Guidelines for Bagged Lunches/Snacks

Date policy and procedures established: January 14, 2025

YMCA Before and After School programs offer a variety of nutritious morning and afternoon snacks prepared by a caterer. Snack menus follow Canada’s food guide healthy eating recommendations and are posted weekly for your information.

Children enrolled in school are required to bring a bagged lunch daily if they are:

• Participating in a YMCA lunch program
• Attending non-school weekdays, including Professional Activity (PA) days, winter break, March break, and full-day summer programs

When food is sent from home, please follow these guidelines:

Parent Responsibilities

• Provide meals and snacks that meet Canada’s food guide healthy eating recommendations. 
• Put all food and beverages in a lunch bag with an ice pack and clearly label it with your child’s name. 
• Do not send foods that contain nuts or may have come in contact with nuts  
• Be aware of the known allergens of children attending the YMCA. 

Staff Responsibilities 

• Monitor food sent from home to ensure it adheres to Canada’s food guide recommendation; provide sample menu guidelines to families. 
• Ensure food sent from home does not contain nuts or known allergens. 
• Replace meals or snacks if food sent from home contains nuts or known allergens. 
• Clean and disinfect all surfaces before and after children eat. 
• Ensure children wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before eating. 
• Wash your hands before serving food or assisting children with eating. 
• Provide a meal or snack if a child does not have food. 
• Monitor children to ensure they do not share food. 
• Closely supervise any children with life-threatening allergies (for example, sit beside the child during meals).
• Provide sample meal and snack resources to families upon request.