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.

Personally, I don’t provide food at my day care (in Ireland - this may not be an option in your region so check the regulations) and parents send in all snacks plus a meal which we reheat and serve to the kids. Another option to consider is ordering pre-prepared, frozen meals and heating on the premises. Some companies specialize in providing this service to day cares and deliver to your freezer. 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. You are protecting not only the children you feed but also yourself and your day care business. In the unlikely event of a case of food poisoning you need to be able to prove that it was not your fault. This can be achieved by formulating a food safety policy which will detail all the steps and procedures in place at your day care to achieve food safety.

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.

To discover more about how to start a daycare, visit Child Care Only where you will find this and much more, covering all aspects of starting a daycare center.

- Fiona Lohrenz