Tiddlywinks Nursery School Nutrition Award
Encouraging a love of good nutritious food
At Tiddlywinks Nursery School we are passionate about serving a wide range of world foods that are nutritious with opportunities for healthy eating. We are committed to providing a balanced menu for children and staff members. Breakfast, lunch and high tea and snack are homemade on-site by qualified cook using fresh and locally sourced products that are balanced and reflect the variety of flavours and recipes of cultures and faiths from around the world. We strive to provide tasty low sugar, multi vegetable dietary fibre meals that will start a healthy journey of anti-inflammatory goodness whilst having due regard of dietary needs or food intolerances/allergies that will be catered for, offering some flexibility and alternatives. Our nursery menu has optional measures for vegan or vegetarian children which help cater for all additional needs.
We are aware that food and mealtimes can sometimes be quite a challenge for some children and their parents, therefore with the advanced training we have undertaken – Early Years Nutrient Partnership EYN Partnership and all staff members are also food hygiene trained, therefore we will be able to offer support and advice to promote positive eating habits during mealtimes.
Children are taught basic hygiene daily, washing their hands before and after meals, likewise for baking or food activities. Our children can participate in cooking or baking activities across the day, children become familiar with preparing food; discussions also take place about foods and where certain foods come from. Our pre-school children are able to self serve with guidance their own lunch and dessert mirrored in practice by our nursery teachers. Each child has a colour coded meal place mat with a photo attached of their face, helping children to recognise individual peer needs; each place mat included any allergies/ preferences a child may have. Tiddlywinks Nursery School Ltd provides each child with an indoor/ outdoor water beaker to promote being hydrated throughout the day.
Tiddlywinks Nursery School menu is 2 week based and changed accordingly in summer and winter season, providing more of a variety of cold and hot food.
Bury Council’s Food Safety Team and Bury Primary Care Trust’s Community Nutritionist designed the ‘Golden Apple Awards’ scheme to encourage healthy eating practices in nursery settings and to help prevent tooth decay, improve nutrition and improve hand hygiene amongst children in their care.
There are three grades within the 'Golden Apple Awards' scheme, Gold, Silver and Bronze.
Tiddlywinks Nursery School are proud to have been awarded the ‘Gold’ standard in our nursery settings. We understand the importance of good dental health and healthy eating.
The aims of the scheme are;
- To have a healthy snack policy - this promotes nutrition and dental health by reducing intakes of salt, fat and sugar while increasing the consumption of fruit, vegetables and carbohydrates;
- To encourage hand washing and establish good habits at an early age; and to improve the standards of food hygiene in childcare setting.
The Eatwell guide
The Eatwell Guide shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet. You do not need to achieve this balance with every meal, but try to get the balance right over a day or even a week.
The Eatwell Guide does not apply to children under the age of 2 because they have different nutritional needs.
Between the ages of 2 and 5, children should gradually move to eating foods based around the Eatwell guide and proportions shown in the Eatwell Guide.
Anyone with special dietary requirements or medical needs might want to check with a registered dietitian on how to adapt the Eatwell Guide to meet their individual needs.
How does the Eatwell Guide work?
The Eatwell Guide divides the foods we eat and drink into 5 main food groups. Try to choose a variety of different foods from each of the groups to help you get the wide range of nutrients your body needs to stay healthy.
During collection between 3PM – 6:20PM sliced fruit is available for all children to take home to contribute to the 5 a day nutrient, this allows all children to try and taste new fruits and become familiar with eating healthy balance diet both at the nursery setting and at home.
Tiddlywinks Nursery School provides each individual child with their very own labelled beaker filled with fresh water each day, this promotes the children to drink plenty of fluids as recommended by the government 6 to 8 cups or glasses a day. The beakers are cleaned and sanitized accordingly throughout the day and easy accessible at the children’s water stations both indoors and outdoors.
- You can find more information about The Eatwell Guide on the NHS website - CLICK HERE
Tiddlywinks Nursery School are laying the foundations using local dairy farms
- You can find more information about Cool Milk on their website - CLICK HERE
Tiddlywinks Nursery School Ramsbottom & Chadderton are laying the foundations using local dairy farms provided by ‘Cool Milk’ the UK’s leading school milk supplier, working in partnership with early year’s groups, schools and local authorities. They help to supply free and subsidised milk to children in pre-schools, nurseries and primary schools.
Tiddlywinks Nursery School are excited to have fresh produce of milk sourced from local farmers in our area daily, all children will be encouraged to try our milk during ‘milk break’ and learning about ‘where milk comes from’ and the health benefits for young children.
