Whorouly Primary School Outside School Hours Care Service (OSHC) has embraced a student-led approach to menu changes, resulting in new, tasty and nutritious food options for kids to enjoy.
Located 30 kilometres from Wangaratta in north-east Victoria, the service hosted a tasting session offering students a range of nutritious food options to explore and see what they liked. The service’s coordinator, Kylie McAuliffe, then revamped their menu and swapped confectionary items with delicious and healthy additions that were most popular with students. Items like yoghurt, rice crackers, and hummus came out on top.”
“As part of Vic Kids Eat Well’s “bite-sized” changes, OSHC students are now offered a variety of fresh, tasty and nourishing snack options that include fruit and vegetables, such as berries and carrot and celery sticks. We know the consumption of fruit and vegetables is important for both physical health as well as mental health and wellbeing, so we’re really pleased with this shift,” Ms McAuliffe said.
The service has also swapped juice boxes for milk and water at both breakfast and afternoon tea.
Ms McAuliffe said the decision to involve students in the process was key to introducing new food options that they will enjoy.
As part of completing a Vic Kids Eat Well “bite”, the service selected and received a hardware store voucher and used it to purchase seedlings to revamp the school’s existing raised veggie garden beds.
“The students planted these seedlings, which included veggies that will be used in afternoon tea, such as spinach for smoothies. We’re excited to incorporate the garden into our service’s program. The students have enjoyed gardening and the seedlings are thriving!” Ms McAuliffe said.
The centre is supported by Felicity Kennedy, a dedicated Health Promotion Professional from Gateway Health.
“It was a great exercise to visit and chat with the kids and to base the new menu on their preferences. It means the new food options are more likely to be consumed and enjoyed. The students also feel part of the process, empowered and have an increased understanding about nourishing foods,” Felicity said.
Felicity said that it has been inspiring to see how Kylie has linked the Vic Kids Eat Well rewards to further changes, like menu alterations and the veggie garden.
“Kylie has had some great ideas for change and students and families are responding well. It's a pleasure working with a coordinator and school that are so willing to explore change; we’re seeing the benefits for everyone,” Felicity said.
An Exciting Future Ahead
There’s no stopping Whorouly Primary School OSHC Service! The centre is already planning their next steps as part of the Vic Kids Eat Well initiative by:
- Introducing fresh veggie sticks to the daily afternoon tea menu such as carrot, cucumber and celery to go alongside the fresh fruit platter.
- Increasing the amount of dairy for the daily afternoon tea menu to include cheese, yoghurt, and milk.
- Communicating the exciting changes through the school newsletter, including fresh and healthy recipe ideas.