New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 18 - DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES › Chapter II - Regulations of the Department of Social Services › Subchapter C - Social Services › Article 2 - Family and Children's Services › Part 414 - School-age Child Care › Section 414.12 - Nutrition

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
(a) The school-age
			 child care program must provide plentiful and nutritious snacks to
			 children.
(b) When a program
			 operates during school holidays and/or school vacations, the program must
			 ensure that each child in care for more than four hours a day receives a
			 nutritious meal.
(c) Each child in
			 care for more than 10 hours a day must receive a minimum of two nutritious
			 meals.
(d) Food must be prepared
			 and stored in a safe and sanitary manner and served at appropriate
			 intervals.
(e) If the program does
			 not furnish meals, there must be adequate nutritious supplemental food
			 available in the event that no meal is provided by the parent or if the meal
			 provided by the parent is of inadequate nutritional value.
(f) Programs changing their meal policy must
			 provide adequate notice to parents.
(g) Where meals are furnished by the program,
			 food preferences for personal, religious or medical reasons may be
			 accommodated. If resultant meal patterns or serving sizes will not meet the
			 child's nutritional needs, a medical statement must be obtained documenting the
			 appropriateness of the variation.
(h) Where meals are furnished by the school
			 age child care program, the servings must be in portions suitable for the size
			 and age of the children. There must be a sufficient amount of food available to
			 children to permit second helpings of nutritious food.
(i) Children must be encouraged to learn
			 acceptable table manners appropriate to their developmental levels.
(j) Sufficient time, based on age and
			 individual needs, must be allowed for meals so that children will not be
			 hurried.
(k) Perishable food and
			 liquids must be refrigerated.
(l)
			 Safe drinking water must be available to children at all times and must be
			 offered at intervals that are responsive to the needs of the individual
			 children.
(m) Disposable cups and
			 plates and plastic eating utensils may be used if discarded after
			 use.
(n) If foods for children are
			 heated in a microwave, the food must be stirred and allowed to reach serving
			 temperature before serving them to prevent burns from hot spots.
(o) A staff person must not force or bribe a
			 child to eat nor use food as a reward or punishment.
(p) Fluid milk, 100 percent juice and/or
			 water, are the only beverages a program may provide to children in
			 care.
(q) When milk is served as a
			 beverage, low-fat or fat-free milk (one percent fat or less) must be
			 served.
(r) Programs that provide
			 meals and/or snacks to children must be in compliance with the USDA Child and
			 Adult Food Program (CACFP) meal patterns.
(s) When provided by the parent, meals,
			 snacks and beverages are not subject to the CACFP meal pattern or regulatory
			 beverage standards.
(t) All
			 children with dietary restrictions based on a child's medical condition or
			 religious beliefs of the family are exempt from CACFP meal pattern requirements
			 and/or beverage requirements in regulation when instructed in writing by the
			 parent to the program.
(u) The
			 program must share information on healthy food and beverage choices and the
			 prevention of childhood obesity with the parent.
(v) Four weeks of current meal and snack
			 menus, as applicable, must be reviewed for nutritional content, variety and
			 quality at the time of initial application and once every 24 months by a
			 Federal Child and Adult Care Food Program specialist responsible for reviewing
			 and approving menus, or by a person who has a bachelor's or master's degree
			 with a major in food and institutional management or a closely related field
			 and who has completed a dietician internship or has been certified as a
			 registered dietician or has an equivalent State certification.
(w) Individual children's food allergies must
			 be posted in a discreet location visible only to staff.
(x) Staff must take steps to prevent a
			 child's exposure to the foods to which the child is allergic.