Carlisle OSHClub shares Vic Kids Eat Well success as part of JAG pilot program

Cranbourne Carlisle OSHClub is one of 11 outside school hours (OSH) services that were part of the Junior Adventures Group (JAG) pilot program which saw select services across Victoria join Vic Kids Eat Well as a network.

JAG’s Josie Bolton and Sarah Kosinski were keen to be involved in Vic Kids Eat Well and saw it as “a wonderful opportunity to elevate student wellbeing through continued delivery of tasty, healthy food and drink offerings” across their OSHC programs.

Cranbourne Carlisle was one of the first in the group to join the pilot with the support of their local health experts from Monash Health, Christine Pereira and Lauren Clementson.

Initially, Cranbourne Carlisle OSHClub decided to “switch up the snacks” as one of the bite-sized changes that are suggested as part of the initiative. 

OSHClub Coordinator Harshini said the changes were simple, like offering milk as a drink as well as water and adding cheese to the fruit and veggie platter for afternoon tea.

“We added delicious berry smoothies, opted for more nutritious wholemeal toast with soups instead of garlic bread and added 50 per cent wholemeal flour and oats to pancakes. We also switched to reduced salt soups,” Harshini said.

Increasing the variety of fruits and veggies offered while also enhancing the children and young peoples’ learning opportunities through cooking by using veggies grown at the centre has also been an important change. Pasta dishes are an especially popular choice for the children. 

Parents have responded well, and are happy that their children are trying new foods and eating more vegetables.

As well as the nutritional changes, Harshini and other educators have observed the children developing problem solving skills and leadership skills through task delegation. 

Recognising the drive and enthusiasm Harshini displayed through Vic Kids Eat Well, Ms Pereira and Ms Clementson nominated Cranbourne Carlisle OSHClub for an award in the schools and OSH category at Monash Health’s 2022 Health Promotion Award, which they won. 

Moving forward, Harshini and her team plan to offer more nutritious cooking activities for the children by continuing to grow and harvest more vegetables from the garden. She encouraged other interested services to jump in and give the program a try. 

“Vic Kids Eat Well has been a great opportunity to continue to provide healthy foods that also bring people together and make the children happy,” she said. 

Learn more about the program here.