Do you make sure that you follow the food guidelines for your daycare?
What to feed your children (daycare children and your own) is a battle from them not wanting to eat healthy, and the fact that the standards keep changing.
In my daycare, I’m not a big juice fan. Whatever juice I serve at my house is at least 50 percent diluted with water. The amount of sugar in most juices is high, so I only serve it with one snack as well. Lunch and afternoon snack is accompanied with milk or water.
Upon recent bill being passed in certain states, the Senate restricts how much and what kind of juice is served in licensed daycares. Juice has to be 100 percent juice and only served once a day. The bill also states that milk served to ages two and older would have to be one percent.
A great program to join is the Child and Adult Food Program. This program helps make sure that the kids get the right nutrition for the day and you even get reimbursed for most of it!
Guidelines for Nutrition and Health Standard
Nutrition
As a health coach I know to give the kids a variety of foods such as vegetables, fruits, grass fed meat, fish, chicken, and dairy. Make sure to include water and milk throughout the day. Sweet foods should not be served on a regular basis in child care.
Breastfeeding
Providers have a responsibility to offer storage of expressed breast milk for children in their care.
Meals and snacks
Food should be an appropriate size for little ones and ability of the child so they can easily chew and swallow their food. Nuts and other hard foods should be avoided.
