Healthy Food in Childcare

This initiative aimed to improve young children’s diets by supporting childcare services to provide meals consistent with dietary guidelines.

 

A high-intensity dietitian support program was effective in improving provision of healthier foods and children’s diets. However, high delivery costs limited its ability to be delivered at scale. To ensure that all children in care have access to healthy foods, an online menu-planning program was developed which has been effective in supporting planning of healthier menus and improving children’s diets.

The free program has been disseminated nationally, with over 1800 services (400 in NSW) accessing the program.