2023 - 2024 Nutrition in OSHC program is here!

Review your menu

Subscriber spotlight: We'd love to hear from you!

Creating happy mealtimes

VegKIT for OSHC and schools

Food Allergy Week 2023

Recipes

Training opportunities

Access links

Our April 2023 - March 2024 Nutrition in OSHC program is here! If you have not yet received your subscription renewal invoice please let us know ASAP by getting in touch via email at oshc@naqld.org.

As part of your subscription you will continue to have access to:

• Certificate of membership to display in your service 

• 12 month subscription to the Nutrition in OSHC eNewsletter 

• The 'subscribers only' area of the Nutrition in OSHC website, including access to resources and recipes 

• Free quarterly Zoom professional development sessions run by our Dietitians 

• Phone or email advice from our experienced Dietitians  

• Competitively priced training and learning opportunities 

We look forward to working with you throughout this subscription year!

How long has it been since your last menu review?

We can review your 4-week OSHC menu against the Australian Dietary Guidelines and Smart Choices Strategy, and provide practical and specific recommendations on how you can improve your current menu.

Our process for reviewing your menu is simple:

• Send us a copy of your 4-week menu and any recipes used within that menu
• We will organise a phone meeting with you to chat and gather some extra details
• We send you a report with recommendations on changes you can make to improve the provision of core food groups and meet the Smart Choices Strategy
• Follow up support is available if needed

If you would like to book in a menu review with us, click on the button below to let us know. We are offering a 15% discount on our 4-week menu reviews for the month of May, so get in quick to secure your discount! Click here for more information on our menu review service.

Do you have a story that you would like to share with us? 

We would love to hear from subscribers and share some of your stories within our Nutrition in OSHC eNewsletter. Feel free to send us an email with your story along with some photos to share! 

For example, this could be a story about:
- Cooking experiences with children across the term or during vacation care
- Harvesting your vegetable or herb garden 
- Favourite recipes at your service 
- New menu items that promote healthy eating
- Upgrading your service's kitchen or dining space
- Your recent NQS assessment and rating score

Supporting children's mealtime experiences

Mealtimes are an important part of children's social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. They get to practice new skills like using a knife and fork or sharing, are learning from adults and peers, engaging in conversations and learning more about food and the enjoyment of eating together. 

For parents and young children, sometimes meals can be a stressful time! Particularly at the end of the day when everyone is a little more tired. We have a fantastic resource that gives 12 tips to help both educators and families to create happy mealtimes. 

Why not print some copies and make them available in your foyer for families to take home. Happy mealtimes!

Tools and resources

Tools and resources are available from VegKIT to support primary schools and OSHC service staff including the leadership team, teachers, tuckshop/canteen and support staff as they seek to increase children’s vegetable intake.

User guides set out seven best practice guidelines for primary schools and OSHC that can be used in existing programs or to develop new initiatives. Additional practical tools and resources will assist with planning and implementing new ideas and changes.

The guidelines and associated resources can be applied across the range of activities from policy and curricula through to excursions, events and with children and families.

Click on the buttons below to access these resources or visit the VegKIT website.

Food Allergy Week aims to raise awareness of food allergy including potentially fatal food allergies. During Food Allergy Week, Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) is calling on all Australians to unite to help increase awareness and share information on what we can do to improve safety for people who live with food allergies.

There are many ways to show your support and help raise awareness of food allergies, click here to find out more and to get involved.

If you want to learn more about specific food allergies that you may cater for in your centre, head to the ASCIA website which has an array of fact sheets available for parents and carers of children.

Here are two recipe ideas for breakfast options that you might like to try at your service. Please feel free to share these with families. 

May marks the beginning of strawberry season in Queensland, so make the most of the next few months of cheaper and tastier strawberries. You could even try and grow some in your centre's fruit and veggie patch.

Online training

We offer a suite of online training programs through our partner In Safe Hands. Click on the following buttons for more information and to register.

Once logged in to the subscriber section of our website, access the following:

Interested in our upcoming events and some more recipe ideas?
Check out our Upcoming Events eNewsletter via the link below and please feel free to forward on to families!

Do you have a question for the Nutrition in OSHC team?

Feel free to give us a call (07 3257 4393) or email through your questions to oshc@naqld.org

Nutrition Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land we work on and pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging.