Kindy's nutrition work earns it a Heart award

Heart Foundation's health promotion co-ordinator Jasmin Jackson hands out 5+ a day stickers at Homedale Kindy. Photo / Supplied

A passion for teaching kids about healthy eating and nutrition has earned one Rotorua kindergarten an award from the Heart Foundation.

Central Kids Kindergarten Homedale has been on an 18-month journey to improve the health of its tamariki by taking part in the Heart Foundation's Healthy Heart Award.

Staff and children were thrilled to receive a Whanau (silver level) Healthy Heart Award last week.

"Health is something I'm passionate about as a teacher, especially for our young ones. If you set them up with healthy habits at this age you set them up for a healthy life," said teacher Amy Brae. "We don't get pies coming in very often anymore. I love seeing children put spinach, capsicum and mushrooms on homemade pizza and still wanting to eat it."

The kindergarten's heart-healthy journey began after teachers attended professional development workshops on nutrition and physical activity, run by the Heart Foundation and Sport Bay of Plenty.

The kindergarten invited the Heart Foundation's health promotion co-ordinator, Jasmin Jackson, to run free nutrition workshops for parents. As a result, it is now a two-minute-noodle-free zone. "Before this, our children would sometimes come in with whole pieces of fruit, take one or two bites, and throw the rest away," Ms Brae said. "Now parents donate a few pieces of fruit which the teachers cut up and serve to children at morning and afternoon tea. This has resulted in reduced food waste, reduced costs to parents, and an increase in the amount and variety of fruit children are eating."