Home
Page 		About
Us 		Health
Matters 		North Haven
Policy 		Contact
Us

 

POLICY: FOOD & NUTRITION WHERE FOOD IS BROUGHT FROM HOME

Goal: To ensure that food brought from home provides children with healthy choices.

Strategies:

  • Children will have access to water at all times
  • If children are hungry they will be offered their lunch box or given appropriate food for time of day
  • Parents will be advised if their child is not eating well

Food brought from home

  • Lunch boxes should be sealed with the name clearly marked on the top
  • Parents should place lunchboxes in the refridgerator provided
  • Food will be reheated but not cooked e.g. 2 minute noodles, cup of soup

 

  • Lunches should contain something from each food group:
    Bread and cereals e.g. bread, rice pasta
    Fruit and vegetables chopped veges and fruit
    Milk and milk products yoghurt, cheese, milk
    Meat and meat alternatives chicken, egg, beans etc.

 

  • We do not encourage children to bring:
    Food to be cooked, e.g. noodles, rice (that has to be prepared)
  • Children will not bring the following foods:
    Chewing gum      Chips/muncho's etc
    Whole nuts           cream cakes or cream buns
    Lollies                   Drink bottles
    Chocolate              
    Soft drinks
    Dried fruit straps

 

 

  • On occasion celebratory food i.e. birthday cake or similar, popcorn, fruit, can be brought into the Centre by parents, whanau and staff for morning or afternoon kai.  Please do not include any nuts or any of the food items not permitted in the Centre.  Staff will ensure that thoise children with allergies will be given an alternative.  Sandwiches will still be offered.  Please refer to the Supervisor for any further guidance.

 

  • at times other foods i.e. eggs, may be requested not to be brought intot he Centre on days that a child with allergies may be present.


Goal: To provide a safe eating environment that encourages family and multicultural values.

Strategies:

  • Adults and children will wash their hands before handling food
  • Staff members will sit with the children when they are eating
  • If food is to be heated it will be heated until piping hot and then served at a safe temperature
  • If using a microwave to reheat food, proper handling techniques will be used, food will be stirred during re-heating, food will be allowed to stand before serving 
  • Children under six months will be held while being fed and only be fed expressed breast milk or infant formula and food provided by parents
  • Children will not have access to any fluid while in bed (or any other sleeping or resting place)
    Family and multicultural values
  • If staff eat with the children they will bring food that is in line with the policy
  • Food will not be used as a form of punishment either by its provision or denial
  • Recipes and food awareness activities will be chosen from a wide variety of cultures


Reviewed: May 2003, September 2003, May 2004 
May 2006,  August 2008, July 2009.

The Centre has banned drink bottles from the centre and is a 'nut free' environment due to the seriousness of the allergic reactions connected with nuts.  We will provide water at all times.

 

POLICY: ILLNESS

It is at the Supervisor's discretion to refuse a child's attendance at North Haven if they consider a child is unwell. If a child shows any of the following symptoms the child will be kept away from the centre until they are fully recovered. Please notify the Centre of absence and reason for absence.

  • A temperature.
  • Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Child must be asymptomatic for 48 hours before returning to the Centre.
  • Undiagnosed and/or contagious skin irritation.
  • Runny nose accompanied by a fever or a cough.
  • Any behaviour which is abnormal for your child, eg refusal to eat, irritable, crying, fatigue or needing extra sleep.
  • Headlice

If a child while at North Haven, exhibits any of the above, or shows signs of having an infectious disease/illness, the child will be supervised in the office or baby safe area until the parent /caregiver is contacted and collects their child from the Centre.

North Haven Childcare and Education Centre will follow the Ministry of Health Guidelines for the return to the Centre of children with infectious diseases. These are outlined on posters displayed in the foyers. (Ministry of Health September 2006).

Infectious diseases include:

  • Campylobacter
  • Measles
  • Chicken Pox
  • Meningitis
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Mumps
  • Cryptosporidium / Giardia
  • Ringworm
  • Gastro-enteritis
  • Rubella
  • Glandular Fever
  • Salmonella
  • Hand, Foot & Mouth
  • Scabies
  • Hepatitis A
  • Streptococcal
  • Hepatitis B
  • "Slapped Cheek"
  • Impetigo
  • Whooping Cough 

MEDICATION: Children will not be allowed at the Centre for the first 24 hours if they are prescribed antibiotics, this may be increased at the discretion of the supervisor.

Children suffering from conjunctivitis will not be allowed at the centre until there is no discharge from the eye.

HEADLICE: If a child is discovered to have headlice the parent/ or contact will be rung and asked to pick the child up. Children will not be be able to return to the centre until they have received a treatment as recognised by Health Officials and all head lice are dead and removed. On-going treatment is essential to ensure all lice and eggs are dead. The Public Health Nurse can be consulted for further advice.

If a child has a general anaesthetic they will be unable to attend the Centre for 48 hours.

Reviewed: October 2001, September 2002, May 2003, August 2003, May 2004, March 2005  May 2007, May 2008, May 2009.

 

POLICY:    Cybersaftey Use Agreement for Parents and Caregivers

From time to time, parents and caregivers may have the opportunity to use North Haven Child Care and Education Centre Internet facilities, network and other ICT devices such as mobile phones and digital cameras.  This may arise while visiting the Centre, at a Centre activity off-site, or through the lending of North Haven Child Care and Education ICT to children and families enrolled at the centre.

Our policy is that every adult must have signed a Cybersafety Use agreement before using the Centre's ICT equipment while visiting the centre, at a centre event or borrowing any of the Centre's ICT equipment/devices.

The Use agreement also contains guidelines covering the appropriate use of privately-owned ICT devices such as mobile phones while at North Haven Child Care and Education Centre.

The agreement is  based upon the North Haven Child Care and Education Centre Cybersafety Policy which is designed to help maintain a physically and emotionally safe learning for our children, parents and staff.  A copy of the policy can be obtained from the Supervisor.

We ask that all parents and caregivers, who visit our centre, sign the following Use agreement.

This helps to ensure that all use of ICT at North Haven is done so with knowledge of the Centre's cybersafety programme and its aims.

If you have a query regarding this use or our cybersaftey policy, please feel free to discuss it with the Supervisor before signing the acknowledgement.