Food, glorious food!

We recognise the important role we play in promoting healthy eating for children in our care. Healthy eating habits are established early in life and are carried through to adulthood. We like to make mealtimes fun, educational and healthy.

Our food philosophy

Elwood Children’s Centre has adopted a whole-service approach to healthy eating. We seize every day opportunities to educate children, families and staff on healthy eating habits. For example, we:

• Grow our own food in our veggie garden and use this produce in our cooking;

• Develop our menus in conjunction with families;

• Take into account seasonal variations and advice from Nutrition Australia;

• Involve the children in preparation of food, setting the table and cleaning up after mealtimes;

• Pass on healthy eating resources to parents; and,

• Teach the children about healthy eating through games, discussions and activities.

Where does our food come from?

We see children as active participants in the world around them. This includes decisions around meal planning, preparation and eating! In our 4 year old Kindergarten program the children learn about where our food comes from and ‘food miles’. Environmental sustainability is a big focus area and the children enjoy learning about how to take care of the environment. Extending on this topic area, the children learn about where our food comes from and how to plan and prepare a meal. The Kinder children have the opportunity to connect with the local community and visit our local supermarket.

It was a great learning experience and the children felt a real sense of contribution to their world.

Our menu

Our menu is healthy, wholesome, seasonally appropriate and fun! We develop our menu in partnership with parents and Nutrition Australia, making sure the children eat what they like and what is best for their growing minds and bodies. We change our menu every six months to ensure we are keeping up with seasonal variations and changing tastes.