Lunches

If staying for lunch, children must bring a packed lunch into preschool with them.

DAYS AND TIMES: 12:10 to 12.40 (Monday to Friday)

DAILY CHARGE      The lunch session is added to session hours and is not charged for separately.  Government Education Grant funding may be used to pay for the lunch period. 

SAFETY                

Children’s arrivals and departures are managed carefully as it is a very busy time of the day.  Children going home sit next to  the home corner and leave first.  Children who are staying for lunch sit in the cushion corner with an adult (often for singing or a story) and are joined by children who have just arrived.  Once everyone has left, then children can wash their hands and sit down for lunch. Our priority is to keep children safe.

HANDWASHING    

Children wash their hands before lunch.  If eating outside, hands will be washed before leaving the room and hand wipes taken in our backpack.    

PACKED LUNCH: 

• Children bring a healthy packed lunch in a plastic lunch box clearly marked with their child’s name.  No lunch bags please as these take up a lot of room on the table and in the fridge.  

• No drink is required as a choice of milk or water is provided by the pre-school.
• Lunches should be left on the kitchen counter so a member of staff can put them in the fridge.
• All uneaten food will be put back in the lunch box so you know exactly what and how much your child has eaten. 

HEALTHY OPTIONS

HEALTHY EATING is actively encouraged as we want children to form good eating habits early on.

• Aim for a balance between food types and keep to suggested portion sizes, see our page on healthy lunchbox ideas and portion sizes for more information. 
• Children are expected to eat the savoury part of their lunch first.  
• Children are encouraged to eat as much as they feel the need to, rather than eat everything in their lunch box. This will help them regulate what they eat and recognise when they feel hungry or full.
• Parents are asked to keep crisps (try splitting a packet over 2 days), cake, biscuits and sweet things to a minimum so they are seen as an occasional treat.
• No sweets, bars of chocolate, chocolate desserts or fruit strings.
• Avoid foods with high levels of artificial additives such as colourings or sweeteners as children can be highly sensitive to these.  Such additives can severely affect their behaviour and/or make them sick. 

·         Children leaving at the end of the morning session sit next to the home corner, with their bags and coats.  Parents/carers will not need to collect anything from the coat pegs but please make sure EVERYTHING is labelled with your child’s name.  After collecting your child, please leave by the verandah door and gate.

·         Children being dropped off for lunch will sit in the cushion corner with children who are staying for lunch after the morning session. 

·         Please leave lunch boxes on the kitchen worktop as we will put them out once everyone has washed their hands.

·         Staff will supervise the children washing their hands for lunch once everyone has left (via the verandah door and gate).

·         After lunch, children going home will sit next to the home corner with their belongings and children who are staying will sit in the cushion corner.