Promoting Health and Hygiene Policy

Healthy Eating

The Nursery regards snack and meal times as an important part of our day. Meal time represents a social time where children can learn about healthy eating.

The Nursery provides snacks and meals which are healthy and meet children’s individual dietary needs. The nursery follows a 5 weekly rolling menu that follows all relevant guidance on healthy eating in children and young people.

We recognise that healthier children learn more effectively and we strive to have an impact on health-related issues such as obesity and poor dental health which are significant factors not only nationally but particularly in Derbyshire.

We understand that early food experiences have an important effect on adult eating patterns and may influence attitudes to eating, so Scallywags is committed to ensure that the provided food supports the development of healthy eating practices in future.

Aim of Policy

This policy is in place to inform parents and team members about nutrition and mealtimes at Scallywags. It is in place to help identify and cater for individual food requirements and to promote healthy eating in a relaxed atmosphere.

Information about setting

Scallywags is a small chain of two private nurseries, offering full time and part time places.

Most of the children attend full day (1-5 days/week) sessions. Nursery also provides a small number of only governments funded part-time sessions (see relevant policy).

We provide carefully planned, cooked on site 5-weeks-menu of 3 meals and 2 snacks per day.

The Nursery menu is displayed in the children’s rooms and individual copies can be provided for parents on request and can be found on our website.

Scallywags promotes healthy eating and oral health using resources within the nursery - informative displays, leaflets and printed booklets.

Under the Food Safety Act, 1990, persons preparing food are holding a food hygiene certificates or have been given training in the food hygiene procedures of the Nursery.

Development and implementation of the food policy

Aspects of Healthy Eating are raised with parents in a number of ways, including written information, displays, surveys and conversations with key staff.

Menus are planned in advance, and parents and children are encouraged to contribute menu suggestions.

All food is prepared on site from scratch by experienced cooks. All cooks have Food Hygiene level 2 certificates which are renewed every 3 years.

As a source, we use Morrisons and Booker Cash and Carry and have deliveries twice a week to ensure fresh food and fruit/vegetables supply.

The Healthy Eating Policy is available on request and parents are invited to comment. For the staff we hold regular meetings to ensure good knowledge of healthy eating topics and to inform about issues and changes.

The policy will be reviewed annually and the impact will also be assessed.

Information about eating environment

Meals are served for every group of children in their room. Older children’s independence is encouraged by letting them take turns to hand out plates, cups, cutlery etc, then wash up, dry up and wipe the table after the meal if appropriate to their age and development.

Children sit together and are encouraged to pour their own drinks, serve, cut food as appropriate and then to clear away after they have finished. Cups, bowls and spoons are later washed by an adult in the kitchen to maintain hygiene standards.

Whilst children are eating there is always a member of staff in the room with a valid paediatric first aid certificate and where possible staff always sit facing children when they are eating.

Children, if they are slow eaters, are never rushed to finish their meal and children are discouraged from over filling their months and given plenty of time to eat slowly.

Staff are encouraged to model good eating habits by sitting and eating meals with the children. Practitioners initiate a lot of conversation, table manners, and use of words such as ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ during meal times.

The areas, where children eat, is clean and bright- all tables are cleaned before every meal with disinfectant and children are sat in appropriate seats inline with their age and development.

In or near the bathroom areas there are pictures relating to healthy practices such as hand washing.

The Nursery uses meals and snack times to help children to develop independence through making choices, serving food and drink and feeding themselves. Staff encourage children to try a bit of everything, but not make a fuss if they don’t want to. If the child shows fussiness about the offered meal, staff prompt children to eat the ‘healthy’ components of their meal before any ‘treats’. Children are praised when they try something new.

Water is available for children to help themselves throughout the day and additional water is provided (offered frequently) outside when the weather is hot.

Information on meals, snacks and drinks provided

The Nursery Manager has completed her training on providing healthy and nutritious meals and snacks, and used guidelines from this training to compile a five-week menu. The menu complies with the guidelines on providing a balance of starchy foods, protein, dairy and fruit and vegetables.

The Nursery organises meals and snack times so that they are social occasions in which children and staff participate.

The Nursery provides children with utensils that are appropriate for their ages and stages of development.

Nursery staff will provide feedback to parents regarding how their children have eaten through feedback sheets or verbal accounts at the end of each child’s day.

