Policies for Promoting and Providing Healthy Foods and Drinks for Children
The Policies that the Parent is Breaching
According to Better Health Channel (2017), in Australia, the law emphasizes that children should be encouraged to drink water and milk consistently and parents should ensure that children in care services and schools do not consume sweet drinks such as juice and cordial. Therefore, from the case, it is apparent that the parent is breaching several policies in relation to food and nutrition policies in the Australia. Evidently, the parent breaches the food and beverage policy, as the legislation that mandate care services to provide children with safer water at all time (Australian Children’s Educational & Care Quality Authority 2017). The parent is also acting contrary to the health, hygiene, and safe food policy, as the regulation proclaims that for the health of the children at the care service to be maintained, drinking safer water should be taken as a priority (Sheldon College 2015).
Information Resources
The information resources for the parents breaching the beverage and food policies should refer the following materials as information resources.
- Education and Care Services National Regulations
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/regulation/NationalRegs0614.pdf
- Australian Children’s Educational & Care Quality Authority
http://files.acecqa.gov.au/files/National-Quality-Framework-Resources-Kit/NQF-Resource-02-Guide-to-ECS-Law-Regs.pdf
Consequences for Drinking Sugary Fluids
As much as children prefer taking sugary drinks that may include soft drink, fruit juice, and cordial fluids, they do not know the adverse consequences of the products. Apparently, sugary drinks have health impacts on the body of a child that may include obesity and tooth decay if the fluids are consumed in a large amount and regularly (Kounke 2005). The consumption of sugary fluids, in particular, soft drinks, can also lead to the cause of diabetes type 2 in children, especially when they grow up into adults (Vartanian, Schwartz, and Brownell 2007). Thus, this implies that the parents supplying the sugary fluids to their kids at the care service should stop because the fluids will cause adverse health impacts on the children.
Case Study 2
Strategies to Make Parents Aware of Food Variety
The first strategy to create an awareness regarding food variety for parents includes providing parents manual report on the type of foods that are healthy for their children. For example, in the report parents will be advised of the need to include vegetables, fruits, and water in the meal that they are offering their children in lunchtime. Hart et al. (2015) allude that vegetables and fruits have essential nutrients that help in improving children’s health and representing a balanced diet for young children. Another strategy that one can use to enlighten parents about the significance of food variety is by presenting them with food menus that children should consume to enhance their development. As such, parents can be given written food menus with each type of food being described according to its importance and contribution to the growth of children. Better Health Channel (2017) writes that if parents want to enhance the development of their children they have to consider food varieties such as yogurts and cheeses, as they are some of the foods that are appropriate in the development of children in schools and care services. Finally, the other strategy that will be used in ensuring that parents include varieties of food in meals of their children includes emphasizing on eliminating picky eating, as the behavior affects the eating process of children in schools. Fussy/picky eating refers to the aspect of being unwilling to feed on familiar food, consuming new/variety of food, and having a preference on specific type of food (Taylor et al. 2015). This affects the eating behavior in children, and if parents do not focus on controlling it, children might fail to eat particular types of food.
Experiences to Include in the Eating Educational Program
Typically, to promote healthy eating among children through educational programs, one should possess some unique experiences. First, to ensure that the education program on the eating of appropriate food is efficient, the instructor should have an experience about different types of food regarding their color, taste, shape, and aroma (Martin and Oakley 2008). This will be important because the instructor will give the children an opportunity to understand different forms of foods and have a vivid idea of the food. The other experience that is necessary for the education about eating food among children is the experience to prepare the food (Gordon 2012). This is actually important because the educator will teach the children with the reflection of his or her experience in the preparation of food. Conversely, in the teaching about food, tutors should be experienced as professionals through training programs, as this will give them a mindful meditation practice along the whole process of carrying out education programs regarding health foods that children should consume (McCown, Reibel, and Micozzi 2017).
Case Study 3
Accommodating the Parent Request
In this case, working in partnership with the parent during the Easter egg hunt will be essential. As the parent wants the child to participate in the event, having the parent as part of the coaching staffs will make him feel connected to the event, which will eventually make the parent participate during the event regardless of his perspective toward Easter egg hunt occasion. Stern (2003) argues that parents may know more than teachers about their children, and therefore, making the parents attend an event as part of the planning team will make the occasion successful and attractive to all parents regardless of their perspective on the event.
Ways to Provide Information about food During Easter Egg Hunt
- Sending email messages to parents aimed at notifying them about the food items to be involved in the event.
