Title: Give examples of meals and snacks that accommodate allergies and promote healthy eating practices.
Course: Early Childhood, Education, and Services I (19153-I) > Section: Providing a Positive, Safe, and Healthy Learning Environment

Examples should include

- state and federal regulations pertaining to food and nutrition nutritional
- information presented in Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- common food allergies including the multitude of names that may be on a food label for the same product (e.g., eggs, milk, nuts)
- plan to communicate allergies to substitute teachers/care providers
- training for substitute teachers/care providers to respond to allergic reactions
- identification of warning signs of allergic reactions/sensitivities/intolerance to all staff
- description of an allergy action plan completed by the child’s physician
- menu planning including cultural preferences
- foods that may lead to choking
- safe food-handling practices.

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

- What criteria should be used to determine safe and healthy meals and snacks?
- What are the nutritional needs of the children? How might meals and snacks be adapted to meet the needs of different children?
- What standards should be used to judge the quality of food prepared for young children?

Communication

- How can the standards and practices regarding meals and snacks be communicated to parents and children?
- How might social, cultural, or ethnic differences in the client population influence the choices of meals and snacks?

Leadership

- What skills are needed to provide safe and healthy meals and snacks to children?
- What strategies could be used to encourage children to eat safe and healthy meals and snacks?

Management

- What management procedures are required to institute a system for providing safe and healthy meals and snacks?
- What resources are needed to provide safe and healthy meals and snacks?
- What are the consequences of staff not communicating information about a child’s food allergies to substitute teachers/care providers?

Teacher Resources:

- Standards for Licensed Child Day Centers
- FARE Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan