Aussie Childcare Network Forum

Question 1: What is the minimum qualification of the person who is responsible for preparation and cooking of food at chilcare center?
Question 2: what additional qualification are educators who handle food encouraged to maintain?
Question3: How much food is adequate for Parents/carers to send each day?
Question4: What information is particularly important for parents to read on food labels?
Question5: Why is it important for parent to notify the service of any special dietary requirements relating to medical conditions?

Suggested Answer1: the minimum qualification is Certificate III in early childhood education and care.
Suggested Answer2: Food Handlers Certificate, Food Safety Supervisor Course.
Suggested Answer3: Parents/carer should give healthy food choices form all the five food groups i.e cereals, vegetables, fruits, dairy and meat and let the child choose to eat how much they want to eat.
Suggested Answer4: Parents should particularly check about the food that can cause allergy. Some food label say "may contain" certain allergens, such as "may contain nuts".
Suggested Answer5: Parents must notify about the special dietary requirement about their child to the service to help educator ensuring safe practices and to develop management plans for the children's condition and also for menu planning.

Can someone please help me add to some more related information and please guide me also whether i am on the right path and and suggested answers fulfill the requirements.

Thanks
SNKhan

Your esponses are good. I'm just adding a few more points to some of the questions:

Question 1: What is the minimum qualification of the person who is responsible for preparation and cooking of food at chilcare center?

If meals are prepared and provided to children on the premises of an education and care service, clause 54 of the Children (Education and Care Services) Supplementary Provisions Regulation 2004 requires the service to employ a qualified cook. In this context, a person is a qualified cook if they hold a certificate showing they have successfully completed Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) competencies through a registered training organisation, in
• menu planning and
• nutrition and
• safe food handling
provided the menu planning competency or nutrition competency is from an AQF hospitality or health course.

Ref: Cooks In EC

Question3: How much food is adequate for Parents/carers to send each day?

Ref: Lunch Box Checklist

Question 4: What information is particularly important for parents to read on food labels?

You can also include how much nutrition the food has according to the food label and whether it meets the child's daily requirements or not.

Hope these help,

,
Lorina

Hi Lorina

Yeah your reply always helps, thank you so very much

SNKhan

Hello Lorina,

in question q2 H minimun qualification of the person who is responsible fro the preparation and cooking at the centre
my answer was
the minimum qualification is Certificate III in early childhood education and care and was given as Incorrect
can you help me is the 3th attempt I will do with this and I am getting really frustrated, thank you in advance
Cheers
Silvina

Hello

I don't know if it would help but i found this in Nutrition Policy

• The Director will ensure that staff handling food are trained in safe food handling and maintain a current food handling certificate.


Carolina