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— — Nutrition & Mealtimes —

Food Menu

We aim to offer a varied and nutritionally balanced menu, prepared fresh on site and served as part of a relaxed, family-style dining experience. Below is an example of the kind of meals your child may enjoy during the week, along with how we support individual dietary needs.
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Our daily meal schedule

Meals and snacks are offered at consistent times each day, giving children a predictable rhythm while still allowing flexibility to meet individual needs — including for younger infants who may follow their own feeding routine.

All food is prepared on site with reference to national nutrition guidance for early childhood settings, and drinking water is available to children throughout the day.

children food

A typical day's meal times

Times are approximate and may vary slightly day to day to suit the needs of the children in each room.
7:00 – 8:00 am
Breakfast
9:00 – 9:30 am
Morning tea
11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Lunch
2:30 pm
Afternoon tea
5:30 pm
Late snack

Sample weekly menu

Our menu is planned on a rotating basis to offer variety across the fortnight. The example below shows the kind of meals typically offered — actual dishes served on any given day may differ due to seasonal availability, supplier changes or menu updates.

Example week — for illustration only

Meal
Example offerings
Breakfast
A choice of bread or cereal, offered daily alongside milk and water.
Morning tea
English muffins with cheddar, cheese and tomato toasties, or raisin toast.
Lunch
Dishes such as Moroccan lamb mince with quinoa, Sri Lankan vegetable kottu, a fish or tofu Thai curry, beef bolognese pasta, or chicken pilaf, rotated across the fortnight.
Afternoon tea
Pizza squares, club sandwiches, pumpkin muffins, garlic bread, or cheese scones.
Late snack
Rice crisps with pear, vegetable platters, or seasonal fruit.
This sample menu is provided as a general guide only and is not a guaranteed or fixed daily offering. Please ask us for the current menu on display at the centre, which reflects what is actually being served that week.
food for children

Meals for our youngest children

For infants, we aim to offer a variety of foods appropriate to each child's stage of development and texture needs, including iron-rich foods such as meat, fish, legumes, beans, tofu and Quorn, alongside fruit, vegetables, grains and dairy products.

  • Food textures adjusted to suit each infant's individual stage of development
  • Introduction of new foods discussed with families as part of our partnership approach
  • Feeding routines that respond to each infant's individual needs, rather than a fixed schedule alone
  • Bottles and specific infant formula or expressed milk managed in line with family instructions and our service's policies
Introducing new foods to infants should always be discussed with families and, where relevant, a health professional. We ask families to share up-to-date information about their infant's feeding stage, any known allergies and any medical advice received.

Allergies, intolerances & dietary needs

Children with a diagnosed allergy or food intolerance are provided with a tailored version of the regular menu, developed in consultation with families, to suit their individual dietary needs.

We ask all families to provide us with up-to-date information about any allergies, intolerances, medical conditions or cultural or religious dietary requirements as part of enrolment, and to let us know promptly if this information changes.

Please note: while we take care in planning and preparing meals for children with allergies or intolerances, our kitchen is not a nut-free or completely allergen-free facility, and we cannot guarantee that traces of allergens will never be present. Families of children with severe or anaphylactic allergies should discuss risk-management arrangements with the centre directly before enrolment.
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Celebrations & everyday care

Food is also part of how we mark special moments and support each child's sense of belonging.
01 · Birthdays
Birthday celebrations
Our kitchen provides a birthday treat plus fresh fruit at afternoon tea to help mark each child's birthday, in line with our service's food safety and allergy-aware practices.
02 · Culture & inclusion
Cultural & religious needs
We welcome conversations with families about cultural or religious dietary requirements and aim to accommodate these where reasonably practicable.
03 · Family-style dining
Shared mealtimes
Children are supported to serve themselves and eat together in a relaxed setting, which can support independence, social connection and healthy attitudes toward food — though every child engages with mealtimes in their own way.

Guided by national nutrition & quality standards

Our approach to food and nutrition is planned with reference to the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the Get Up & Grow resources for early childhood, and sits within our broader commitment to Quality Area 2 (Children's Health and Safety) of the National Quality Standard (NQS).

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  • Menus planned with reference to national nutrition guidance
  • Meals prepared and stored in line with food safety requirements
  • Individual dietary needs recorded and reviewed with families
  • Drinking water available to children throughout the day
— — Good to know —

Frequently asked questions

A few of the questions families most often ask us about mealtimes, our menu, and dietary support. Get in touch if you have a question that isn't covered here.
All FAQs
— — I have questions — —

Questions about our food program?

Every family's needs are different. Book a tour or get in touch to see our current menu on display and talk through any dietary requirements your child may have.
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Call (03) 8742 2349