In ChildFriendly Pro's April 2026 Lunch & Learn, child care operator Krystal Churcher explained that mealtime behaviors such as food refusal, gagging or leaving the table often reflect sensory differences, anxiety or a need for control rather than defiance, and that high-sugar, low-protein, processed menus add to dysregulation, fatigue and frustration later in the day.
What the session covered
Mealtimes are among the most difficult periods of the child care day, and Churcher described food as "more than nutrition": it is regulation. She said regulation for children starts with stable energy and feeling safe with food, and that what happens at snack and lunch affects behavior, participation, learning and social connection for the rest of the day. The session identified two overlapping problems. Feeding challenges include a limited range of accepted foods, strong reactions to textures, smells or presentation, gagging or distress, difficulty staying at the table and a need for predictable food; Churcher said these are the norm rather than the exception among neurodivergent children. Nutrition gaps include high-sugar, low-protein meals, processed or low-variety menus and meals that do not sustain energy. She added that inconsistent responses across staff increase stress and burnout. A guest holistic nutritionist, Eve of The Green Sheep, then presented her whole-food approach, and Wayne Chen of ChildFriendly Pro showed tools for tracking food preferences and mealtime documentation.
What mealtime behaviors signal feeding challenges in young children?
Churcher listed the feeding challenge behaviors educators commonly see: a very limited range of foods a child is comfortable eating; strong reactions to the textures, smells or presentation of food; physical gagging, distress or anxiety around mealtimes; difficulty staying at the table; and needing food to be predictable or "just right" before showing interest. She said that behind these behaviors educators are often seeing sensory differences, anxiety or a need for control, not defiance, and that the pattern is especially common among neurodivergent children, some of whom may be undiagnosed. When nutrition supports regulation, she said, children show steadier energy and attention, fewer emotional highs and lows and greater participation at meals. When it does not, programs see energy spikes and crashes and more irritability. Churcher noted from touring centers across Calgary and Alberta that some in-house food programs are strong while others lack an understanding of how nutrition affects regulation. She recommended a consistent staff approach to mealtime behaviors, because inconsistent responses add stress for children and educators.
What practical food and menu changes did the session recommend for child care programs?
The guest nutritionist, Eve of The Green Sheep, recommended favoring whole foods over convenience foods and quoted author Michael Pollan's advice to eat foods made from ingredients you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature. She distinguished foods in their natural state, processed foods such as canned corn or flour, and ultra-processed foods such as chips, fries and cookies, and advised reading ingredient lists for added oils, salt, sugar and unrecognizable ingredients. She noted that one can of Coke contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar, and suggested whole fruit such as apples or bananas as packaged-free snacks. For classroom activities, she suggested growing a food from seed, visiting a local farm and checking on one outdoor plant weekly as the snow melts. Churcher suggested small shifts rather than a full overhaul: change one menu item next month, review where the center sources eggs, or host a parent night on nutrition. She described BC centers that invited parents to cooking nights with their chef, and reminded operators to check Alberta health regulations before growing plants indoors with children.
Mealtime regulation points from the session
| Time | Key point | What centers should do |
|---|---|---|
| 03:06 | Churcher: food is more than nutrition; it is regulation, and mealtimes affect the whole day. | Treat snack and lunch as part of the behavior support plan. |
| 04:01 | Churcher: inconsistent staff approaches to mealtimes create stress and burnout. | Agree on one shared staff response to common mealtime behaviors. |
| 05:46 | Churcher: nutrition gaps include high-sugar, low-protein and low-variety menus. | Review menus for protein, variety and sustained energy. |
| 06:49 | Churcher: feeding behaviors often reflect sensory differences, anxiety or need for control, not defiance. | Observe and document mealtime behaviors before responding with discipline. |
| 23:03 | Eve: ingredient lists reveal processed foods: added oils, salt, sugar and unfamiliar ingredients. | Check labels on packaged menu items and replace the most processed ones. |
| 26:54 | Eve: one can of Coke contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar. | Use visual sugar comparisons in classroom or parent nutrition activities. |
| 49:05 | Eve: growing food from seed and checking on a plant weekly connect children with food. | Plan a seed-growing or plant-observation activity, within health regulations. |
| 54:27 | Churcher: parent cooking nights with a center chef built buy-in for food programs. | Host a family nutrition or cooking evening to connect home and center. |
| 58:47 | Churcher: make one small change at a time, such as one menu change next month. | Choose a single menu or sourcing change and review it after a month. |
How ChildFriendly Pro automates this
The session described mealtime observations and food preferences tracked inconsistently across staff. At 52:05, Wayne Chen showed allergy and food preference fields in child profiles, meal planning filtered by room or group, food journals, custom nutrition questions for families, calendar meal plans and exportable reports for spotting mealtime trends.
Next steps
- Register for the next Director Lunch & Learn
- Child care tracking, documentation and reports
- Free Quick Interpretation Guide for Mealtime Observations
- Book a ChildFriendly Pro demo
