5.3.11.1
Special Dietary Needs
Special Dietary needs may include: food allergy, food intolerance, certain chronic diseases, texture modifications and/or adaptive feeding equipment, dietary supplements, certain parent requests, etc.
For children with special dietary needs, a Cook’s Diet Order (CDO) will need to be created by the SHS Nutrition Department based on the guidance from the child’s medical provider. This process may be initiated during enrollment through the HDNA or arise any time throughout the year from parent contact.
Cook’s Diet Order (CDO) Process
- When it’s been determined from the HDNA or from the parent that an enrolled child has a special dietary need, the family service staff will give the parents a Medical Statement to Request Special Meals to be filled out and signed by the child’s doctor. The Medical Statement details what accommodations will be needed to address the special dietary concerns.
- The parents or doctor’s office return the completed Medical Statement to the family service staff, and the family service staff scans it to “Nutrition”.
- The nutrition clerk at the Admin office retrieves the medical statement and delivers it to the Registered Dietitian or Health Services Manager, who creates the CDO for the center staff to follow. Most CDO’s will typically have a 2-3 day turnaround time, but depending on the complexity and severity of the substitution or modification, it may take up to 1-2 weeks for completion, during which time the child will not be able to attend center, Nutrition staff will contact family service staff regarding these delays. Please inform parents of this potential delay.
- Once completed, nutrition staff attaches the CDO into ChildPlus and sends an email notification to the Family Service staff.
- The Family Service staff prints and places a copy of the CDO in the child file and gives a copy to the cook and classroom staff. The Cook keeps copies of all CDO’s in the kitchen. Classroom staff will review the CDO and place a copy in the Health Alert folder in the child’s classroom.
- The Cook ensures that they understand the CDO and contacts the Registered Dietitian or Health Services Manager if additional guidance is needed.
- CDO’s are valid for the program year they are written in and must be updated yearly, prior to the beginning of the following program year for returning children. If dated on or after May 1st of the current year, staff must contact the Health Services Manager to request an updated CDO for the next program year.
Note: The child is not permitted to attend the program at Center until the cook is ready to prepare meals in accordance with the diet order. The cook and family service staff will need to work together to determine when the child may safely attend.
Parent Requests
Parents may make requests for Fluid Milk Substitutions and Vegetarian/Religious Exemptions without a Medical Statement, using the provided forms.
- Family Service Staff and parent fills out the appropriate request form. Parent signs and dates form, family worker scans form to “Nutrition”.
- The CDO will be completed as previously outlined above.
- The CDO will remain valid until retracted by the parent. Parent requests do not need to be redone yearly. For returning children who have a parent request CDO, contact the Health Services Manager to request an updated CDO.
Note: There are specific approved fluid milk substitutions that can be made with a parent request that are listed on the form, any other milk request that is not on the form will need to be completed with a medical statement. See fluid milk substitution form for further details.