Nurturing your child's love of learning with food

This is sponsored content for Nurture and Develop Early Childhood Centre

Feeding a child's curiosity takes on a whole new meaning at one of Newcastle's newest early childhood centres.

The team at Nurture and Develop Early Childhood Centre provide all meals for the children at the centre, prepared daily by its dedicated cooks, Kristin Passmore and Taylah Berry, in an open kitchen.

With a big focus on health, all of the food is made from scratch from fresh ingredients sourced locally and offering a diverse range of well-balanced and nutritious meals.

But it's not just the qualified cooks you'll find in there - the children are encouraged to come into the kitchen, help develop menus and prepare the food they will eat.

"We want the children to be full participants in the cooking experience, along with their educators," Kristin said.

"Children are curious - they want to know things.

"Our open kitchen provides a platform where they can get involved with food. They can talk to the cooks, get involved in cutting vegetables and fruit.

"Through that involvement children get curious about food - why that colour, how does that vegetable grow etc and our educators then help them find out.

"They do research, find pictures, look at videos. Through this way the learning branches out."

Kristin said the practice also allows for good communication between families and staff around food.

"It helps ensure everyone's dietary needs are met including allergies, intolerances and family preferences."

The children's involvement in the food planning and preparation is all part of the experiential learning philosophy at Nurture and Develop.

The centre was inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to preschool and primary education founded by educator Loris Malaguzzi after World War II.

The approach is child-centered and uses self-directed, experiential learning in relationship-driven environments.

The program is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community via exploration and discovery through a self-guided curriculum.

The centre's focus on healthy food and encouraging the children's involvement reflects this philosophy. And it continues into its dedicated dining space.

"Children come in and eat and socially engage which promotes conversations," Kristin said.

"They enjoy a communal dining area, allowing them to share meals as a group at their leisure.

"They get to see what others eat which helps them learn about the world of food and tastes, and exposes them to new things. We want to encourage kids to try new foods."

Healthy fresh-baked goods are offered daily. Meals are catered to the children's tastes with ingredients often including fresh herbs or vegetables from the centre's garden.

"We offer progressive meal times, which means we don't automatically interrupt children's work by dictating a meal time, rather we wait for the indication from the children that they are ready to eat," said Kristin.

"The food really is part of the curriculum to help educate the children about the importance of healthy choices."

If you're interested in finding out more about Nurture and Develop Early Childhood and its programs or having a tour of the centre call 02 4905 0641 or head to the website.

The centre is located at 23 Rural Drive, Sandgate. It's fully accredited and currently has vacancies in all age groups.

This is sponsored content for Nurture and Develop Early Childhood Centre.