Menu Planning

Menus are designed to:

Include a variety of foods to ensure a balanced diet.
Accommodate dietary needs, including allergies, intolerances, and cultural preferences.
Be reviewed regularly to reflect seasonal availability and nutritional guidelines.
Offer suitable alternatives for children with allergies or dietary restrictions.
Introduce new menu cycles at least twice a year to expose children to new foods, tastes, and textures.
Incorporate feedback from families and children when planning new menu cycles.

Example menus and recipes on government websites are used and followed to assist our planning.

Meals/snacks

Nursery provides three meals and two snacks in between them.

· Breakfast is served between 7.30am and 9.00am, to ensure that everyone has time to have a breakfast.

· Morning snack is at 10.30am

· Lunch-12.00

· Afternoon snack is at 2.00pm

· Dinner-3.45pm

We offer fresh fruit and vegetables every day for a snack and all other meals enhanced with a wide offer of fresh and cooked vegetables and salads.

The Nursery menu includes a variety of foods from the four main food groups:

· Meat, fish and protein alternatives

· Dairy foods

· Grains, cereals and starch vegetables

· Fruit and vegetables

The Nursery takes care not to provide foods which contain nuts or nut products and is especially vigilant where we have a child or adult who has a known allergy to nuts.

We provide nutritious food at all snack and meal times, avoiding large quantities of fat, sugar and salt and artificial additives, preservatives and colourings- low salt and sugar varieties are purchased and tinned vegetables and fish are in spring water rather than oil or salted water.

At the table children are asked to take a small portion initially and then they can have more, if they wish. Children are encouraged to eat all what they put onto their plates by themselves.

Practitioners make notes how much every child eats- detailed reports will be given to parents in the evening. If a child constantly eats little or disposes of large amounts of food, the practitioners are advised to express their concerns to the nominated person for Healthy Eating (Nursery Chef) or a member of the Management Team.

The Nursery includes foods from the diet of each of the children’s cultural backgrounds, providing children with familiar foods and introducing them to new ones.

The Nursery provides a meat/fish option every day and a vegetarian alternative.

Depending on availability, children are offered a variety of different options for a snack throughout the week: vegetables/fruit (apples, carrots, oranges, pears, tomatoes, strawberries, bananas, etc.) for the snacks.

Individual dietary requirements required for medical or cultural reasons will be respected and, where possible, catered for.

Parents are encouraged to work with the Nursery Management Team creating the menu which is mostly suitable for all children (and their child individually). There is no requirement for parents to provide food for the child from home. If food Is provided from home, it needs to follow the same guidance that nursery follows and contain health options. All food brought in from home must be checked by a member of staff before giving it to the child. If the food contains things that we do not have on site (e.g., nuts) this will not be given to the child and sent home at the end of the day. Any lunch boxes brought in from home, will use a separate table for meals away from children that are taking the nursery meal.

All eating problems (like fussy eating) will be discussed in a supportive and sensitive manner- offered strategies, courses in local Children centres, close monitoring and daily feedback for parents. All exemptions should be discussed and agreed prior to any further actions.

We will gather information from parents regarding their children’s dietary needs, including any allergies, during initial conversation on accepting the child to the Nursery. Where appropriate we will work alongside parents to put into place an individual diet plan for their child in a way to define possible allergies, while at the same time encouraging parents to get the allergy source confirmed by the doctor.

Drinks

The Nursery provides cow’s milk and oat drink for children with lactose intolerance.

All children in the Nursery are offered milk every day alongside their daily meals.

Water is freely available to all children and staff. Children are encouraged often to have a drink, especially on hot days.

No other drinks are offered to children instead of milk or water.

Food Allergies and special dietary requirements

The Nursery follows these procedures to promote healthy eating for children with special dietary requirements/allergies/intolerance. Also, we understand the importance to maintaining high standards of safety to ensure that children with special requirements are safe and secure.

Before a child starts at the Nursery, parents provide details about their child’s dietary needs and preferences, including any allergies.

During the child’s first hour session at Scallywags, we obtain information about any special dietary requirements, preferences, food allergies and intolerances that the child has, and any special health requirements and a weaning checklist is completed. This information is then shared with all staff involved in the preparing and handling of food for that child.

Scallywags have ongoing discussions with parents and/or carers and, where appropriate, health professionals to develop allergy action plans for managing any known allergies and intolerances and these are reviewed as a minimum every 3 months and all updates are shared with staff. Weaning checklists are also updated as a minimum when children move between rooms across the nursery. They may be updated more as needed for each individual child. All updated checklists are shared with all staff caring for the child.

