Guidelines for Bagged Lunches

Date Policy and Procedures Established: March 30, 2021

YMCA Before and After School Programs offer a variety of nutritious morning and afternoon snacks prepared by a caterer or on-site cook. Our snack menus follow the Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide. The current and following week’s menus are posted for your information. Due to children with allergies and food restrictions the YMCA discourages sending any food from home. 

Children enrolled in school are required to bring a bagged lunch daily if they participate in a YMCA lunch program, and or on non-school days, PA Days, Winter and March Breaks and Full Day Summer Programs. When food is sent from home it is an expectation that that these guidelines are followed: 

Parent Responsibilities: 

• Meals and snacks meet the All food and beverages must be provided in a lunch bag with ice pack and must be labelled with the child’s name. 
• Foods that contain nuts or may have come in contact with nuts are not provided. 
• Be aware of the known allergens of children at the YMCA.

Staff Responsibilities: 

• Monitor food sent from home for adherence to Government of Canada food guidelines, and provide sample menu guidelines to families. 
• Monitor food sent from home to ensure no food contains nuts or known allergens. 
• Clean and disinfect all surfaces before and after children eat. 
• Ensure children have washed their hands or used hand sanitizer before eating. 
• Wash hands before serving food or feeding children. 
• Provide meals and snacks if food is not sent from home or the food sent from home contains nuts or known allergens. 
• Monitor children so that they do not share food. 
• Supervise closely any children with life-threatening allergies (e.g. sit beside child). 
• Provide sample meal and snack resources upon request.