3 Healthy eating and physical activity are promoted and appropriate for each child.
KIDS COLLEGE FAMILY
At Kids College we work each day embedding our values and philosophy into each facet of what we do. We continually improve our practices by critically reflecting and engaging in meaningful relationships with our community and for this we need your support and input. Make sure to follow Kids College Childcare on facebook, watch for our regular emails and keep an eye on our Kids College website. Join our Kids College family community and share in our vision of creating the very best childcare where children experience love, laughter and learning every day. You can reach us on Jennifer@kidscollege.com.auWith love, laughter and learning from your friends in the
‘village it takes to raise a child’
Teacher Jen and the Kids College Childcare family