This page is for people who work in child care settings, which are ideal spaces for food-based learning. You can help children develop positive eating attitudes and skills that support lifelong well-being.
On this page, you will find tips and resources specific to child care settings. For additional information for providers and for families on how and what to feed young children, visit nutrition for toddlers and preschoolers.
Have questions? Connect with your licensing officer or email licensingconnect@northernhealth.ca.
Additional information
- Supervise children by sitting and eating together with them.
- If feeding a child with a bottle, hold the child during the feed. Do not prop bottles.
- Keep food safe by storing and preparing it properly.
- Resource: Food safety in child care facilities - HealthLink BC
- Online module: Caring about food safety - Province of BC
- Avoid or modify foods that are a choking risk until children are at least 4 years old. See: Preventing choking in babies and young children: For child care providers - HealthLink BC
- For children with life threatening food allergies, learn how to manage anaphylaxis
- Resource: Allergy safe child care facilities - HealthLink BC
- Online module: Anaphylaxis in child care settings - Allergy Aware Canada
- If you are caring for a child with unique feeding needs (e.g. tube feeds or swallowing issues), work with their parent(s)/guardian(s) and their health care team to implement an appropriate care plan.
- Eat with children as much as possible. Create eating spaces that are pleasant, with few distractions (e.g. toys, TV, devices).
- Apply a division of responsibility in feeding:
- Adults’ roles are to decide what foods to offer, and when and where to offer them. A sit-down meal and snack routine is important for children.
- Children's roles are to decide how much to eat from the foods that are provided, and whether to eat at all during a specific meal or snack time. We can trust that they will eat the amounts they need, and that they will eventually learn to accept a variety of food.
- Avoid pressuring a child to eat. Do not use food as reward or punishment (e.g. do not provide candy to support potty training or good behaviour)
- Resource: How to feed: Nutrition for toddlers and preschoolers
- Online module: DOR Course: Healthy eating in the childcare setting - Division of responsibility model - Fraser Health, 1 hour
- Support families to breastfeed/chestfeed or provide their expressed milk for as long as they wish. See: Breastfeeding is easier with support: What child care providers can do
- If your centre provides food, offer a variety of balanced meals and snacks:
- Plan a menu that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein foods, and sources of fat. (To assist with menu planning, see guidance for amounts and types of food in Eating Well with Canada’s food guide and Eating well with Canada’s food guide – First Nations, Inuit, and Metis)
- Offer milk or water at eating times. In between times, offer water.
- Do not offer fruit juice or other sugary drinks.
- Share nutritious lunch and snack ideas with families. Focus on foods that are low cost and easily available, as many families struggle to afford and access food
- Never take away food from a child’s packed lunch or snack. “Policing” lunches brought from home can lead to children feeling shame and anxiety about food.
- If you have concerns about foods packed in a child's lunch:
- Speak to the parent(s)/guardian(s) privately.
- Show respect for the foods they provide.
- Share ideas for foods to try - add on; don't take away.
- Resource: What to feed: Nutrition for toddlers and preschoolers
- Teaching about food should be age-appropriate, as described below.
- Focus on hands-on experiences. Let children see and touch food, and invite them to plant, harvest, and prepare food. See: Planting seeds for healthy eating: Easy ways to grow food with kids
- Plan activities that allow children to explore a variety of foods and help them to build curiosity and positive feelings about food and eating.
- Consider connections with people who can share about local foods and cultural foods. See: Learning about food from elders.
- Young children do not need to know about nutrients (e.g. calories, fat, vitamins, etc.) or grouping foods as “healthy” or “unhealthy”. This information is too abstract for young children, encourages black-and-white thinking, and does not help them feel positive about eating.
More information
Want more information on feeding in child care settings? Explore the Appetite to Play website, a British Columbia-based resource to support healthy eating and physical activity in the early years. Includes:
- Healthy eating recommended practices for early learning environments.
- Planning tools to support healthy eating in early years settings.
- Training workshops and e-learning modules for early years providers.