- The information can also be shared to parents through memos.
- The information can also be set accessed from the school website.
- The school could use newsletters as a convenient way of communicating with families about their children.
Enhancing Food Safety and Hygiene Standards
- Food safety can be enhanced through personal hygiene by considering factors such as hand washing, personal cleanliness, and wearing protective equipment and clothing.
- To ensure that the food is safe for children and parent to attend the event, establishing a cleaning and disinfection program will be relevant.
- Waste management will also be a crucial way for food promoting safety and hygiene. For instance, in the event having appropriate containers for waste storage will show the level of hygiene in the event.
Case Study 4
Responding to the Parents Complain
In Australia, the food policy defines that food temperature is an essential factor to the body of the children in school and care service centers. For instance, in Sheldon College (2015) it is quoted that school officials should put the food brought by children from home inside the classroom and perishable food should not be kept in zones with unfavorable temperature for longer than 2 hours. The policy also describes that hot food should be stored in an oven or stove, with a heat of above 600C until the food is ready for consumption (Sheldon College 2015). Here, it is evident that the food policy does not mandate schools to offer hot meals, but gives regulation regarding the handling of food according to its state that is either cold or warm. Although heating food is important, the grievances by parents about the care services failing to offer children warm meals can be nullified, as the care services center is not breaching any law. However, the care center should consider offering children warm meals because of the temperature of the hot food aids in body temperature regulation as well as weight. For example, when children are given hot food their body will control the temperature in response to cold climate.
Case Study 5
Approaching the Member of Staffs with a Concern
For the issue regarding the feeding of children to be addressed professionally, I would approach the leader at the early childhood education and care services center, as the leaders can raise the issue to all members working at the organization. In reference to this point, Hao and Yazdanifard (2015) reveal that in the workplace, leaders are viewed as individuals who have the ability to influence change, behaviors, and attitude of employees on work or ideas of other staffs.
Steps to Take to Change the Culture in the 0-2s Room
The process of changing culture is an ongoing activity, where leaders in the workplace use their knowledge and skills to execute change, which leads to the modification of the culture in all levels of work. Thus, to change the culture at the childhood education and care service center, it will be necessary to consider the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standard, as both concepts will help the leader in the center make the new culture the beginning of new era. This as well allows for a culture that will facilitate effectiveness within the workplace. The National Quality Standard expresses that to promote healthy eating in service centers, early childhood educational schools should heed foods and drinks that are appropriate for each child and the type of meals that are nutritious for development and growth (Australian Children’s Educational & Care Quality Authority, 2017). On the other hand, Australian Children’s Educational & Care Quality Authority (2017) highlights that enhancing the quality of life for children in the school is ultimately significant, as it gives children opportunities to have a better life, grow healthy, and have the right mind to learn.
From the above explanation, it is apparent that before coming up with a culture that will change the current situation at the early childhood education and care services center, it is paramount to take into account the aspect of quality of life of the young children as well as their eating practices. In essence, to modify the culture at the service center the following steps will apply.
- The first step will involve identifying the behavior of the employees. Moorehead and Griffin (2010) assert that identifying the behaviors of the workforce is an imperative concept of culture change, as one understands the desired culture while comparing it with the current culture.
- The second step will be structuring the workforce according to their role and skills. This will enhance quality in the workplace, and ensure that staffs are performing duties with the goal of enhancing children’s health for better growth and development. In other words, through this step, employees will plan to promote quality and the value of their work to healthy eating (Smith, Farmer and Yellowley 2013).
- The final step in the changing of culture will be creating readiness for change and overcoming resistance to change among the employees.
Resources for Other Educators to Promote Healthy Eating
- Introducing outreach programs where educators will participate in the dining rooms to observe children feeding on themselves and understand about healthy eating.
- Safe food policies can also be used as resources to teach other tutors about healthy eating and why it is necessary for children to feed themselves.
- Feeding guides that reflect the age at which a child should be helped to eat and the period the kid is supposed to feed by himself or herself.
The Furniture and Utensils Required to Support Children to Feed Themselves
Children aged 6 -12 months
- A bib
- A small bowl
- A sizeable feeding spoon
12 – 18 months
- A compartmentalized plate
- A smaller bowl
- A rubber tipped feeding spoon with enlarged handle
- A small cup
18 months – 2 years
- A fork and spoon used together
- Nicely weighted plate
- Flat and soft tipped spoon
Case Study 6
Breaching of the Feeding Policy
According to the Education and Care Services National Regulation the new educator is breaching Health, hygiene and safe food practices regulation, as the policy requires the providers of education and care services in Australia to implement safe practice for handling children when they are taking their food (Australian Children’s Educational & Care Quality Authority 2017). The importance of this regulation is to prevent children from risks associated with their eating habits.
Staff Member Acting Unethically
The educator is mishandling the children and acting against the law protecting the rights of children in the care services. What make the behavior of the educator unethical is that according to the professional standard guide, educators attending to children in the care services should be interactive, good enough to create a healthy relationship with the children, and work collaboratively with the kids to affirm and support them throughout their eating process (Australian Children’s Educational & Care Quality Authority 2017).
Strategies to Encourage the Children to Try New Food
The educator should focus working with other people at the care services, as this will allow her to get new ideas from the colleagues regarding the best way to use in making children try new food. The other strategy that the educator can utilize in order to convince children to eat new food is by creating a mutual relationship with the children. McLaughlin, Aspden, and McLachlan (2015) comment that mutual partnerships are part of the essential elements in the early childhood education, and through the relationship children can do anything they are told by the teachers. Lastly, the educator can serve the food in a style that is used in homes, as a way to encourage the children to try new food. This will promote the eating of new food among the children, as the food will be presented in the table just like the way it is done in their home.
Case Study 7
Orientation Checklist
| Checklist | Regulation | |
| Storage | The educator student should ensure that the food storage area is well cleaned, dry, pest free, and no sunlight can harm the food in the storage space. The food should be stored on shelves and not on the floor. The raw food and cooked food should be stored separately. Check the operating temperature of the fridge and freezers frequently. | Confidentiality and storage of records |
| Handling | Ensure your hands are clean by washing before handling food. This should be exercised after doing any dirty work, going to the toilet, and before and after children’s medication.
| Children’s health and safety |
| Preparation | When preparing the food follow relevant procedures. Provide food that is safe for children and prepared in a hygienic manner. | Health, Hygiene and Safe Food Policy |
Part B Research Task
The Food: Corn Chips
Items/Ingredients (No Monosodium Glutamate MSG)
Corn, Vegetable oil, Salt, Cheese powders, (Milk solids, Pasteurized milk, Starter culture, Enzymes0, salt minerals salts (839, 331), hydrolyzed vegetable protein, food acid (270), whey powder, vegetable powders, favor enhances (621, 635), spices, dextrose, sugar, skim milk powder, yeast, food acid (262, 330), Anticaking Agent (551), flavor (Natura & Nature Identical).
Contains Milk, May Contains Traces of wheat and Soy
Part C – Project
Two week Menu Plan
The menu plan will include both food and drinks, and it will be designed for children aged 2-3 years and 4-5 years old.
Week one
Table 1: A food Plan menu for one week
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| Breakfast | Plain milk | Plain milk | Tea | Coffee | Cheese |
| Morning tea | Yogurt | Cheese | Coffee | Tea | Plain milk |
| Lunch | Red meat | Pork | Vegetable | Pork | Fish |
| Late snack | Potato Crips | Crips | Pizza | Potato crisp | Crips |
Week two
Table 2: A food plan menu for one week
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| Breakfast | Plain milk | Cheese | Coffee | Tea | Plain milk |
| Morning tea | Milk | Cheese | Tea | coffee | Yogurt |
| Lunch | Fish | Red meat | Vegetable | Red meat | Pork |
| Late snack | Pizza | Fruits | Potato Crips | Corn chips | Crips |
Based on the menus and the types of the food set to be consumed that by children at the care service, it is evident that the menus are configured to bring a positive experience for children with regard to eating behavior and different types of food with the purpose of making them healthy. The above tables also present the drinks that the care service will be providing to the children in the school with major drinks including milk, cheese, yogurt, tea, and coffee. In the process of designing the menus above, several factors have considered among them being religion, the nutrients of the food, and the health status of children attending the care service. Therefore, it can be said that if the children at the care service consume the above types of food consistently, the kids will have a better opportunity to develop and grow healthier. The food will also give them a chance of developing an eating behavior that is set for growth and acquiring nutrients that will enable them to learn efficiently and appropriately. Finally, the menus have been set according to the Australian Children’s Educational & Care Quality Authority and Get Up and Grow: Healthy eating and physical activity for early childhood presentation, hence making plans portray what the children in the care service requires for a healthier life throughout their development process.
Bibliography
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