Scallywags put allergens and first aid training in place for all staff to ensure that all staff are aware of the symptoms and treatments for allergies and anaphylaxis, the differences between allergies and intolerances and that children can develop allergies at any time, especially during the introduction of solid foods. If we believe a child is having an unknown allergic reaction, depending of the severity of the reaction, the child’s parents may be called first or we may call 999. For all children that have known allergies, medication is kept onsite and administered in accordance with the child’s care plan that is signed by the parents.

Each child’s dietary needs are recorded in the Children’s Personal Details Record and Food Allergies folder, where parents sign the form to confirm that dietary information is correct.

Parents are regularly consulted to ensure that the records of their children’s dietary needs are up-to-date. Parents sign the updated record to confirm that dietary information is correct.

The Nursery displays current dietary information about individual children in rooms and in the kitchen, so that all staff fully informed of them.

The whole team of management, practitioners, assistants and cooks must stay vigilant and clearly communicate with each other when taking food from the kitchen and delivering to children at the table:

· Management must keep “allergies folder”, information in the kitchen and rooms up to date

· The cooks must check the daily children register to see who is in each day and information held in the kitchen. If information is different - raise the concern in the office immediately.

· For additional awareness use colour coded plates/bowls for allergies or dietary requirements (PURPLE).

· Assistant/practitioner, before delivering the food to the room, must check what children present at the meal time and precisely ask cooks for a personalised dish (ON A PURPLE PLATE) (see policy 1.16D Allergies and Intolerances).

· When delivered to the rooms, meals must be served with extra care and awareness for allergies and intolerances.

The Nursery implements systems to ensure that children only receive food and drink that is consistent with their dietary needs and preferences, as well as their parents’ wishes (see policy 1.16D Allergies and Intolerances).

The Nursery takes care not to provide foods which contain nuts or nut products and are especially vigilant where we have a child or adult who has a known allergy to nuts.

Nursery staff will show sensitivity in providing for children’s diets and allergies. Staff must not use a child’s diet or allergy as a label for the child, or make the child feel singled out because of his/her diet or allergy.

Nursery staff will provide feedback to parents regarding how their children have eaten verbally at the end of the day.

In case of any incident in following dietary requirements, inform parents immediately and follow parents’ advice provided. In case of an emergency, 999 must be called first.

Celebration of birthdays and special occasions

Celebrations are ideal for encouraging children to look for and to talk about kindness to others, sharing and to celebrate their family events and achievements. This could be done, for example, at birthdays, Mothers’, Fathers’ and Grandparents’ Day and also at circle times.

Parents are not encouraged to bring in any food for birthdays or special occasions. However, if they feel it is necessary, then they are permitted to bring in fruit/ fresh vegetables or a gift for each child.

Food preparation, storage and food safety

Scallywags Nursery is committed to ensure that safe and healthy practices around the storage, preparation and service of food are maintained throughout the setting.

It is the responsibility of the manager and deputy Manager to ensure that all members of staff, involved in food preparation, are fully trained in Food Hygiene and that all members of staff understand and implement the policy.

It is the responsibility of all members of staff to ensure that safe practices are maintained in the preparation and storage of food and that all food hygiene practices comply with relevant legislation, training and policy.

Food / Meal Safety

All food must always be prepared in a way to prevent choking, for example:

Carrots, apples (raw, hard) → Grate, cook until soft, or cut into thin matchsticks
Bananas, avocados → Mash or cut into small, manageable pieces
Bread → Offer small pieces; avoid chunks of chewy or crusty bread
Crackers → Choose soft or dissolvable types for younger kids
Cheese → Cut into thin strips or shred; avoid large chunks
Meat/chicken → Shred or finely chop; avoid tough or dry cuts

When a child experiences a choking incident that requires intervention, Scallywags records details of where and how the child choked and ensure parents and/or carers are made aware at collection or via a phone call following the incident. The records are reviewed periodically to identify if there are trends or common features of incidents that could be addressed to reduce the risk of choking and appropriate action is taken to address any identified concerns.

Babies and young children are always seated safely in a highchair or appropriately sized low chair while eating. All meals take place in each play room in the designated eating space.

To ensure children are safe when eating, children are always within sight and hearing of a member of staff whilst eating as choking can be completely silent, therefore, it is important for all staff to be alert to when a child may be starting to choke. Where possible, staff should sit facing children whilst they eat, so they can make sure children are eating in a way to prevent choking and so they can prevent food sharing and be aware of any unexpected allergic reactions.

Personal Hygiene

The setting has set high standards of personal hygiene for all members of staff involved in the handling and preparation of food.

