Nutrition Policies

Parents are responsible for providing two nutritious snacks and a nutritious lunch everyday. Please clearly labelled all your child’s containers with your child’s name to ensure he/she receives the correct mealtime products and that empty containers can be identified. This includes bottles, lunch kits, lunch bags, and any non-disposable containers brought from home.

To reduce the risk of choking, please ensure all food items are cut into small pieces or thin slices. Circular foods, such as grapes, carrots and hot dogs, should be cut into short strips rather than round pieces.

Infants

Bottles must be sent prepared and ready to heat and serve. Care will be taken when heating the bottles, including using a warm water bath instead of the microwave to reduce the potential for hot spots. It is suggested that 4 oz. bottles are used as staff cannot reheat or reserve formula.

Your infant’s meal and snack schedule will be flexible and based on his/her individual needs.

Once your child has reached the age of two, a plan for transition into regular snacks can be discussed with the room ECEs.

Preschool Children

Food should be sent in a lunch kit or lunch bag with an ice pack to keep your child’s lunch cold. Food must be sent prepared the way it is to be served to your child. A microwave is available to reheat lunches occasionally.

It is recommended that breakfast be served at home. However, when necessary, breakfast will be served to your child before 8:30 a.m. Please send a breakfast that is ready to eat. Exceptions may be made in unusual circumstances.

Due to peanut/nut allergies, the childcare centre is a nut aware centre. Please support us in providing a safe environment for children with nut allergies by ONLY sending 100% nut free products for lunch and special treats.

Please note, that this is not limited to peanuts. Nuts include (but are not limited to): almonds, cashews, pine nuts,
peanuts, Brazil nuts, etc.…
The following is a list of foods that are harmful due to allergies, potential choking hazards or have little or no
nutritional value.

Banned Food Items

Please do not send these items to childcare as staff are unable tom serve them:

• Nut or peanut products (i.e., peanut butter sandwiches, cookies, etc.)
• Seeds with shells on (i.e., sunflower seeds)
• Popcorn
• Sugary treats. This includes surgery cereals such as fruit loops, captain crunch, etc.
• Soda pop
• Hard candies, gummy candies, and other confectionary products
• Gum
• Chocolate bars, or treats with chocolate chips
• Potato chips
• Cough drops
• Fish with bones
• Snacks with toothpicks

Parents are responsible for providing two healthy snacks. Morning snack is scheduled for 8:30 to 8:45 a.m. and an afternoon snack at 3:00 p.m. Lunch is scheduled between 11:15-12:00 depending on the room your child is in.

Safe Food Handling

Bright Beginnings for Kids Inc considers the safety of your child to be our main priority. Some of our staff are trained in safe food handling procedures. Each room has access to a microwave to reheat /cook lunches for children. When packing your child’s lunch and snacks, include an ice pack and/or juice box to keep food cool, as we do not have refrigerator space for lunches.

If you are wanting to celebrate your child’s birthday at the centre, we ask that you discuss it with the room staff first so as you can be notified of any allergies or dietary restrictions children may have in the room. You can provide a “store” bought cake/cupcakes only, making sure its nut free, or another kind of store-bought treat. Unfortunately, we can not accept home baked goods (cakes, cookies, etc.) due to Provincial Health Regulations. Allergies can be life threatening and we make every effort to maintain a safe environment for both the children and the staff. We rely on parents/guardians to ensure that all food sent to the Centre meets the guidelines of the centre and your child’s room.

Allergies

Please notify the centre of all allergies your child has. If your child has a life-threatening allergy, a URIS health plan must be developed prior to you child attending/or returning to the centre so as we can ensure staff receive proper training/notification of the allergy(s) and treatment. Parents must provide an epi-pen for their child, to be kept at the centre, in case of emergency.

The Centre cannot be responsible for allergic reactions that may occur while children are in our care. Any allergies that your child has will be posted on site with a photo of your child and a list of their allergens beside. This makes it easy for the staff to identify during mealtimes.

Dietary Restrictions

Please notify your Centre of any dietary restrictions your child may have so that this information can be kept on record. We respect requests from parents/guardians regarding foods that meet religious requirements. Efforts will be made to accommodate these needs. Parents/guardians are required to bring food from home that meet their child’s dietary restrictions.

Hot Lunch Fundraiser

As an ongoing fundraiser, the centre offers a once-a-week hot lunch from January-June and September-December. The cost is $5.50 per child, per hot lunch. The Hot Lunch will include a food item from each of the food groups: breads & cereals, milk & milk products, meats & alternatives and fruit & vegetables. Parents may want to provide a beverage if a beverage is not noted on the lunch menu.

Children will have access to water throughout the day.

Clothing And Personal Belongings

Each child will be assigned a locker space to store his/her belongings. All the child’s personal belongings required for the day should be contained in a backpack or similar type of bag and hung on the hook or placed in the upper cupboard of their locker.

Upon arrival, parents are asked to place their child’s lunch bag in the laundry basket in their child’s room. Please ensure that lunches are marked with the child’s name to make sure that he/she receives the correct lunch. Your child’s lunch kit/bag will be placed back in their locker after their lunch meal is over.

Appropriate Outdoor Clothing

Winter:
Please send winter boots, a warm jacket, ski pants, hats, scarves, and mittens. Please remember that mittens and socks get wet; therefore, sending two pair of each would ensure your child’s comfort and participation in outdoor play.

Spring and Summer:
Please send sun hats, rubber boots, splash pants, raincoats, an extra pair of socks, and an extra set of clothing (as water play is a vital part of children’s play during these seasons).
During the hot summer months, a swimsuit, towel and water shoes are required.
Having appropriate clothing for the weather will enable your child to fully explore and learn while outdoors.

Autumn:
As the weather starts getting cooler, please provide a warm jacket, hat and a light pair of mittens.

Appropriate Dress And Change Of Clothing For Indoors

Preparing snack, pouring one’s own juice, and working on art creations daily often results in spills, spills, and more spills! Please do not send children in clothes that you value. Rather, send children in clothes that are conducive to exploration and discovery, as this can be a very messy task for children. Providing a change of clothes will allow your child to change out of clothes that have become wet or soiled to ensure that your child is comfortable and able to fully participate in the wonderful world of exploration.

Indoor/Outdoor Footwear

Please provide indoor and outdoor footwear. It is recommended that runners are worn for indoor play as children engage in large motor activities while indoors and running shoes provide the proper support and traction for busy bodies. In the event of an emergency evacuation, running shoes will also provide protection from the elements.

Diaper Changes

Disposable diapers/pull-ups and wet wipes are to be supplied by the parent and are stored in the provided cupboard space by the diaper change table. Staff change diapers mid-morning, before nap, after nap and whenever else it is needed.

Parents are responsible for checking their diapering supplies and ensuring that adequate supplies are maintained.

If your child is without diapers, staff may be required to purchase diapers. In this event, a diaper charge of $2.00 per diaper will be incurred, as outlined in the Fees section of this policy.

NAPPING CHILDREN

If your child naps during the day, please provide a blanket and/or any sleep aid that may be required to make your child comfortable. Blankets should be taken home to wash once a week for laundry.

The centre provides cribs for children less than 18 months of age and cots for children over 18 months.
Please ensure to label all items that you send with your child.