NUTRITION
With the recent launch of the Alliance’s Nutrition Support Programme, let’s see what benefits you can gain from signing up today
When you’ve got a cluster of little mouths to feed, five days a week – all with different likes and dislikes, each with their own personality and nutrition needs – planning a menu can become somewhat tricky. After all, with such young tastebuds, you want to strike a balance between introducing new flavours and textures, and sticking to the children’s likes and dislikes, all while ensuring a healthy, balanced diet that consists of the correct portions, which can make the task even harder.
That’s why the Early Years Alliance has launched a tailored nutrition support programme (NSP) for early years providers, complete with free nutrition resources and training events available.
The programme aims to empower early years providers with the knowledge, training and resources required to ensure children within their settings are offered nutritious food that’s also appealing. It also seeks to engage children in learning about the importance of a healthy diet at the pivotal age of exploring their independence.
A team of qualified early years dieticians and nutritionists at the Alliance work alongside setting managers, educators and cooks to produce tailored advice and support across a range of topics – including menu reviews and allergen advice, among others.
The programme is split into the following three levels of support to provide bespoke
support to settings that best suits their needs:
The Alliance is celebrating the launch of the Nutrition Support Programme by releasing a free resource pack on nutrition and healthy eating in the early years. It features a range of support and information, including menu advice, guidance on creating healthy habits, and a range of food activity ideas.
Michael Freeston, director of quality improvement at the Alliance, said: “We are proud to offer early years providers a comprehensive package of nutrition support, tailored to each setting’s individual needs.
“Ranging from menu reviews, allergen advice and food avoidance support to webinars and parent-focused sessions, the Nutrition Support Programme will equip educators, managers and setting chefs with a variety of extensive, interactive guidance from expert dieticians and nutritionists with an in-depth knowledge and experience of early years nutrition.
“We know that nutrition is proven to have a significant impact on a child’s short and long-term life chances, and, through our Nutrition Support Programme, we hope providers will feel well-equipped to play a key role in ensuring this.”
All providers that register their interest for the programme will receive a free, 30-minute taster support session: https://bit.ly/U5-NSP
Find out more
From October 2023, the Alliance will also be running a series of free, virtual Connect events on the importance of nutrition in early years settings. The sessions will look at topics such as creating a positive mealtime environment, dietary requirements and hydration, among others.
They will also look at planning balanced menus for children in the early years, ensuring providers meet national recommended nutrition guidelines while gaining confidence in planning healthy menus for children.
Providers can sign up for these free events on the Alliance Portal:
https://bit.ly/U5-NSP-C1