Meals, Snacks and Beverages Provided

 

A nutritious morning and afternoon snack, as well as a midday meal, are provided daily along with water and milk (toddlers will be served homogenized milk). Our six-week, rotating menu plans are posted for your review. We see mealtimes as a relaxing, social, and of course tummy-filling time of the day. The teachers sit with the children during meals and snacks and role-model good eating habits. Large servings can deter fussy eaters therefore children are served small portions of everything, to begin with, and will be served more if requested within the Canada Food Guide recommendation. Children are encouraged to try everything served but are never forced to eat. Staff will work with parents to track changes in eating behaviour that may indicate the development of allergies or changes in health.

 

Our kitchen facilities and general facilities are inspected and monitored by the Region of Waterloo Public Health Unit. You can see our history of inspections on their website: http://chd.region.waterloo.on.ca/en/index.asp

 

Allergies

If your child has and/or develops any special dietary restrictions or allergies, please notify the office in writing as soon as possible. Your child's allergies/restrictions will be posted in all eating and food preparation areas and emergency binders to ensure that his/her dietary needs are met by the team no matter where they may be.

 

Our centre cook will work with parents to accommodate children with food allergies and doctor-ordered

 or religious restrictions to our menu through the removal of ingredients. The centre will provide water and cow's milk at snack/mealtime.

 

Parent Responsibilities:

When parents are supplying us with a substitution from home, the following criteria must be met:

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1. It must be replacing the same nutritional value of the items being replaced.

2. It must be labelled with the child’s name and the date it is arriving at the childcare.

3. It must be in small portion sizes (i.e., a one-litre container of milk, one container with a full meal replacement.). The kitchen has limited storage and at times there may be many children with replacements.

4. The parent must look at the allergy listing at the entrance to ensure that their substitution does not contain another child’s life-threatening allergen.

 

Peanut & Nut Safe Center (Anaphylaxis Warnings)

 

We are making every reasonable effort to make our centre a peanut and nut-safe zone. However, we cannot control outside people’s actions. Oil from nut products can stay on the skin or surfaces for an extended period. Sometimes nut allergies, as well as allergies or reactions to other allergens may result in a child needing an EpiPen. If we have children with EpiPens in the centre, the allergens will be posted for all parents to avoid if possible. Please help us to keep the environment safe for all children who attend. If your child develops a severe allergy, please advise the supervisor as soon as possible, so we can create a medical care plan and take the necessary steps for communication and safety.

 

For the safety of at-risk children, we request that parents feed their children breakfast before arriving at the centre. Please do not send any food or drink to school with your child unless written medical/religious instructions have been given to the centre. Copies of your written instructions will be in all classrooms, playgrounds, kitchen, and common areas.

 

Birthdays and other Special Occasions

 

Your child’s birthday is a very joyous occasion and deserves a celebration! Children are always excited to share the celebration with their classmates. You may wish to bring in a special nutritious treat for snack time. Please discuss classroom allergies with your child’s teacher prior to choosing a treat. All treats must be store-bought and follow Canada’s Food Guide with a complete list of ingredients must be provided to the Supervisor prior to the celebration. We would suggest such treats as banana bread, healthy cookies, and ice cream cones. As always parents are encouraged to join in the fun if you are able or send in a disposable camera to capture the celebration. Please do not send in expensive cameras or video equipment, as Tender Loving Daycare, Cambridge, cannot accept responsibility for its safety.

 

The Ministry of Health requires that all changes to our menu must be posted 24 hours in advance of the proposed change. Unfortunately, 'surprise treats' with no prior knowledge cannot be served to the children. To avoid disappointment please ensure that you remember to discuss your plans for birthdays or other special occasions with the centre supervisor and your child's teachers before bringing in treats.

 

Tender Loving Daycare cannot be responsible for any personal belongings including gifts brought into the centre. Therefore, we request that any celebration is in "Best Wishes" only. The exchange of gifts should be reserved for celebrations in the home. For safety reasons please do not send in latex balloons, candles, sparklers, or other fire / choking hazards