Food and Nutrition
At The Centre Playgroup, the food provided is designed to give your little one the very best start in life.
We make this possible by supplying our children with sourced nutritional food, bursting with fresh fruit and vegetables and all the essential ingredients necessary for healthy physical and mental development. For our children, promoting a love for food, understanding how food benefits us while helping us grow is extremely important to us.
Creating further independence with self-serving and portion guidance is always encouraged.
Children have fresh drinking water available to them throughout the day.
Breakfast
A light breakfast will be available for children arriving at playgroup between 8.30 - 9.15am. The children will be offered breakfast cereals, fruit, yoghurt, toast or porridge.
Lunch
We provide hot lunches at the playgroup which are fully funded by the Scottish Government. These lunches are purchased from an outside company and delivered to the playgroup each morning in sealed containers. The lunches are healthy lunches and designed using Setting the Table Guidance (NHS Scotland, 2025) to provide our children with a healthy balanced diet to support their brain development and physical development (RTA) (Scottish Government, 2020). The children are provided with milk or water at lunch time and have access to drinking water throughout the session.
We encourage all of our children to eat the funded lunches to ensure they are eating a healthy, balanced lunch but after a period of time if your child has tried the lunches provided and decides that they do not like any of these, we would suggest that you provide your child with a packed lunch with healthy foods that they do like.
We are a healthy eating nursery and therefore the children should not bring unhealthy snacks or sweets with them for lunch. Please do not provide your child with a drink, to support our healthy eating approach we will provide the children with milk or water with their packed lunch. Please ensure that your child’s lunch bag has their name on the outside of it to save any confusion. We are also a nut free zone and must insist that no food products contain nuts.
Our aim is to make lunch time a positive experience for the children in a homely environment while promoting manners and self-help skills.
Afternoon Snack
In the afternoon prior to the end of the session the children gather to listen to a story and during this time they are given a healthy snack of fruit or/and yoghurt.
What else do we offer!
Learning and Development
We recognise the importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates.
Cooking and Baking
Our children have opportunities throughout the year with different cooking and baking activities.
Vegetarian/ Vegan Meals
We are happy to cater for all preferences including vegetarian and vegan.
Dairy-free
We offer a variety of milk including animal and plant based milk. Please speak to the Playgroup Manager regarding your preference.
No Added Sugar or Salt
We do not add additional salt or sugar. Where possible we purchase products with reduced salt and lower Sugar.
Accommodating Dietary Requirements
We are happy to cater for a whole range of dietary/religious/cultural requirements. Please speak to our Playgroup Manager for more information.
If your child has any diagnosed food allergies, we are unable to offer any food until we have written confirmation from a medical professional with information about your child’s allergy. If your child has lunch provision at the playgroup, please note they cannot stay for lunch until this information is provided. Please speak to the manager if this applies to your child.
Growing our own Vegetables and fruits
Our Children have opportunity to excel as Playgroup gardeners with their very own vegetable and fruit patch.