Nutritional Information

At Tender Loving Daycare offering a well-balanced variety of foods is the first step in teaching our children the value of good nutrition. Children enrolled in the centre will be offered a morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack. Our menus have been reviewed with the Ministry of Health for approval and meet the Guidelines for Canada's Food Guide.

For the safety of at risk children all Tender Loving Daycares are nut-free centres. This includes but in not limited to peanuts and other nuts, peanut butter, food that has been prepared in any area that other nuts/nut products have been stored.

With this in mind, we ask that parent's do not send food into the centre unless previous arrangements have been made with the centre supervisor or nutritionist. All authorized arrangements will be made in writing and instructions for storage and serving will be posted. Any food or drink that is brought in by parents to meet special dietary requirements must also be clearly labeled with the child’s name and date of preparation.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and as such should be served at home prior to arrival at the centre. A small snack will be served in the morning to tide our early arrivers over until lunch time. Snack and meals times are posted at the centre.

Lunch and snacks will be served at the same time every day. Children are required to have used the washroom and washed their hands prior to the food arriving. Meal times offer opportunities for children to learn good eating habits and develop a positive approach to a variety of foods. Staff always sit with the children and encourage them to try the food offered to them. We never force a child to eat. offering each child a small portion to begin as large portions can deter fussy eaters. When a child has finished their first helping they will be offered more. Each child is allowed as many helpings of the main course as they wish until they are full. Dessert and snacks are to be offered in limited amounts to avoid spoiling children's appetites.

Tender Loving Daycare offers two rotational menus. One throughout the Spring/Summer and one for throughout the Fall/Winter months. Each selection of menus has a six week menu plan that is rotated through, throughout the season. Menus will be posted out front of the kitchen. Any substitutions to this menu will also be posted for parents allowing them to plan meals for home.

Staff will keep written records of the children's daily intake to help parents to monitor physical growth and note any changes in a child's eating habits or possible development of food allergies.

Week One	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Morning Snack	Cereal & Milk	Pears & Muffins	Oranges & Bagels with Cream Cheese	Yogurt & Bananas	Apples & Raisin Bread, Milk
Lunch	Curry Chicken, Brown Rice, Broccoli	Meat & Cheese Sub Sandwiches, Vegetable Sticks	Pork Chops, Fettuccine Alfredo, Green Beans	Scrambled Eggs, Chips (fries), Tossed Salad	Tuna on Pitas, Caesar Salad
Dessert	Applesauce	Bananas	Grapes	Melon	Oranges
Afternoon Snack	Soft Tacos with Salsa, Red & Green Peppers	Peaches, Oatmeal Cookies	Apples with Cinnamon, Rye Bread	Vegetable Sticks & Dip, Soda Crackers	Assorted Fruit, Ice Cream Cones