414-305-1110 Food Service (1) A certified child care center’s food service must include the following: (a) Children in care for more than 3 ½ consecutive hours must be served a meal or snack every 3 ½ hours; (b) Children arriving after school are served a snack; (c) Children scheduled to attend prior to 7:00 a.m. or after 6:30 p.m. are offered breakfast or dinner; and (d) If applicable, children in night care are provided meals and snacks in accordance with OAR 414-305-1500, Night Care). (2) A certified child care center must make sure drinking water is always available to children in each classroom and after active play and served in a sanitary manner that prevents contamination. (3) A certified child care center must provide each child with individual dishes, cups, and utensils for eating and drinking. (4) Single service items such as paper plates, cups and napkins, and plastic utensils may be used only once and must be discarded after use. (5) A certified child care center must make additional servings available if a child remains hungry. (6) A certified child care center must maintain staff-to-child ratios during meal and snack service and while children are eating. (7) A certified child care center must provide an eating environment that is socially engaging, and provides opportunities for learning. Caregivers must: (a) Sit with children during meals; (b) Encourage children to try new foods but not force them to eat; (c) Be respectful of each child's cultural food practices; (d) Serve each child individually or serve family style dining, allowing each child the opportunity to practice skills such as passing shared serving bowls and serving themselves; and (e) Not use food as a reward or punishment. (8) If a certified child care center serves family style meals, where food is brought to the table in larger quantities and served to the plates from the table, the center must have a written plan, approved by CCLD and available for review by the environmental health specialist, which includes at least the following elements: (a) Separate serving portions for each table; (b) Serving utensils distinct from eating utensils; (c) Staff oversight to ensure sanitary practices; and (d) Provision for serving mildly ill children to prevent the spread of the illness. (9) A certified child care center may serve a child food provided by the parent of the child only when: (a) Food is brought on a daily basis and is ready to eat, requiring no preparation; (b) All food and beverage containers are labeled with the child's name; (c) Each child's food is monitored daily by a staff member to ensure that the food meets nutritional requirements as specified in OAR 414-305-1140, Meals and Snacks; and (d) The center has sufficient food available to supplement any meal or snack that does not meet nutritional requirements as specified in OAR 414-305-1140, Meals and Snacks. (10) A certified child care center must ensure that any catered foods are: (a) Prepared in a kitchen approved by the Oregon Health Authority or a county health department; (b) Transported and delivered in a safe, sanitary manner with hot food maintained at temperatures not lower than 135°F and cold foods maintained at 41°F or lower; and (c) Received, held, and served through a process approved by the environmental health specialist. (11) If a certified child care center does not have a kitchen or catered meals, the center must: (a) Use only single service utensils; (b) Serve either commercially-prepared, individually-packaged, single-serving foods, or the serving of bulk food complies with standards in Oregon’s Food Handler certification; (c) Not use or store utensils on site that require washing; and (d) Store food in a space used only for food, beverages and single-service utensils. (12) On special occasions, such as birthdays, a certified child care center may allow parents or guardians to provide snacks that may not satisfy the nutritional requirements for all children. The certified child care center may serve the snacks: (a) To a child only if that child’s parent has provided permission for the child to participate in special occasions where food is served (also see OAR 414-305-0230, Parental Permissions); and (b) When the snacks consist of store purchased fruits and vegetables (uncut) or prepackaged foods in the original manufacturer containers. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 329A.260 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 329A.260 History: DELC 46-2024, minor correction filed 04/12/2024, effective 04/12/2024 ELD 10-2023, adopt filed 06/28/2023, effective 01/01/2024