Kindy orientation talk checklist

As a canteen staff member, you may be asked to provide a short speech at your school’s kindy orientation. Take the opportunity to let parents know that their children will have access to a wide variety of nutritious food as they begin their schooling life. It’s also the perfect time to call for new volunteers! If you don’t like public speaking ask one of your longstanding volunteers or your canteen assistant to help you. Here is a canteen checklist of  things you should consider when preparing your talk.

CANTEEN CHECKLIST

1) How much time have you been allocated?

There’s a lot of information to cover at a kindy orientation, so ask how much time you can spend on your talk. Try not to go over 10 minutes. Keeping it short  means parents can remember key messages and  it leaves enough time for questions at the end.

2) What is the canteen’s philosophy & how does it fit into the school’s culture?

Every canteen has its own philosophy and it largely depends on the school population. For some schools canteens it’s about providing healthy options at recess and lunch and for others it’s to provide an inexpensive meal option for students who otherwise may not get recess or lunch. By letting the parents know the philosophy and goals of your canteen they will be more likely to use the canteen and even volunteer to help when they can.

3) What are the parent’s interests?

Parents like to be reassured that the canteen will provided safe and healthy food for their children. Let parents know a bit about the procedures and systems that you have in place to ensure food is handled correctly. Talk about how your canteen aims to provide students with nutritious food by following your state’s healthy school canteen strategy. Offer a brief outline of the guidelines and explain what foods can and can’t be sold in the canteen (i.e. chocolate, lollies and soft drinks).

Parents of children with allergies are often most concerned about the canteen so let them know how you provide a safe environment for their children. Encourage them to come into the canteen to have a look at how you prepare and cook foods. If you’re unable to safely provide food for a child with an allergy, be honest and up front with these parents.  For more information on allergy management in the canteen, follow this link.

4) How do parents purchase a lunch order?

Whether you use a simple brown bag method or online ordering system, parents need to know how to order lunch from your canteen. Give simple instructions and walk parents through how to create an online ordering account if needed. Let them know who to talk to if they experience any  issues with the system – do they contact you or the provider? Give the necessary contact information.

5)  Do you have a way to communicate menu changes, specials and other canteen news?

Let parents know if you have a canteen section in the school newsletter where you announce changes to the menu, specials or other news. If you have a Facebook page encourage parents to “like” your page and get involved in discussions. Tell parents about notice boards around the school or the school website where they can find a copy of the canteen menu.

5) How will you encourage parents to volunteer?

If you’d like to encourage new parent volunteers in your canteen, talk about the benefits to volunteering. Some of these may include:

• Volunteers get the opportunity to meet other parents and be involved in the greater school community.
• Parent volunteers get to see how excited their kids are to see them volunteering at school.
• Let parents know if you offer free recess/lunch/hot drink to parents or their kids if they volunteer.
• Make it clear that by volunteering they are helping the canteen keep its prices low and affordable.

Download this form and fill in the information that needs to be personalised by you, then print and distribute it at the orientation talk. Take along a load of pens or pencils to encourage parents to fill the form right there and then! Follow up with emails or phone calls to get more specific information.

6) What resources can you distribute that will help your message?

It’s always helpful if you can offer the parents some information to take home so they can refer to it later. Some information they will need:

• Opening hours of the canteen and whether you’re open for breakfast, recess or lunch each day.
• Your canteen menu and pricing. Also, let them know if certain foods that are only available during recess or lunch or on certain days.
• Information about the Fresh Taste @ School NSW Healthy School Canteen Guidelines (here’s a flyer you can use) or National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines in the ACT.

7) How can parents give you feedback?

Let parents know that you’re there to provide them withe a service and that you’re open to suggestions and comments. Provide parents with the canteen’s contact details and the best way  to contact you. If you’re happy to take phone calls during the day, let them know the best times to call (for instance, outside of recess or lunch).