Collegue

Early Year Guidance to develop food policy

Foreword
This guide has been written to help your early years setting develop, write and implement a food policy for your early years provision. All policies should be written by each individual early years setting to ensure that they are owned by the early years setting, meet the needs of the early years setting and its community and are implemented effectively.

A healthy early years setting has a food policy, developed through wide consultation, implemented, monitored and evaluated for impact.

This should be demonstrated by
    •   staff, parents / carers, governors, caterers and where possible due to age and stage of development children have been involved in policy development and can describe their involvement
    • a policy is available covering all aspects of food and drink, including appropriate curriculum links, references to policy regarding   how food is managed thoughtout the day e.g. breakfast clubs, snack/break times, lunches, packed lunches, and drinks
    • the policy is referred to in the early years setting   prospectus / profile
    • the policy is regularly communicated to   the entire early years setting community (which includes parents/carers)
    • the policy and its impact are reviewed on an ongoing basis


Guidance on developing a whole setting food policy

1. Introduction
      1. early years setting name
      Consultation that has taken place
      For example - this policy has been developed by a group that has consulted with the whole early year’s community and is accepted and embraced by: list people involved – Owner/Governing Body Rep/Management Committee Rep/Head Teacher / Senior Management Team, Governors, Staff, Parents/Carers, Children (depending on age/stage of development), Food Providers, Healthy Early Years Lead, Wider Community.
      2. Date policy formally approved
      3. Date policy becomes effective
      4. Review date annually / bi-annually
      5....