Safeguarding:
The safety and wellbeing of children is important to us all. If you are concerned about any child talk to any member of staff or call our Family Support Team on 0121 777 2722.
All food provided at the nursery will contribute to an enjoyable, healthy, balanced diet and meet children’s individual needs.
Our nursery is part of the Startwell programme, wanting children to eat well, be active and achieve more. The Startwell programme is based around 8 key characters and their messages to help early year’s settings, parents and health professional create a healthier environment for our children and families.
Staff will be trained in basic nutrition and food safety and hygiene where appropriate. All staff will complete food safety level 1.
Healthy eating activities for children will be included as part of the education program of the nursery. Children will be encouraged to explore new and exciting foods they may not have previously been exposed to.
Where appropriate, healthy eating education will be offered to parents either informally or through workshops. Parents can also be signposted onto the HENRY program, which supports healthy eating routines.
The Springfield Project will create an environment that supports, normalizes, and encourages breastfeeding.
Children attending full-time must bring a packed lunch from home that follows the Startwell healthy eating guide. Chocolates, sweets, and fizzy drinks will not be allowed at nursery and will be sent back home.
Children will always be in sight and hearing of staff when eating, as children can choke silently and staff need to be aware of this and alert to when a child may begin to choke. When children are eating, there will always be a member of staff in the room with a valid paediatric first aid certificate. If a child does choke, this must be logged on an incident form and shared with parents.
Staff must prepare snack in a way which prevents choking, guidance is in the nursery kitchen.
The weekly menu for snacks will provide Nursery children with a tasty, varied diet-
Breadsticks & rice cakes, raisins, dried fruits, cheese, tinned and fresh fruit and vegetables. Toast on Fridays. Milk and water are provided.
Allergies will be recognized with alternatives being offered as needed.
Food provided by the nursery for children will meet current healthy eating guidelines and the amount of food that is high in fat, salt or sugar will be limited. Occasionally, the nursery may have a celebration where children will have party food. Whilst we provide ‘treats’ we will ensure they are lower fat options, and that healthy snacks are available too.
The eating environment provided by the nursery will be comfortable and relaxed and children will be given plenty of time to eat. Nursery recognises that this is a social time and an opportunity for children to learn about healthy eating and develop new skills such as serving food and drink and feeding themselves. Practitioners will sit and eat with children at snack time and will provide a good role model for healthy eating.
Utensils, tables and chairs will be appropriate for the ages and stages of the children.
Food and drink will not be used as a reward or punishment.
Parents are asked to only bring fruit and vegetables in for a childs birthday, and not cake or sweets.
All dairy products will be full fat. This contributes to each child’s daily nutritional requirements as they are different from an adult.
As part of the induction to the Nursery, parents will be asked to share information on their child’s dietary requirements (including any allergies). This information will be used when planning snack time. It is the parent’s responsibility to inform the nursery if this information changes. Staff must share this information with the whole team so that anyone preparing snack is aware of this, an allergy list is displayed in the nursery kitchen.
Drinking water will be always available to children in the Nursery that they may access independently.
Advice will be given to parents about suitable foods and drinks to bring from home for outings such as picnics and trips.
This policy was revised June 2025 by Nursery Manager
Review date: October 2025
