Nutrition

Building Healthy Relationships with Food Nourishing young bodies and minds with balanced, thoughtful meal planning.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Mindful Eating Experiences

Creative Minds strives to support children in building a good relationship with food. We encourage our teachers to think about:

Mind-body connection

Encourage the children to slow down when eating and allow their brains to catch up with their stomach.

Serving amounts

Encourage children to voice what they want to eat and how much.

Eating is social

Encourage teachers and children to sit down and talk about the food (i.e. how it feels, tastes, colour, temperature, texture, etc.)

Menu Planning

Thoughtful & Balanced Menu planning in child care can be challenging and requires a lot of planning and forethought, to ensure all requirements are being met. Not only must our cooks be mindful of allergies, intolerances, and cultural preferences; they must also balance the costs of providing food which meets all of the requirements.

When planning the menu, our cooks arrange the meals and snacks based on the following food groups:

Balanced Nutrition Every Day

Meal & Snack Patterns

Meal Pattern

Each meal includes all 3 food groups:

Snack Patterns

Morning and afternoon snacks may contain a mixture of fruit, dairy, grain, and vegetables.

Beverages

Water is always available to the children, and we offer milk 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).

Sample Menu

See What We're Serving

Our rotating menus feature fresh, home-cooked meals that children love, including favourites like:

Ham and Turkey Sandwiches with fresh vegetables
Vegetable Lasagna Roll-ups with garlic knots
Pizza with cucumbers and fruit
Sausage and Scrambled Eggs with home fries
Fresh English Muffins for morning snacks
Variety of afternoon treats like Nutri-Grain bars and cheese with crackers

Monthly Menu Calendar

See exactly what delicious meals and snacks we’re serving this month at Creative Minds.

Accommodating Your Child

Individual Needs Matter. We understand that every child has unique dietary needs. Our experienced cooks work carefully to accommodate:

Food allergies and intolerances

Cultural and religious dietary preferences

Please let us know about any special dietary requirements during enrolment so we can ensure your child enjoys nutritious, safe meals every day. We will try our best to accommodate.

Food from Home Policy

For the safety and well-being of all children, we ask families not to send food from home into the centre. Exceptions may only be made in cases of medical necessity, such as gluten-free or diabetic dietary requirements.

These special arrangements must be discussed and approved in advance.