Healthy Eating

At Cholsey Pre-School we know children benefit physically and emotionally from eating healthily.

The Government have produced new guidance from September 2025 for all Early Years providers Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition guidance . To be compliant with the EYFS we, as a setting and all those who attend the setting, must adhere to our Nutrition Policy.  (EYFS requirement that states: ‘Where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, these must be healthy, balanced and nutritious’.)

We ask all our parents/carers to work with us to make sure snacks and packed lunches align with the guidance, adhere to policy, minimise the risk of choking (PowerPoint Presentation) and be mindful of allergies and intolerances for all who attend the setting.

We provide all families starting with us guides for snack and lunches.

Packed Lunch Expectations

Please only provide dried fruit as part of a meal (Lunch) and not for snack.

We kindly ask that packed lunches include:

• A portion of starchy food (e.g. bread, pasta, rice, or wraps).
• At least one portion of fruit or vegetables.
• A source of protein (e.g. meat, eggs, beans, lentils, or fish).
• A dairy item (e.g. cheese, yoghurt or a suitable alternative).
• Water in their water bottles

Please make sure lunchboxes and snacks Avoid the following and avoid foods high in saturated fat, salt, and/or sugars. Avoid artificial sweeteners as they may encourage children to prefer very sweet foods

Please Avoid:

• Sweetened yoghurts and fromage frais (including non-dairy alternatives), please choose plain unsweetened options.
• Cakes, sweet and savoury pastries, biscuits, crisps, chocolate and other confectionary and sweets. Processed snack high in salt, saturated fat and sugar (Cereal bars may fall into this category)
• Sugary drinks (including fruit juices, squash and smoothies). Please provide water in their water bottle.
• Marshmallows, popcorn, boiled sweets and jelly cubes (all of which are choking hazards).

Breakfast Club and Stay and Play 2 Menu

Cholsey Preschool Weekly Menu Chart updated

Please be aware that choking is a hazard amongst early years children so please do look at the following information and guides.

Help for early years providers : Food safety

Preparing food safely for babies – Best Start in Life – NHS

Early-Years-Choking-Hazards-Table_FINAL_21-Sept-2021

Healthy eating also contributes to good oral health, sadly this is on the decline in early years children, but along with the advice given and our Healthy Smiles training we hope to be able to combat this with the children who attend Cholsey Pre-School.

Foods to avoid giving babies and young children – NHS

Healthy Start

Healthy Start is a national government scheme, which provides money through a payment card to eligible people who are pregnant or who have young children.

For more information take a look at these links https://goodfoodoxford.org/food-support/

https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/2096/get_a_healthy_start

Apply-Online-Poster-V2-2023

Apply for Healthy Start

For information on Healthy Eating please see the guides below.

Eatwell Guide uses government advice to show what a healthy and balanced diet
looks like. It shows what a balance of foods should look like in one day or over a whole
week. The advice in the Eatwell Guide applies to children from the age of 2 years.

A_healthy_balanced_diet_for_children.pdf A Poster to view for the 4 main food groups.

Eating Well Packed Lunches for 1 – 4 year olds

Eating_well_snacks_for_1-4_years_for_web

Eating_well_Vegans-Feb_2020_forweb

Eating+Well+recipe+book+for+web+Jan+2020+

Good+Food+choices+May+2021+for+web

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