Mini Professional Development 3: Managing fussy eating

Jodie McGough: Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for coming today. This is our third session in the Train the Trainer series for health promoters who are running Cooks Networks in their long day care centres. We’ve provided all the resources you need to successfully run your Cooks Network, and we’re really excited to see the ongoing level of engagement.

This session follows on from our Cooks Connect launch event in March, and the delivery of the first two mini professional development sessions in April and June. If you haven’t had the chance, please watch the webinar recordings to understand the full capacity of Cooks Connect in supporting you on your Cooks Network journey. Kirsten will share the links to those recordings, so if you haven’t seen them yet, you’re welcome to watch them afterwards to catch up.

For those who are new to Cooks Connect or to HEAS, my name is Jody McGough. I’m an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutrition Policy Adviser for Early Childhood Services and schools. I’m also joined by Kirsten Johnson, Program Manager for the Healthy Eating Advisory Service.

Today, I’ll be taking you through Mini Professional Development Session 3: Managing Fussy Eating in Long Day Care. Just like the previous mini PD sessions, today’s presentation will be recorded and made available as a training video for health promoters who weren’t able to attend today’s live session.

Before we get started, I believe everyone is on mute now, which is great. Kirsten, if you could just keep an eye on anyone else joining and mute them if necessary, that would be appreciated. Please feel free to use the chat function if you have any questions—we’ve allowed plenty of time at the end to go through them, so feel free to ask away.

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are meeting. Today, I’m presenting on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong peoples of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today. We also welcome and encourage you to share the Country you’re joining from by adding it to your name on Teams or sharing it in the chat.

Just a quick reminder of who the Healthy Eating Advisory Service (HEAS) is and what we offer. HEAS is delivered by experienced nutritionists and dietitians with support from the Victorian Government. We provide free support to organisations to offer and promote healthier food and drinks in early childhood settings. HEAS supports long day care, kindergarten, family day care, and outside school hours care in promoting and providing nutritious food and drinks that support children’s growth and development.

HEAS has a wide range of resources available for early childhood services, including the Menu Planning Guidelines for Long Day Care, information on managing allergies and intolerances, online training modules, and a variety of recipes to suit different dietary needs. The FoodChecker is an online tool that can be used to assess individual foods, drinks, and whole menus against government guidelines. In long day care, FoodChecker helps services align with the Victorian Government’s Menu Planning Guidelines and the healthy eating requirements of the National Quality Standard.

Today’s presentation is part of a broader suite of resources for health promoters who are delivering their own Cooks Networks. One of the most valuable resources is the Cooks Connect Toolkit, available on the HEAS website. The toolkit provides step-by-step instructions and everything a health promoter needs to establish and facilitate a successful network.

The aim of the Cooks Network is to create a space for cooks to come together, build a sense of community, and share their knowledge and skills. These mini PD sessions have been co-designed with health promoters and focus on popular topics, making it easier for you to become subject matter experts.

You can access the first two mini PD sessions—on menu planning and using FoodChecker in long day care—on the HEAS website. Kirsten has shared the links in the chat.

We’ve been thrilled with the interest in Cooks Connect since its launch in March. Since our last Train the Trainer session, we’ve launched the new Cooks Network Directory on the HEAS website. Cooks and educators working in long day care can use the directory to find existing networks nearby. We currently have seven networks listed across Victoria and hope to add many more.

If you’re already running a Cooks Network, or planning to start one soon, we’d love to include it on the directory. As health promoters, you might also find it helpful to reach out to others who are already facilitating networks. It’s a great way to share ideas and support each other—especially when starting out.

We’ve heard from many of you already, and there are a variety of formats being used. Some networks are held in person, while others are online. Depending on the number of participants, you may be able to run the session on your own or with the help of another health promoter or a dietitian.

Now, let’s dive into Mini PD Session 3. This session aims to increase cooks’ understanding of fussy eating, why it’s common in young children, and provide them with strategies to support children in trying new foods and developing positive lifelong eating habits.

