Family Day Care Windsor: A Collective Way of Being

Collective Family Day Care Windsor are dedicated to incoporating health and wellbeing into their services by supporting and implementing the Munch and Move program.

It is a sad fact but 1 in 5 NSW children are overweight or obese at the time they start kindergarten. Obese children have a 25-50% chance of progression to adult obesity.
Some of the reasons these statistics exist have been attributed to

-Heavily marketed nutrient-poor foods
– Limited spaces to play
– Over scheduled children
– Private car transportation
– Safety concerns
– Sedentary lifestyle
– Technological advancements
– The availability of various baby equipment
– Working families / time poor

In Childcare Services including, Family Day Care, Educators have an obligation under the National Quality Standards for Education and Care to address these issues within their programs

Collective Family Day Care Windsor supports incorporating the NSW Health Munch and Move program into every service registered with the scheme.

Early Childhood Education Services such as Family Day Care are in a unique position.  By incorporating programs such as Munch and Move into every day practice,they can encourage sound foundations for healthy eating and exercise for life.

Choose water to drink

Why do childcare services encourage water?

– Best way to stay hydrated
– Vital for the body to function
– Regulates body temperature and bowel activity
– Tap water contains fluoride
– protects and strengthens children’s teeth
– It’s free!

Did you know . . . most children enjoy drinking water if they get into the habit from an early age. This habit is then likely to continue throughout life. Once again Childcare services are in the perfect position to help develop children’s acceptance of water from an early age.

Eat more fruits and vegetables

Children need to receive half of their daily fruit and vegetable serves during 8 hours of care.

At Collective Family Day Care Windsor, we encourage families to provide healthy foods in their children’s lunch boxes. Where educators provide food, the menus reflect current recommended guidelines for healthy eating.

While fruit is usually well-liked by children some children are less accepting of vegetables; children need plenty of encouragement and opportunities to eat a wide variety of vegetables. Childcare services can approach the introduction of fruits and vegetables by incorporating them in their programs in ways such as; growing the produce themselves, cooking experiences including sharing cultural dishes.

Get active each day

For healthy development in infants (birth to 1 year), physical activity – particularly supervised floor-based play in safe environments – should be encouraged from birth.

Collective Family Day Care encourages educators to provide babies with lots of tummy time which supports the baby todevelop skills required for future growth and movement.

Children 1-5 years of age should spend at least 25% of their time at Early Childcare Services being physically active. It is recommended that in 8 hours of care, educators should ensure that 2 hours of the day involves physical activity.

Collective Family Day Care encourages educators to incorporate lots of outdoor physical activity into their program including in some services, nature inspired bush walks.

Turn off the TV and get active

We live in the digital world so why limit screen time? The facts are too much screen time can:

– Reduces time for active play
– Reduces time for social contact with others
– Reduces the opportunities for language development
– Reduces the length of time children can stay focused
– Can impact on the development of the full range of eye movements

Experts recommend children younger than two years of age should not spend any time watching television or using other electronic media (DVDs, computer and other electronic games).

For children two to five years of age, sitting and watching television and the use of other electronic media (DVDs, computer and other electronic games) should be limited to less than one hour per day.

Collective Family Day Care Windsor is committed to incorporating healthy eating and physical activity as recommended within their Service to ensure children are provided with the best possible outcomes for health and wellbeing.