Food and Nutrition - Tir Na nOg Childcare & Montessori

Food &

Nutrition

Food

&

Nutrition

Healthy Meals at Tír na nÓg

Breakfast

On arrival to our creches children are offered a range of breakfast choices, including porridge, Weetabix, non-sugary cereals and whole-wheat toast. Drinks are available on demand to children throughout the day.

Snack

At tidy up and snack time children are encouraged to tidy up after themselves and to wash and dry their hands. We provide a freshly cooked, hot snack at 11am. The snack is prepared on the premises and ensures the children are receiving a well-balanced, nutritious meal, while being tasty and appealing. Children are offered unsweetened juice or water to drink.

Break Time

After 1pm children attending full-day care will have a fruit break. Not only do they get to choose the fruit, but they also have a hand in preparing it.

Dinner Time

We serve the main meal at approximately 2.45pm when all Afterschool children arrive back from school. Meals are prepared using fresh ingredients. All our meals are assessed by a dietitian passionate about children’s nutrition. We use a three-week rotating menu, which is adjusted seasonally, and provides a wide variety of nutrients and vitamins. We adjust meals to suit children’s dietary and cultural requirements.

Tea-Time

Tea-time is around 4.45pm and we offer a variety of choices including crackers or whole-wheat bread sandwiches. Children get to choose which toppings or fillings they want. We also have waffles and berries, pancakes and berries, fruit and yogurts at tea-time.

Healthy Ireland Smart Start

This year at Tír na nÓg we have introduced Healthy Ireland Smart Start. This is a pre-school health promotion programme led by the HSE, to ensure children in pre-school settings are supported to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviours in early childhood. This programme consists of six units including Health Promotion, Emotional Well-being, Physical Activity, Oral Health, Health & Safety and Nutrition.

Our objective is to support children’s development of lifelong healthy eating patterns, skills, behaviours and attitudes. We have developed and implemented a healthy eating policy, using the Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Pre-school Services, which will ensure the integration of healthy foods and drinks into meals, snacks, curriculum, celebrations and play.

Food & Nutrition

We offer parents advice on Do’s and Don’ts for fussy eaters, healthy portion sizes and alternatives to traditional treat foods.
We are passionate that food is never used as a ‘Treat’ or a ‘Threat’.

We support good nutrition and healthy habits not just at meal times but also through our curriculum.

Our goal is to support children’s health and well-being by providing well balance, wholesome daily meals and snacks and encouraging both children and parents to develop a lifelong healthy eating patterns, skills, behaviours and attitudes.