This session package includes a lesson plan, video content, activity sheets, HEAS resources, sample questions and discussion prompts, tools for collecting feedback, and a certificate of attendance. If you’ve used the previous sessions, you’ll recognise the format. If not, I’ll walk you through how to find these resources on the HEAS website.

On the homepage, select “I’m working in Early Childhood Services”, scroll down to the Health Promoter Resources section, and click on “Find out more” under Cooks Connect. Here, you’ll find more background about the initiative, a link to the Network Directory, and access to the professional development series. Session 3 is now live.

All the materials for the fussy eating session are available on that page, including the lesson plan, activity and answer sheets, survey, editable certificate, and a PowerPoint to help structure your meeting. The lesson plan guides you through the session step by step and includes background reading, instructional videos, interactive activities, and links to supporting resources. You can deliver this session face-to-face or online.

The session begins with a video that explains what fussy eating is, why it occurs, and the importance of a whole-of-service approach. It also highlights that some cases of fussy eating may indicate deeper issues, and reminds cooks that they are not expected to “fix” it themselves, but rather raise concerns with families when appropriate.

The first activity involves sensory exploration of food. This encourages cooks to consider what it’s like for a child trying a new food. We’ve suggested coriander as an example, but any unfamiliar or disliked food can be used. The goal is to focus on the sensory experience—touching, smelling, looking at, and then tasting the food. Even with familiar foods, this exercise encourages a new perspective. It can be completed in-person or online. An answer sheet is provided for health promoters to guide the activity.

The second part of the session begins with another video, this time on menu planning and how to support fussy eaters through food preparation. It encourages offering children choices and serving meals in different ways. The video includes two points for group discussion: one on hiding vegetables, and another on offering alternative meals when children refuse food. These discussions provide an opportunity for cooks to share their own experiences.

Following the video, cooks complete an activity where they explore alternative ways to serve meals. We’ve included an example recipe—fish curry—but any common meal can be used. Cooks are encouraged to think about how meals can be presented differently: adding familiar side items, offering elements separately, or deconstructing the dish. Again, an answer sheet is provided with sample responses and ideas.

The final video focuses on the mealtime environment. While many cooks don’t eat with children, this video discusses the importance of collaboration with educators and using a whole-of-service approach. It introduces the Division of Responsibility feeding model and reinforces that it’s not a cook’s or educator’s responsibility to make children eat, but to offer a positive and supportive environment. It also reminds staff to communicate concerns to families if issues persist.

The final activity is a facilitated group discussion using three provided prompts. The goal is to share stories, challenges, and strategies. We’ve also included suggested responses to help guide the conversation. This activity is located within the lesson plan, not as a separate document.

You may wish to wrap up your session with a Q&A segment. We’ve included suggested questions, or you can prepare your own. These sessions are most valuable when there’s a lot of discussion and sharing between cooks.

We’ve also added a section on frequently asked questions. These cover common concerns about feeding practices and may be helpful to refer to during the session or if a related question arises.

At the end of the session, we recommend sharing HEAS resources that support learning—topics like introducing new foods, cooking with children, and the “Vegie Kit”. All links are available in the lesson plan and on the website.

We encourage you to collect feedback from cooks at the end of your network meeting. This helps assess whether the session was useful and provides input for continuous improvement. HEAS has a survey template, or you can design your own. Options include SurveyMonkey, Microsoft Forms, or printed paper forms.

Lastly, we’ve created editable certificates of participation that you can personalise with your organisation’s logo, the cook’s name, and the session date. These are available for download from the HEAS website, and we encourage services to display them proudly.

That brings us to the end of today’s session on managing fussy eating in long day care. Thank you so much for prioritising this in your day. I really hope you found the presentation helpful and inspiring as you continue supporting your cooks and their professional development through the Cooks Network.