Lunch Bag Policy

Introduction:

Genesis Community Daycare Centre has developed a “Lunch Bag Policy,” as part of our licensing agreement with the Ministry of Community and Social Services, to assist the parents of our School Age Program and Camp Genesis participants to ensure that:

1) proper nutrition is being given to the children in our care,
2) our Anaphylaxis Policy is being followed, and
3) all food products are being properly transported and stored

Purpose:

It is the policy of the centre that we do not provide lunch for the children enrolled in the School Age Program or those who are enrolled in Camp Genesis. We do however, provide one snack per day. This snack is generally an afternoon snack for those children who would like something after school.

The School Age Rooms that we currently occupy are owned by, our neighbor, the Community Christian Reformed Church of Richmond Hill. It is the policy of the York Region Health Department that, due to not having immediate access to a sink in either room, we are unable to prepare, assemble or serve food within these rooms. For this reason, all School Age children must provide their own foods.

Good Nutrition:

All children need to have good nutrition as part of their well-balanced day in order to function and learn properly. While the School Age children are in our care, we permit them access to their lunch bags as they feel the need to eat. Although we do have scheduled snack and lunch times, some children need fuel more often than others. We do our best to encourage them to listen to their bodies and feed themselves as necessary. We do suggest that you prepare their lunch bags with this in mind, you know your child best.

We would like all children to have good nutritional habits while at the centre, whether during the school year or during our summer camp program.

By following the new Canada's Food Guide and taking into account proper serving sizes and daily amounts for your child, we will be able to build a stronger, healthier and more knowledgeable generation.

Breakfast:

All children should be given the opportunity to eat a well-balanced breakfast before they are made to leave the house however, we know that this is not always possible. Breakfast provides energy to carry out activities and increases mental alertness. Eating breakfast can improve memory, problem-solving skills and overall academic performance for our school children.

Breakfast routines will influence a child's eating habits now and later in life. Introducing a variety of great-tasting breakfast foods helps children develop good eating habits that will carry through to adulthood.

Snacks:

Often in the rush of the day we either do not have time for breakfast or breakfast is sometimes forgotten. Pack it as a morning snack! Some children prefer not to eat first thing in the morning and may need some time to feel hungry. Allow them to listen to their body and eat when they need.

The School Age Program and Camp Genesis allow for flexibility with the children when it comes to eating. By the time children are enrolled in either program they are of the age where they know what their body needs and are given the independence to make those choices on their own.

The centre does provide an afternoon snack for the children. This usually constitutes a glass of juice, a fruit or granola bar, pudding or Jello, something that the children enjoy. Your child will have the opportunity to eat what is provided or to provide their own. The best snacks include two of the four food groups from Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating.

Lunch:

On average, children are eating too much fat, sugar and salt and not enough fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods especially with the prepackaged lunches you can now buy. Since 80% of children are eating lunch at school or summer camp, it is important that the foods they eat promote their overall well-being and their ability to learn. In order to do that, a healthy lunch includes at least three of the four food groups from the Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating.

When packing your child's lunch here are a few suggestions:

homemade soup with pasta and vegetables
made at home lunch kit in place of a prepackaged lunchable
homemade pizza with cut up vegetables and yoghurt dip
tortilla chips with shredded cheese and salsa
ham sandwich on whole wheat bread
salad in a bag with spinach, tomatoes and cucumbers,
salad wrap with shredded turkey
leftover chili on rice
macaroni and cheese
whole wheat pita and hummus
Packing a Safe Lunch:

It is of great importance that when you pack your child's lunch for school, daycare or summer camp that it is done with food safety in mind. All perishable foods must be kept cold while commuting and then while at the centre. Here are a few suggestions to assist you:

In the morning pack cold food directly from the refrigerator,
Make sure that hot foods are steaming hot when placed in a thermos,
Foods that might spoil should be carried in an insulated bag to keep them cold,
To keep foods cold, use frozen bread for sandwiches or a small freezer pack with the lunch,
Freeze the sandwich over night unless it contains mayonnaise, lettuce or tomatoes. These items can be sent in a separate baggie and added later,
Use an insulated lunch bag, thermal bag or thermos instead of plastic bag,
If you are sending milk for lunch, add a few ice cubes into the drinking container before you pack it, or use a frozen juice box to keep the cold foods cold during the day.

Savvy Strategies for Healthy Eating:

There are many challenges to encouraging your child to eat healthy. Here are a few tips that may help:

Take a few minutes after dinner each night to prepare a healthy lunch with your kids for the next day,
Plan head considering their likes and dislikes,
Let your child make his own lunch by choosing from a selection of foods from the four food groups of Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating,
Include your child's favourite foods,
Shop together,
Combine new foods with old favourites to add variety, but don't force your child to eat new foods if he doesn't want to,
Pack food in individual containers to help manage portion sizes.
After the children have eaten what they desire from their lunch, they will be encouraged to discard any leftovers. Perishable lunch foods that remain in their lunch bags will begin to develop bacteria and could cross-contaminate other foods causing foodborne illnesses.
The exception to this rule is if your child refuses to eat anything from their lunch and attempts to snack throughout the day instead. The teachers will speak with you at the end of the day regarding your child's eating habits and may be able to give you some suggestions as to how to encourage your child to eat what has been sent for them.

Keeping Hydrated:

Did you know that roughly 70% of our body is made up of water? Did you know that a healthy person can drink about 48 cups of water per day? Water is absolutely essential to the human body's survival.

Each child enrolled at the centre is required to bring, on a daily basis, at least one bottle of water. This is applicable year round. We give the children free access to their water bottles whether inside or outside during the day allowing them to rehydrate as needed.

If you choose to send a fruit juice with your child in their lunch here are some important facts to be aware of:

fruit juices contain 100% fruit juice and provide your body with essential vitamins and minerals,
fruit “drinks” are not fruit juice, read your labels,
do not be fooled by the saying “contains real fruit juice.” If the label says “drink” on it, then it is not fruit juice,
children only need a maximum of ½ juice box per day,
½ cup of juice is one serving from Canada's Food Guide to Health Eating, and
if a child is thirsty, offer them water first, it is a natural thirst quencher.

Anaphylaxis Policy:

Genesis Community Daycare Centre has developed an Anaphylaxis Policy that, in good faith, we expect all of our families to abide by. For a copy of the full policy please speak with the Executive Director, Assistant Director or the School Age teachers.

To summarize the policy, we do not permit any outside food to be brought into the centre by a parent or child unless the anaphylactic policy is followed with the food item being kept in it's original, sealed container and it is opened by the child/staff on site.

With the children in the School Age Program or involved in Camp Genesis, we rely on the “Good Faith” rule and allow for some flexibility to the policy. We ask that you be aware of what you pack for your child, where it has been purchased, where it has been stored and how it has been prepared in order to avoid an peanut/nut contamination. It only takes a small air borne particle of an anaphylactic allergen to cause a life or death reaction.

Please assist us in reducing the risk of exposure to the children in our care thus keeping them safe during their time with us.

A breech in this policy could result in the death of a child in our care therefore, given one warning, the family will be withdrawn from the centre.

Safe Foods:

Below is a complied list of some “treats” your child may request from you to be sent in their lunch. This list is for information purposes only. We advocate healthy choices for all children such as fresh fruits, dairy products or vegetables. For a complete list of safe foods and contact information, you may log onto www.peanutaware.com

Nestle
Aero
Nabisco
Animal Crackers

Mirage
Kelloggs
Corn Flakes

Coffee Crisp

Nutri Grain Bars

Smarties / Skittles

Pop Tarts
Dare
Bear Paws

Special K Bars

Bread Sticks

Rice Krispie Squares

Breaktime Cookies
Pepperidge Farm
Goldfish

Econo Cookies
Quaker
“Peanut Free Facility” Granola Bars

Maxi Fruits Cookies
Tootsie Roll
Tootsie Rolls

Juiced Up Candies

Tootsie Pops

Viva Puffs

Flavor Roll Twisties

Wagon Wheels
Pringles
Pringles Chips
General Mills
Fruit Roll Ups
Hershey
Certain Kisses

Fruit by the Foot

Twizzlers