Nutrition and Meals
At Clovel, we believe that we have a responsibility to promote good nutrition for children in our care. As such, all Clovel Educators are familiar with hygiene standards, nutrition principles for children and food safety laws. Our childcare menu planning is centred around providing your child with healthy and nutritious meals that will keep their energy levels up throughout the day while feeding them as they grow.
Our team of experienced educators will work with each child to help them understand new food items and will even help them overcome aversions to certain foods without pushing them to eat what they don’t want to.
Healthy eating on childcare days is just as important to us as it is to you, and our team is dedicated to the health and well-being of your children with a diversified and well-thought-out menu available every day.
There is no denying the extensive list of benefits that come from a well-balanced diet which is why the focus within all of our preschool programs is to ensure that our Clovel children are always well-fed. Our childcare meals are always crafted with ultimate health and well-being at heart, and our approach is to deliver positive nutrients through the range of different foods we serve our children during the course of our weekly menus as well as our Special Day menus.
We believe that food can be as much a learning tool as science or numeracy. Our meal times in childcare are considered to be another part of your child’s learning journey. We use different textures and tastes that make up a healthy meal as a learning tool and a life skill that creates foundations for your child to build upon in the future. Our educators enthusiastically introduce foods that may be new to your child while taking into account any dietary requirements and food restrictions.
The food provided by Clovel plays an important role in the growth and development of your child from an overall health and strength perspective and in the development of positive future eating habits.
Healthy eating from a young age nurtures things like brain development while staving off potential future ailments like diabetes and obesity later in life.
At Clovel, though we can only contribute during the early learning years, we feel we have an essential role in providing childcare food that will help your young ones grow up happy and healthy.
We provide a child care meal plan that is designed to deliver all positive nutrients required by a growing child while being fresh and delicious for them to enjoy. Balancing enjoyment of food with an understanding of healthy eating is an important aspect of what we provide at Clovel Childcare Centres and an example of how our educators can contribute to a well-rounded early learning experience for your child.
Clovel is involved in the NSW Government Munch and Move Initiative that supports the healthy development of children from birth to 5 years and beyond by promoting physical activity, healthy eating and reduced small screen time.
Theresa Willett, Clovel’s Educational Leader and Compliance Manager coordinated the Clovel services involvement and training in the NSW Government’s Munch and Move Initiative. After Clovel’s assessment period Theresa was then invited to sit on the Munch and Move Advisory Board, a position she still holds today. The concept of introducing our young children to physical education and healthy eating is something that Theresa and Clovel are very passionate about and this is an area that Theresa is constantly researching and reviewing to ensure we are offering the best service to the children in our care. At Clovel we are very proud of Theresa’s involvement in the Munch and Move Initiative and her enthusiasm for this area of your child’s development.
Your child will be provided with a variety of foods such as vegetables, fruits, cereals, lean meats and dairy. These foods include a range of textures and tastes that are appropriate to the developmental stages of different age groups. Water is available at our Clovel water stations all day, and our educators actively encourage all children to remain hydrated throughout each day.
We pride ourselves on having the best childcare menu in Australia. We do our best to keep our Clovel children interested in the foods they are eating, with our menu changing frequently to pique their interest. We follow the latest research to incorporate nutritionally rich foods into our selection, and our childcare food menu planning is always in line with your child’s best interests. You can keep up to date with your child’s likes and dislikes as they grow on their healthy eating journey through our KindyHub communication tool and find some of the children’s favourite recipes on our blog.
In designing our menus, we commit to providing two-thirds of the recommended daily nutritional food intake for children less than 6 years of age. Your child will also be encouraged to drink water or light milk throughout the day. We will provide morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea each day.
In line with our Multicultural Program and Special Days, we also provide a hot meal for lunch on a regular basis. We still offer regular sandwiches on these days as some children do not like the hot meal option.
Our childcare centre menu accounts for all dietary needs, and we can cater for all types of allergies as well. We take great pride in knowing and understanding the needs of each and every child who attends preschool at one of our early learning centres.
For more information on our food service, including our long day care menu, please feel free to contact us anytime. Our team would be happy to walk you through every aspect of your child’s care with Clovel, from activities to meals to our wonderful preschool programs. We want every parent to feel as comfortable as possible entrusting their child’s care to our experienced team, so we welcome any and all questions you might have about our childcare meals.
Healthy eating in childcare is vitally important to our team. With a kitchen team dedicated to providing all the positive nutrients your child needs in this important stage of growth and development, we can be sure that we have one of the best menus available for your child to enjoy. We look closely at our long day care menu options to ensure that there is not too little or too much of any one thing. We aim to keep your child both healthy and interested in the food that is served at our childcare centres.
All Clovel Childcare Centres are certified in food safety and hygiene with yearly compliance checks being passed with flying colours. We value your child’s health and well-being in every aspect of their early learning education, from the programs we provide to our food handling practises to our child care menus. Our experienced kitchen team and passionate educators will always put our Clovel children first in every aspect of the time they spend at one of our childcare centres.
The meal plan in our child care centres is updated on an as-needed basis to ensure that the perfect nutritional balance is maintained for our children. We closely follow nutritional research so we can encourage the healthiest development for your child.
All allergies and special dietary requirements can be catered for at Clovel Childcare Centres. If a special menu is required for your child, our team of excellent educators will ensure they have access to all the foods they need.
Choosing your child’s childcare and early learning centre is one of the biggest decisions you will ever have to make for your child. If you have more questions for us or would like to book a tour of one of our centres, please fill out our form and we’ll be in touch!
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