Guidelines

• Everyone will say a karakia together before eating. 

• Teachers/ Parents sit and supervise the children at morning tea and lunch. This ensures all children are eating safely and have finished eating before going to play. It also provides opportunities to talk about the foods eaten including the promotion of healthy eating.  We recognise the positive influence that teachers and parents can have as role models for healthy eating.

• Tikanga Māori practices relating to food should be understood by everyone within the kindergarten e.g. not sitting on tables and not using edible food in play.

• All children learn to wash their hands before eating and after toileting.

• There will be displays and information in newsletters about healthy and safe food ideas to educate families/whānau and children.  Formal and informal discussions are used to provide information to whānau.

• Lunchbox guidelines will be regularly promoted and included in enrolment packs for new families/whānau.

• Information on the Ministry of Health guidance document Reducing food-related choking for babies and young children at early learning centres will be provided to new families/whānau on enrolment. 

• Parent health education evenings will be held periodically. 

• Funds are allocated for healthy eating resources and nutrition professional development.

• Breastfeeding is supported by providing a comfortable supportive environment

• If foods are part of fundraising ventures they should be nutritious options where possible. Decisions will be made by the committee when required.

• Milk and water drinks are the only permitted options.  Juice and fizzy drinks are not permitted.

• We will promote best practices as set out in the Ministry of Health guidance including recommending and encouraging that high risk foods that cannot be altered (nuts, large seeds, chips, hard rice crackers, dried fruit, sausages, cheerios and popcorn) be excluded from lunch boxes and that other high risk foods (including apple, carrot, fruit with stones or seeds, peas, grapes, cherry tomatoes, cooked meat, salad vegetables, nut and seed butters, pineapple) be altered to reduce the choking risk.

• Lollies, chocolate and similar products are not acceptable in lunch boxes and will be removed and given back to parents. 

• The decision to exclude foods that cause allergic reactions in individual children will be determined on a case by case basis in consultation with parents/families/whānau and specialists.

• Treat foods are for special times like Cultural and special occasions such as birthdays, mihi whakatau, leaving days and will adhere to the Ministry of Health guidance document Reducing food-related choking for babies and young children at early learning centres. Teachers will take into account recent celebrations and will generally provide and suggest fruit to share.