Tips For Great Daycare Menus
By Fiona Lohrenz 

So many people panic about daycare menus, what they should and shouldn't do, what needs to be included to cover the requirements of the dreaded food pyramid and generally get themselves in an awful tizzy about something that simply requires a little common sense. When cooking for a day care you need to ensure you are providing nutritious meals, that the food preparation process is hygienic and that the meals you are providing are easily prepared in bulk. 

Keep your approach down home simple and focus on healthy, easily prepared meals. Your mom and grandma could probably give you some tips on one pot meals that would be ideal for your daycare menus. You don’t need to be super chef just a mom in the kitchen. The range of options available is huge and can include thick soups, steamed vegetables, stews, casseroles, pasta, fish and seasonal fruit. Snacks are a breeze with raisins, cheese, rice cakes, carrot sticks, crackers, yogurts and sandwiches.

My day care is in Ireland and I don’t provide food (check if this is an option in your area) so we reheat the meals that the kids bring in. Another option to consider is ordering pre-prepared, frozen meals and heating on the premises. Delivery to your day care is part of the service for many companies who prepare these frozen meals. This will add to your costs but you could have parents pay for this service.

Food preparation necessitates having critical health and safety and hygiene procedures in place. These procedures serve to protect your business and the children in your care. In the unlikely event of a case of food poisoning you need to be able to prove that it was not your fault. You need to have a record of all the procedures in your food preparation process that ensure food safety and your food safety policy http://www.childcarepaperwork.com/  will detail this.

Check for menus posted on the internet as my day cares will have details on their websites. Arrange visits to day cares locally and ask about their food options. Booklets and information should be available from your child care licensing inspector. The key thing to bear in mind is that daycare menus shouldn't be complicated, just simple, honest to goodness nourishing food.  

In between minding her own child and running her daycare business Fiona Lohrenz manages to maintain her childcare website. She has also produced a 'Start a Daycare Business' DVD guide: http://www.startchildcare.com You can find her at her http://www.childcareonly.com