Members of staff will be responsible for ensuring that any children involved with preparation of snack, follow strict hygiene procedures (e.g., hand washing before handling food). In addition, any person showing signs of ill health will not be permitted to handle food.

Food deliveries

Food for the Nursery is ordered and delivered twice a week to ensure freshness of meats and vegetables/fruit.

For main suppliers we have chosen Morrisons and Booker cash and carry.

Responsibilities:

· The Nursery cooks are responsible for planning food orders - this is done very thoroughly to prevent food waste.

· The Nursery cooks, together with the Manager / Deputy Manager, accept deliveries, check dates, quantities and qualities of delivered goods.

Temperature Control

It is the policy to ensure that any and all foods are stored according to safe food handling practices and at the correct temperature in order to prevent the growth and multiplication of food poisoning organisms, to reduce the rate of food spoilage and to ensure that food quality is maintained.

It is the policy of Scallywags to check and record fridge temperatures on a daily basis to ensure that the correct temperature is maintained (reminder of correct temperatures is on the fridge door as a sticker) – this is done daily by cooks.

The Nursery Manager / Deputy Manager and Nursery chef is responsible for monitoring morning and end of day checks and at the end of each month.

Food storage

All food is stored in the kitchen / food storage sheds.

The kitchen is supplied with a fridge for fresh, freezer-for frozen foods. High shelves and cupboards- to keep dry foods.

Cooks themselves are responsible for cleanliness of all storages- cleanliness must be maintained daily by cleaning any spills immediately. Twice a year the more thorough cleaning is advised.

Food preparation areas

All meals and snacks are prepared in the kitchen by qualified/trained members of staff. At each mealtime

and snack time the staff member preparing the food is responsible for checking that the food being provided meets all the requirements for each child. This would normally be the main kitchen for meals and staff in the room where the child is for snacks. All rooms have a detailed logs of all children dietary requirements and request.

All surfaces are cleaned before and after any food handling, colour coded chopping boards are used to avoid any food contamination.

If snack preparation is used as children’s cooking activity - strict hygiene rules are followed in the rooms too (tables cleaned, aprons, gloves and cooks’ hats are used).

Staff qualifications

Under the Food Safety Act, 1990, persons preparing food must hold Food Hygiene certificates or have been given initial training in the food hygiene procedures of the Nursery.

Welcoming Atmosphere for Breastfeeding Families

Breastfeeding will be regarded as the normal way to feed babies and young children.

Mothers will be enabled and supported to breastfeed their infants in all public areas of premises whilst acknowledging that some mothers may prefer to feed in private. For private breastfeeding we have a cosy room that can be used.

Posters in all public areas of the facility will inform users of this policy and of them welcome to breastfeed.

Employees of Scallywags, who return to work whilst breastfeeding, will be supported in the continuation and maintenance of their lactation via expression of breast milk within a safe environment.

Bottle Feeding:

· Babies will never be left unsupervised. A member of staff (if possible, their key person) should hold the baby and sit on the armchair in the baby-room.

· Staff are not required to wear gloves or aprons when feeding bottles to babies as it is important to make them feel comfortable and to feed them in a ‘home like’ environment.

Introducing solid food

All mothers will be encouraged to breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months and then as a complement to appropriate solid foods until 2 years or beyond, as mother and baby desire. They should be informed that solid foods are not recommended for babies under six months (UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative 2008).

All information and resources about the introduction of solid foods should reflect the Department of Health recommendations.

All parents, during their induction to the Nursery, will have a discussion (provision of booklets) about when and how to introduce solid food including:

· that solid food should be started at around six months

· babies’ signs of developmental readiness for solid food

· how to introduce solid food to babies

· appropriate foods for babies

· where to access additional information about the introduction of solids

Procedures:

Babies are introduced to solid foods no earlier than 6 months.

When a child is ready to start weaning, the team will allow them to experiment with different flavours and textures, based on their nutritional needs.

Food for babies through the weaning stages will be provided. The child’s key person will discuss with parents the individual needs for their child and the nominated person for Healthy Eating (Chef / Nursery Manager) will be sure that the child receives individualised meals.

Scallywags have ongoing discussions with parents and/or carers about the stage their child is at in regard to introducing solid foods, including to understand the textures the child is familiar with. Assumptions are not be made based on age.

Scallywags prepare food in a suitable way for each child’s individual developmental needs, working with parents and/or carers to help children move on to the next stage at a pace right for the child.

