Family Style Dining

We encourage children to serve themselves an adequate portion, try new menu items, and engage in conversation with Educators and peers during all mealtimes. We encourage all children to make healthy food choices with respect to what they consume. This turns the routine of feeding the children into a caring, relationship-based, educational experience.

Family Style Dining allows children to:

• Identify and be introduced to new foods.

• Choose the type and amount of food on their plate.

• Eat based on their hunger and fullness cues.

• Practice table manners, social skills and motor skills.

• Develop healthy habits and positive self-esteem.

Guidelines for Nutrition

Based on Canada's Food Guide for Children, we offer a wide variety of menu items, thus giving children the opportunity to try new foods while still eating their favourites. Our menu ensures that each child receives two thirds of their recommended daily nutritious intake. Friends for Life provides nutritious snacks and meals following a 4-week rotating menu, that alternates between spring/summer and fall/winter options. All menus are approved by a Nutritionist and are posted on the Family Bulletin Board.

If your child has dietary restrictions, it is recommended that you provide a like substitute to the daily menu. All food brought into the centre must follow the strict food regulations that we must adhere to for licensing, and must be labeled with the child’s name, date, and contents. Please check with the director for approval of alternative menu items from home