Our Childcare Menus At Catered & Non-Catered Centres
All Montessori Academy childcare centres provide nutritious and balanced meals that contain a variety of fresh foods from each of the five food groups as recommended by the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Some Montessori Academy childcare services offer full catering, including lunch, whereas others only provide morning and afternoon tea. All Montessori Academy childcare centres are nut-free and allergy aware. There are different benefits associated with both catered and non-catered centres. To find out more, it’s best to book in a tour, and see which option best suits your family.
Sample Non-Catered Menu
Montessori Academy’s non-catered centres provide nutritious fresh food for morning and afternoon tea. Families pack a home-made lunch that children eat together during lunch-time. This is a wonderful social experience where children learn about foods from different cultures and practice school readiness skills such as how to open and pack away a lunch box. Nude lunch boxes are encouraged.
Benefits of Non-Catered Childcare Centres
- Families provide meals their child is familiar with and are more likely to eat
- Families know what portions are served to their child and receive accurate updates about how much their child ate via our app
- Lunch boxes prepare children for their transition to primary school
- Children participate in social conversations about different types of food and gain exposure to cuisine from different cultures through their classmates
- Cooking with children is a great way to foster healthy eating habits from an early age
- Helping to prepare a lunch box is a wonderful way to encourage children’s independence and practice life skills
Morning Tea
9:30 am
Seasonal fresh fruit and yoghurt or cereal
Served with milk
Lunch
12:00 pm
Healthy lunch provided from home
Served with water
Afternoon Tea
3:00 pm
Vegetable sticks with dip and pita bread
Served with water
Late Snack
5:00pm
Rice crackers with sliced cheese
Served with water
Lunch Box Ideas for Non-Catered Centres
- Tortilla wrap chips (Tortilla wraps cut and baked in the oven) with guacamole, corn on the cob, and capsicum strips
- Spinach wraps filled with hummus and finely chopped vegetables
- Ham and salad mini pitta sandwiches with celery, carrot stars (made using a cookie cutter), served with apple and strawberries
- Wholemeal sandwich with tinned tuna, finely chopped tomato, avocado and mayonnaise
- Veggie muffins made with flour, milk, cheese, grated carrot, and zucchini
- Tuna patties made with tuna, potato, and diced vegetables served with a vegetable sticks
Sample Catered Menu
Montessori Academy’s catered centres provide nutritious, fresh, high quality meals that introduce children to the nutritional, social, and cultural aspects of food. Our menus offer a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes, wholegrains and seeds, lean meat and fish, and dairy options. There are alternative menus available for children with allergies, dietary requirements, and cultural food preferences. To learn more about the menu at your preferred Montessori Academy, it’s best to book a tour. The six-week rotating menu for each childcare centre is available in the foyer.
Benefits of Catered Centres
- Catering offers simplicity to busy families
- Families receive accurate daily updates about how much their child ate via our app
- There is a six week rotating menu that families can provide feedback on
- Catered menus include a variety of meals from other cultures
- Picky eaters may be encouraged to eat when they see other children eating the same thing
- Children learn to serve themselves and help pack away to develop independence and practical life skills
Morning Tea
9:30 am
Sunflower seed muesli slice with fresh fruit
Served with milk
Lunch
12:00 pm
Cheesy tomato pasta with fresh vegetables
Served with water
Afternoon Tea
3:00 pm
Blueberry and acai wholemeal scones
Served with water
Late Snack
5:00pm
Rice crackers and cheese
Served with water