Course provides food for thought for nursery staff

24 individuals from 15 nurseries throughout Denbighshire have been successful in completing a course aimed at teaching participants all about nutrition and food safety.

The successful candidates were recently presented with an Open College Network certificate  by Councillor Morfudd Jones, Denbighshire’s Cabinet Lead Member for Children’s Services for completing the Tiny Tums Course.

Tiny Tums is a Best Practice for Nurseries project run by a partnership made up of the Dietetics Department – Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board , Denbighshire and Conwy Councils’ Food Safety teams and Health Challenge Denbighshire. It is supported by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales.

The aim of the project is to provide nutrition and food safety education for day-care nursery staff from establishments throughout Denbighshire, with a view to improving the meals provided for children in their care.

During the course, a community dietician visited each of the nurseries to look at how menus were planned, their nutritional content and to give examples on how the menus could be improved.

Sian Caldwell, Community Development Dietician, who delivers the course, said: “The nurseries have worked really hard to improve their menus in line with current national guidelines, and as a result we know that our toddlers are getting a great start in life through the food and drinks provided in the nurseries who took part.”

The following nurseries have successfully completed the course Ruthin day Nursery Ruthin, Miri Meithrin Ruthin, Tiny Tots Day Nursery Prestatyn, Corwen Day Nursery, Snuggles Day Nursery Denbigh, The Mill Child Care Centre Ruthin, Beach House Day Nursery Rhyl, Daisy Chains Nursery Prestatyn, Llewelyn Day Nursery Rhyl, St Asaph Day Nursery, Cool Cats Rhyl, Sam’s Learning Tree Rhyl, and in Conwy Kidzone, First steps and Springfields.

The next session of Tiny Tums will be run April – July 2010 and all remaining nurseries in Denbighshire will be invited to attend.  For more information about the course please contact Clare Thomas on 01824 708368.

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