Five fresh meals a day, cooked on site.

A real childcare menu showing what we actually serve. The food at Normanhurst is cooked from scratch on site every day. Children get 5 meals across the day, included in the daily fee. Parents don't need to pack food.

What a day of meals looks like

Every weekday at our Normanhurst centre, children are offered five separate meal occasions, all included in the daily fee. We provide everything the children need, including specific formulas or medical diets when required.

• Breakfast (7:00 to 8:30am) for children who arrive before family breakfast at home
• Morning tea (around 9:30am) fruit, yoghurt, and a wholegrain
• Hot lunch (around 11:30am) the main meal of the day
• Afternoon tea (around 2:30pm) something to bridge the gap
• Late afternoon tea (around 4:30pm) a final snack before pickup

Full cream milk and light milk are served at meal times depending on the child's age and family preference. Fresh water is available all day, both indoors and on the playground.

A sample week

Below is a representative week from our 4-week rotating menu cycle. The daily menu is also posted in the OWNA app, so parents can see exactly what their child will eat that day.

Each meal includes vegetables. Lunch is age-adjusted: pureed for babies under 9 months, full meal for older children. A vegetarian option is always available. Full cream milk, light milk and fresh water are served throughout the day.

This is a representative sample. The actual menu rotates over four weeks, with seasonal adjustments (more soups in winter, more salads in summer). Specific allergies and dietary requirements are catered for individually.

Why a centre cook matters

We cook every meal on site, fresh each day, in our own kitchen, by a qualified cook. Dianne has been with us since 2022, holds a Food Handling Certificate, and is a Level 3 Qualified Educator in Early Childhood Education and Care.

What that means in practice:

• Fresh, hot food. The lunch your child eats was started that morning, not yesterday.
• Direct allergy management. The cook knows every child's specific allergies and dietary requirements personally.
• A real kitchen, in the building. Children pass the kitchen on the way to lunch and see meals being prepared. Food at this centre is part of daily life, not something that arrives in a box.

Munch & Move and our nutrition approach

Our menu is approved by Munch & Move, the NSW Health initiative that supports the healthy development of children from birth to 5 years. The approval means our menu meets specific standards around vegetable serves, fruit serves, wholegrain inclusions, water access, and limits on processed foods.

Some specific things we focus on:

Vegetables across the day

Vegetables turn up in most meals, in different forms: in sauces and pasta bakes, alongside the main, blended into soups, or fresh at snack time. Repeated, low-pressure exposure is what builds familiarity over time.

Wholegrain by default

Wholemeal bread and pasta, brown rice. White bread is the exception, not the rule.

Limited sugar

No sweet drinks. Plain milk and water only. Cakes and biscuits are occasional treats, not daily fare.

Real fruit

Fresh fruit at morning tea every day. Seasonal where possible. No canned fruit in syrup.

Calm meal times

Children sit together, educators eat with them, conversation is encouraged. Eating is social, not rushed.

Allergies and dietary requirements

We cater for children with allergies, intolerances, and family-driven dietary requirements (vegetarian, no pork, no shellfish, gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and others). The full list is captured at enrolment and updated whenever a parent flags a change.

For babies in the Possum Room

For our youngest children in the Possum Room (0-2 years), feeding follows the family's home routine. We provide:

• Bottles and teats: the centre provides these, but if your baby uses specific bottles or teats, you can bring them in (clearly labelled with your child's name)
• Formulas: we stock S26 Gold 1, S26 Gold 2, S26 Lactose Free, and S26 Soy. If your baby uses a different formula, we'll ask you to provide it
• Solids transition: as your baby moves from milk to solids, we coordinate with you on what they're eating at home and progressively introduce the same foods at the centre
• Cooled boiled water: available throughout the day for babies as appropriate

The aim is consistency. Babies do better when their feeding routine at the centre matches what's happening at home, and we work with each family to make that happen.

What if my child is a fussy eater?

Most children go through a period of being unsure about new foods. That's normal. Our approach is gentle exposure, not pressure. Children are offered everything on the menu, but they aren't pushed to finish.

What tends to happen: children watch the other children eating, they see the educators eating it, and in time they start trying new things. Many parents report that children who refused a food at home eat it happily here. Eating is social, and children will often try things in a group that they'd reject at the family table.

If you have specific concerns about your child's eating, we'd love to talk on a tour or a phone call. We work closely with families to make meal times work for each child.

Questions families ask about meals

The most common questions parents ask us about food, allergies and how meal times work day to day.

What meals are provided each day?

Five meals a day, all cooked on site by our cook Dianne: breakfast (until around 8am), morning tea, a hot cooked lunch, afternoon tea, and a late afternoon snack before pickup.

Do children bring food from home?

Generally, no. We provide every meal, plus nappies, bottles and standard infant formula. The only thing you bring each day is a labelled water bottle and a comforter if your child uses one. If you'd prefer your child to use a specific brand of formula, nappies or bottles, or to drink expressed milk, please bring these in labelled. Specific medical diets are catered for directly in the kitchen.

How do you manage allergies?

Allergies and dietary requirements are catered for directly in the kitchen. Each child with a documented allergy or dietary need has a clearly labelled meal prepared separately by our cook. We have written allergy and anaphylaxis management plans, and educators are trained in their use.

Are you nut aware?

Yes. We are a nut-aware centre. No nuts or nut products are served on site, and we ask families not to send any food containing nuts to the centre.

Do you follow Munch & Move?

Yes. Our menu and physical activity program follow the NSW Health Munch & Move guidelines. Vegetables across most meals, wholegrains by default, limited added sugar, real fruit at snack times, and active play built into the day.

Can parents see the weekly menu?

Yes. The weekly menu is shared through the OWNA app, which all enrolled families have access to. Daily meals and any changes are recorded there. We no longer print and display the menu in the foyer because OWNA gives every family the same information from their phone.

What if my child is a fussy eater?

Our approach is gentle exposure, not pressure. Children are offered everything on the menu but are never pushed to finish. Eating is social, and many parents tell us their child happily tries foods at the centre that they refuse at home.

Questions about meals?

The best way to see what we do is to come on a tour. You'll see the kitchen, smell the lunch being prepared, and watch a meal time in action. Tours run weekly. Call 02 9487 5455 or book online.

For more about Munch & Move and healthy eating in early childhood, visit the NSW Health Healthy Kids site.