Cooking

We see educating children about the importance of healthy eating and good nutrition as an important part of early childhood development.

To encourage understanding and knowledge of healthy eating, we offer dedicated cooks at many of our centres, who prepare five nutritionally balanced meals each day. These cooks are a central part of our centres.

Cooks allow for children to learn what’s in their food and create it themselves.

All of our meals are made with the child’s level of development and the balance of the big picture in mind. Tasty and nourishing, our offerings incorporate an extensive range of fruit and veggies and are intentionally low GI as well as light on sugar and unsaturated fats.

To keep our little ones coming back for more, our meals are frequently rotated, broadening their palates and tantalising their taste buds.

These are a few of the many ways cooking develops 21st Century learning outcomes:

• Team work through sharing the tasks eg. measuring, mixing and pouring
• Mathematical concepts in measuring, counting and weighing ingredients
• Critical thinking when trying to understand how muffin mix goes into the oven wet but comes out dry
• Creativity when decorating cupcakes and making decisions about colours and shapes

Note: We cater to all allergies as well as cultural and dietary requirements and we always make sure water is readily available at meal times and throughout the day. Our centres are nut-free, and our premises and procedures comply with all food safety regulations. For children over two years, reduced-fat milk is also provided.

Hear from one of our cooks

Hear from one of our Cooks, Rita, who has been working at one of our centres for 20 years. Rita, like many of our cooks, has grown a herb garden in the centres back garden along with the children.

This is a great way to encourage sustainability and involve children in mealtimes. Rita has admitted that children enjoy the food more when they are part of the process!

Hear a little more from Rita: