The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s standards for food and nutrition promote access to healthy foods in supportive, responsive, and inclusive eating environments for children in early learning and child care programs.
How do the changes to food and nutrition help my child?
The food and nutrition standards have been updated to align with latest evidence to support healthy development and growth in young children.
The foods and beverages served will align with the current Canada’s Food Guide.
The revised standards provide further guidance on opportunities to incorporate cultural foods and traditions in early learning and child care environments.
Why are the Food and Nutrition Standards important?
Early mealtime and food experiences are important because they can shape children’s long-term eating behaviours, food preferences, and feelings about food and their bodies.
The standards support early childhood educators and providers to offer a variety of healthy, culturally appropriate foods and create responsive eating environments that foster healthy eating patterns at a young age and support children’s development.
How can I be involved?
Family involvement and communication helps to create supportive and inclusive food environments in early learning and child care programs.
When families are involved, they can share important information with child care staff, including sharing their family’s cultural foods and traditions and participating in cultural sharing or learning activities.
Families can also support children to develop healthy relationships with food by demonstrating positive, non-judgmental attitudes towards all types of food served in early learning and child care programs.
Additional Information
Nova Scotia Food and Nutrition in Early Learning and Child Care Programs - Resources for Operators