Food & Nutrition
Parent Info
Menu
We strictly follow the Menu Planning and Supportive Nutrition Environments in Child Care Settings guidelines from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. We work off of a 4-week rotational menu that changes twice a year. We have a Spring/Summer menu that usually begins around Easter weekend and a Fall/Winter menu that usually begins around Thanksgiving weekend. When menu planning, we bring back old favourites, while also striving to introduce the children to new foods. All of our foods are made from scratch or as close to scratch as possible with seasonal fresh ingredients. We strive to be a NUT FREE facility. Please no outside food permitted in the centre, unless you have previously arranged with the centre’s management staff and have a letter in your child’s file with the reasons you are providing food. For a full copy of our menu contact the Centre Director at director@wreec.ca
At West Ridge, we are sensitive to the special dietary needs of your children.
Nut Free
West Ridge Early Education Centre strives to be a nut (and perfume) FREE facility.
Allergies and Special Dietary Needs
West Ridge Early Education Centre offers a morning snack, lunch and then an afternoon snack. If your child has special dietary needs, please inform the office as soon as possible. We also have an Anaphylactic Policy when a child is enrolled with a life-threatening allergy. Every precaution is taken so that the child does not come in contact with the allergen.
West Ridge Early Education Centre takes pride in the nutritious meals we provide. However, if your child has special dietary needs, we will try to accommodate you to the best of our ability. A written request is required should you choose to supply your own food. Please remember the danger of cross-contamination for children or staff with life-threatening allergies. We need to discourage families from bringing in food from home as a safety precaution. The Ministry of Education requires ANY outside food items to be labeled on both the top and bottom of all containers. Please inform the Centre if your child’s dietary needs change.
Anaphylactic Policy
It is our goal to reduce the anxiety of parents and for the parents to feel confident that their child is safe while in our care. It is our role at West Ridge to go above and beyond the norm, working diligently with the families to develop an individual plan, with input from both parents/guardians and the physician, which includes emergency procedures in respect of the individual child. It is also our goal to ensure all staff have clear training surrounding anaphylaxis allergies, to help reduce staff anxiety by providing clear, constant training with opportunities to practice and refresh their knowledge.
Staff will be trained on how to respond when a child goes into anaphylactic shock. An individual treatment plan is prepared by the parents and/or family physician. If an Epi-Pen is required, staff will carry it with them at all times. All allergies are posted in the kitchen as well as in every classroom where the children eat.
Staff training is completed yearly. Further, every new staff/student/volunteer has a scheduled training session before they begin working/volunteering with children on the floor. The training session gives the new staff/student/volunteer the opportunity to practice with a “Trainer” epinephrine Auto-Injector. The Program Director or delegate reviews the children with anaphylactic reactions, discuss the known triggers of the allergy and review the Food Allergy Canada Information sheet. Further, a “Think Fast” poster is in every classroom, from Food Allergy Canada.