Higgy’s House is proud to be a Healthy Ireland Accredited Preschool
The Healthy Ireland programme is specifically designed for pre-school children aged between three and five years of age and encompasses all aspects of a healthy lifestyle: oral health, physical health, health & safety, emotional well-being & literacy as well as nutrition & healthy eating. Higgy’s House staff took part in the Smart Start training programme and then underwent an inspection to gain our Healthy Ireland Preschool accreditation.
At Higgy’s House we have always and continue to prepare all our food in house, with fresh ingredients. We keep up to date with the latest nutrition and diet information for children, providing a varied and nutritious diet. We see mealtimes as an opportunity for the children to socialize, learn about food and develop healthy eating habits, Aistear, Well-Being, children will make healthy choices and demonstrate positive attitudes to nutrition, hygiene, exercise, and routine.
Each week our menu is sent via Famly App to the Parents. The dishes vary from week to week with staff and parents contributing new recipes and ideas for us to try! Our recipes of the week prove very popular with the parents and many families enjoy cooking a “Higgy's dinner” at home. The children celebrate birthdays by baking their own cakes with their peers, our fresh fruit cake is a very popular choice. We also introduce children to the opportunity to bake and cook as part of encouraging positive attitudes to health and nutrition.
Some of our most popular dishes are our Chicken curry and our homemade scones and bread.
- No salt is used in the preparation of any meals. Portion sizes are in line with recommendations from Safefood, (What is a serving size? A guide for Pre-schools). Drinks offered are milk and water.
- The children are encouraged to try all food offered and food is not used as a punishment or reward.
- Allergies are catered for and all allergens contained in foods prepared, are listed on the weekly menu. Children's food allergies and intolerances are also listed in our kitchen and each child's care room.
- Children who attend our ECCE mornings, while welcome to bring their own lunch we encourage healthy snacks in-line with our healthy eating policy. We encourage parents to send milk or water to drink.
- Products containing nuts or nut products are not allowed due to allergies.
- Sweets, chocolate and crisps are not allowed as they are not in line with our Healthy Eating policy.
Please see below some useful links for healthy lunch box ideas:
Higgys House Healthy Eating Sample Menu