The Nursery will prepare formula milk and endeavour to follow baby’s home feeding routines. The Baby Room has a dedicated milk preparation area and we can also store and prepare bottles of expressed milk if you’re breastfeeding.

Food for under 1’s is freshly prepared on site, following National health guidelines. Salt and sugar are not put into dishes prepared for babies.

Staff are encouraged to promote a welcoming social environment during the meals’ time, be open to answer to parents’ questions and sign post to GP or local Children Centres as required.

How does the policy link in with the curriculum and EYFS

Learning about food is integrated into our educational planning in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. Staff are encouraged to attend training (Nutrition and wellbeing award) about healthy eating, also participate in staff meetings where practical ideas and encouragement is provided.

Practitioners are encouraged to use every opportunity to talk about healthy food and lifestyles during the day- during the free play, meal times or planned activities.

PSED (Personal, Social and Emotional Development)

· Meal times offer children experiences to taste different foods, overcome dislikes and learn how to share.

· Cooking activities offer opportunities for learning through working with others and increasing self-esteem

PD (Physical Development)

· Fine and gross motor skills can be developed through activities such as gardening, using knives and forks, preparing food and washing up.

· Mealtimes can be used to help children make healthy food choices.

L (Literacy)

· Many stories involve food. We use these to learn about ingredients, where food comes from (growing in the garden, harvesting and cooking and eating), and about food for special occasions from different cultures.

· Language can be developed and senses explored through discussing and describing the taste, texture, size, look and smell of food.

M (Mathematics)

· Activities such as counting out spoons or pieces of fruit when setting the table at snack time can support numeracy skills.

· Sorting and matching foods into different types can help promote organisational skills and reasoning.

CL (Communication and Language)

· Sitting together around the table is a good way to teach conversation and social skills such as looking after neighbours.

UW (Understanding the World)

· Food tasting activities teach children about ingredients, the seasons and where food comes from including food from different cultures.

· Growing fruit and vegetables teaches children where food comes from, life cycles, about gardening and looking after plants, and it’s a good form of physical activity.

EAD (Expressive Arts and Design)

· Art activities can encourage children with food and alert them to colours and shapes.

Cooking with children

Cooking with children is an enjoyable activity and an effective way to encourage all children to try and eat a wide range of foods. Practitioners are encouraged to do cooking activities at least once a week.

Recipes are chosen to promote and encourage healthy diets, and extend family experiences. All recipes involve mixing, combining and assembling activities such as dips, cupcakes and scones, layered fruit and yoghurt pots.

Activities are well planned to be as safe as possible. Children may need help from their adult and the activity is carefully supervised by staff. In the event sweet foods such as cakes or biscuits are made these are eaten here as part of a meal, or taken home to do so, to best protect dental health.

Protecting children’s health- being active

The nursery takes seriously the responsibility to protect children’s health, including helping children to maintain a healthy weight as they grow, and encouraging breastfeeding and good dental practices.

Scallywags promotes health and development in relation to diet and being active in relation to maintaining a healthy weight. We signpost parents to health professionals if there is a known concern that a child is gaining weight too rapidly or is growing too slowly, or if there are concerns about a child’s eating behaviour for dietary advice.

Regular physical activity during the early years provides immediate and long-term benefits for physical and psychological well-being. We actively and through displays promote that all children aged under five years should minimise the amount of time spent being sedentary (being restrained or sitting) for extended periods (except time spent sleeping).

We include physical activity in all sessions, e.g., walking, active play and games, and offer some purely physical activity sessions too. Children are more likely to maintain a healthy weight if they are physically active for at least 180 minutes (three hours) each day, as recommended for children aged under five years in the UK (Department of Health). The nursery encourages practitioners to use outdoors areas as much as weather permits by promoting a free flow between the room and outdoors or organizing outdoors’ time at least for 2 hours per day in colder seasons.

Provision for staff

Staff are encouraged to eat Nurseries food (by making it at low cost and affordable) sitting together with children and showing a good example of table manners and supporting them to try new foods and learn about healthy eating.

Communicating the policy to parents

Nursery strives to promote healthy eating habits and good nutrition amongst children and their families by creating displays, offering leaflets, by daily chats and organised parents’ evenings, where we share

Nurseries philosophy and explain how healthy eating and good nutrition are integral part of the curriculum for children.

Nursery displays weekly menus where families can see them (in every room and copies may be obtained in the office to take home) and highlights the nutritional value when and where possible.

Nursery actively offers information to families, and anyone entering the setting, about local services, agencies and other resources in the community which promote a healthy lifestyle.