Long day care: Tools & resources
Long day care centres can help children eat more vegetables!
The VegKIT team have developed a resource package including guidelines and online training to help you do just this.
Long day care centres are ideally placed to increase children’s vegetable intake;
- Around 72% of children aged two to three years regularly attend formal care, such as long day care, spending an average of 16 hours in care every week [2].
- For children attending care for eight hours a day most of their daily meals and snacks are provided in care.
- For those children attending centres that serve cooked meals, 40-60% of their daily food intake – including vegetables – is provided by the centre [3].
You will find lots of free helpful resources and information on this website to support your centre’s staff including management, cooks and educators in encouraging children to eat more vegetables.
Presented by author and children’s food literacy advocate Alice Zaslavsky, the long day care best-practice guidelines video provides an overview of the guidelines showcasing some specific examples to help inspire your centre’s staff.
On this page
You can browse all our LDC resources on this page, or otherwise jump to resources for:
Best practice guidelines for increasing children's vegetable intake: Long day care
Detailed guidelines for increasing children’s vegetable intake alongside many practical examples and resources to assist with implementation.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Online mealtime training for educators
This online training assists educators to encourage healthier mealtime behaviours by increasing knowledge and skills, encouraging children to taste and enjoy vegetables during mealtimes.
Access this online training here and select the Promoting healthy eating in long day care training.
Taste & Learn for Early Years curriculum
Taste & Learn for Early Years is a curriculum resource for Long Day Care (LDC) that can be used to increase vegetable intake in children 2-5 years. It has been designed and written by leading experts with extensive experience in early education, and in consultation with experts on the ground.
Download the Taste & Learn for Early Years curriculum resources here.
What you can do: A checklist of simple ideas that work in Long Day Care
This checklist is a useful tool directed to cooks, educators and management that can help your centre to track implementation of activities known to help increase children’s vegetable intake.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Infographic: Best Practice Guidelines for Increasing Children's Vegetable Intake
The seven best practice guidelines for long day care are outlined in this infographic which is designed as a quick reference tool to be on display for all staff.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Program & Resource Guide
A comprehensive guide to programs designed to increase vegetable intake in children at state and national levels that you can access and implement in the classroom.
Plan For & Commit To Success
Specific guidelines to develop a plan to increase vegetable intake in your centre.
Engaging with Families
Simple ways to engage with your centre’s families and provide consistent messaging.
Best practice guidelines for increasing children's vegetable intake: Long day care
Detailed guidelines for increasing children’s vegetable intake alongside many practical examples and resources to assist with implementation.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Online training for cooks
This online training assists long day care cooks in planning and creating healthy menus to ensure adequate vegetable provision each day. Cooks can access simple meal, snack and drink ideas and shopping tips, and also learn about healthy ingredient swaps.
Access this online training here and select the Planning healthy menus for long day care training
What you can do: A checklist of simple ideas that work in Long Day Care
This checklist is a useful tool directed to cooks, educators and management that can help your centre to track implementation of activities known to help increase children’s vegetable intake.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Infographic: Best Practice Guidelines for Increasing Children's Vegetable Intake
The seven best practice guidelines for long day care are outlined in this infographic which is designed as a quick reference tool to be on display for all staff.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Program & Resource Guide
A comprehensive guide to programs designed to increase vegetable intake in children at state and national levels.
Plan For & Commit To Success
Specific guidelines to develop a plan to increase vegetable intake in your centre.
Engaging with Families
Simple ways to engage with your centre’s families and provide consistent messaging.
Recipes
Recipes developed by Nutrition Australia which can all be easily scaled up for use in centre.
Best practice guidelines for increasing children's vegetable intake: Long day care
Detailed guidelines for increasing children’s vegetable intake alongside many practical examples and resources to assist with implementation.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Sample Quality Improvement Plan: Incorporating the Best Practice Guidelines to Increase Children's Vegetable Intake in Long Day Care
We have provided some examples to assist long day care management to incorporate activities that will support children’s vegetable intake into their Quality Improvement Plan (QIP).
For a print friendly version, click here.
What you can do: A checklist of simple ideas that work in Long Day Care
This checklist is a useful tool directed to cooks, educators and management that can help your centre to track implementation of activities known to help increase children’s vegetable intake.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Infographic: Best Practice Guidelines for Increasing Children's Vegetable Intake
The seven best practice guidelines for long day care are outlined in this infographic which is designed as a quick reference tool to be on display for all staff.
For a print friendly version, click here.
Program & Resource Guide
A comprehensive guide to programs designed to increase vegetable intake in children at state and national levels that you can access and implement in the classroom.
Plan For & Commit To Success
Specific guidelines to develop a plan to increase vegetable intake in your centre.
Engaging with Families
Simple ways to engage with your centre’s families and provide consistent messaging.
Social Media Infographics
Informative images for use in newsletters or on social media.
Program & Resource Guide
A comprehensive guide to programs designed to increase vegetable intake in children at state and national levels.
Engaging with Families
Simple ways to engage with your centre and provide consistent messaging for children.
Recipes
Recipes developed by Nutrition Australia.