Title: Give examples of meals and snacks that accommodate allergies and promote healthy eating practices.
Course: Early Childhood, Education, and Services I (19153-I) > Section: Providing a Safe and Healthy Learning Environment

Examples should include

- state and federal regulations pertaining to foods and nutrition
- menu planning, including cultural preferences and information presented in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- safe food-handling practices
- common food allergies, including various ways these may be labeled in food products (e.g., eggs, milk, nuts)
- description of an allergy action plan completed by the child’s physician
- plan to communicate allergies to substitute teachers/care providers and train them to identify warning signs and respond to any allergic reactions, sensitivities, or intolerance
- list of foods that may lead to choking.

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

- What are the nutritional needs of the children? How might meals and snacks be adapted to meet the needs of different children?
- What standards should be used to judge the quality of food prepared for young children?

Communication

- How might social, cultural, or ethnic differences in the client population influence the choices of meals and snacks?
- How can cultural differences be celebrated within the client population?

Leadership

- What skills are needed to provide safe and healthy meals and snacks to children?
- What strategies could be used to encourage children to eat safe and healthy meals and snacks?

Management

- How can a child care provider institute a system for providing safe and healthy meals and snacks?
- What resources are needed to provide safe and healthy meals and snacks?
- What are the consequences of staff not communicating information about a child’s food allergies to substitute teachers/care providers?