Pilke Daycare Menu 2025
All Pilke daycare centres across Finland — from Helsinki to Kemijärvi — follow the same menu. Children are served breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack at the daycare.
- Meal times vary by daycare and group. Generally, breakfast is served at 8:00 AM, lunch around 11:15 AM, and afternoon snack around 2:00 PM.
- Breakfast is only provided for children whose care agreement begins before 9:00 AM. For specific meal schedules, please contact the director of your local daycare.
- Milk and water are served as drinks during meals.
- For children under 12 months, infant formula can be provided if needed.
- We take into account special diets and allergies. Please consult directly with your daycare director for more information and to discuss any dietary requirements.
- All special diets and allergies are considered in both the preparation and serving of meals at our daycare centres
The food served at daycare is specifically designed for children — in terms of both texture and ingredients. It is prepared to be tasty but contains only a minimal amount of salt.
Feelia Oy is responsible for preparing and delivering lunch and snack meals for Pilke daycare centres. The food is delivered cold on a weekly basis, and the daycare staff heat it before serving. The nutritional value of the meals is preserved during reheating.
Our daycare centres follow a five-week rotating menu.
You can view and download the menu here!
Please note that daycare- and day-specific changes are possible, and you will always receive information about them directly from your daycare centre.
Questions and Answers Related to Daycare Food and Meal Times
Meal times vary depending on the Pilke daycare center and individual groups. In general, breakfast is served at 8:00 AM, lunch around 11:15 AM, and an afternoon snack around 2:00 PM.
Breakfast is only provided for children whose care agreement includes a start time before 9:00 AM. For more specific meal schedules, please contact the manager of your local daycare center.
At the daycare, breakfast, lunch, and a snack are offered. At Pilke daycares, we provide children with domestic, healthy, and tasty food that is diverse and easy to eat, designed specifically with children’s tastes and textures in mind.
Each of our daycares has a daycare assistant responsible for warming the food and serving other items according to the menu.
All the activity during the day makes children hungry. Mealtimes at daycare are unhurried moments and always the responsibility of the staff. Adults sit at the table with the children, participating in the meal and engaging in shared conversation. Being present allows the adults to observe the situation and support the children in eating enough and enjoying a varied diet.
For the youngest children, an adult serves the food; older children serve themselves. When portioning, children are asked how much food is the right amount for them. Adults always guide the process and ensure that bread and drinks are also included in the meal.
If needed, staff may use “tasting cards” to encourage children who are reluctant to eat or try new foods. For example, the child and adult might agree that the child picks three tasting cards—each time the child tastes the food, they get to turn over a card and see the picture on the other side.
Mealtimes at the daycare are scheduled to provide adequate nutrition throughout the day. However, especially during longer care days, children might get hungry again in the afternoon. We recommend that parents bring a healthy snack for the journey home, especially if the next mealtime is far off or the child is prone to getting "hangry."
An adult is always present at mealtimes with sensitivity and awareness of the situation.
For younger children, food is portioned onto their plates. Mealtimes go smoothly with finger foods, and feeding is provided when needed.
Children naturally want to try things out, and young children closely observe those sitting next to them—especially older children—and often follow their example! We support learning to use a spoon and fork at each child’s own pace, offering the opportunity as soon as the child shows interest. Similarly, children transition from a baby bottle to a sippy cup and later to using a regular glass.
At Pilke daycares, the menu is generally the same across Finland, with adjustments made for individual daycares and current needs. The menu follows a 4–5 week rotation.
You can find the menu here, in DaisyFamily, and it is also displayed at the daycare.
Special diets and allergies are taken into account in meal preparation and mealtimes at our daycares.
At Pilke daycares, we offer lactose-free meals as well as vegetarian and vegan meals based on ethical grounds.
In line with early childhood education recommendations, it is in the child’s best interest not to exclude any food from their diet unless it is absolutely necessary. Therefore, we require a medical certificate for allergies. For other dietary choices, a notification from the family is sufficient.
New foods are never introduced at daycare. Instead, guardians test new foods at home, and inform the daycare if the child’s allergies change and they are able to eat foods that previously caused a reaction.
Pilke daycares follow internal safety guidelines related to children’s allergies and severe allergic reactions (including the use of Epipen auto-injectors). It is essential that all group staff members have up-to-date information about the children’s allergies—this information is also available to substitute staff—so they can ensure that each child receives the correct meal.
For more information or to discuss in detail, please contact your daycare manager directly!
At daycare, milk and water are served as beverages with meals. At Pilke daycares, children are offered either fat-free milk, lactose-free fat-free milk, oat milk, or soy milk, according to the family's preferences and notification. If required by the child's diet, almond milk is also available.
Children under 12 months of age are offered infant formula based on the family's wishes. Please bring your own baby bottle to daycare if needed.
As a rule, all non-prescription milks can be provided through the daycare. If the product is available only by prescription, the family is responsible for supplying the milk to the daycare themselves.
Please ask for more information and discuss details directly with the daycare director!
Drinks are always included in meal situations; milk and water are available as meal beverages at daycare. Juice is offered only on special occasions.
Drinking enough is a safety issue, especially during hot weather. That’s why we ask families to bring a personal, named water bottle for the child to use at daycare and on outings. In general, water bottles are extremely important for children – they like to carry them around!
During outdoor activities and excursions, daycare staff always bring water jugs and cups as needed. For example, after outings, water is first offered indoors so that thirsty children don’t have to wait until the next meal.
We celebrate children’s birthdays together at daycare.
We understand that treats are a part of birthday celebrations. However, in daycare we must always take care of things like cold storage for food, equality among children, and all potential allergens, while also aiming to avoid excess sugar. That’s why homemade products, candy, or ice cream are not suitable for serving at daycare.
Good treat options include cookies, corn puffs, dried berries and fruits, or in general, dry products with clear packaging labels. Always discuss birthday celebrations and any planned treats in advance with the daycare staff.
We also celebrate calendar holidays and international theme weeks. These are an important part of early childhood education – we explore customs, cultures, and traditions, and they are often reflected in the meals as well. Examples include Shrove buns, Christmas meals, ethnic food cultures, or May Day drinks and donuts.
Excursions and meals are a wonderful combination! Food rarely tastes as good as it does on a trip, and children truly enjoy picnic outings.
Families are always informed in advance when excursions take place and whether snacks need to be brought from home, along with clear instructions. Good snack options include things like sliced root vegetables and other veggies, snack bars, sandwiches, and juice or another drink in a water bottle.
No packaging or trash is left in nature — everything is brought back to the daycare and sorted properly into waste or recycling.
Sometimes daycare organizes outings where lunch or an afternoon snack is eaten outdoors, such as in the forest or other natural areas. In those cases, we bring along everything needed — like warm soup and other meal items. Occasionally, we might even bake bread rolls together with the children to take along on the trip.
Pilke daycares’ food partner is Feelia Oy. Our cooperation began with Feelia piloting the service in the Southwest Finland region, and as of the beginning of 2024, all Pilke daycares across Finland are included in the deliveries. Food is delivered to daycares weekly, kept cold, and daycare staff warm it up for serving at the daycare centers.
Our partner Feelia delivers food weekly to daycares as a cold delivery. This significantly reduces our carbon footprint compared to delivering hot ready meals daily to the daycares. Because the food delivered cold to daycares can be heated only in the amounts needed for the children present, it also reduces our food waste by 20–30%. We are continuously striving to optimize the amount of food required.
Children’s meals at daycare are one of the most frequently asked topics before starting at a daycare centre. What kind of food is served at daycare? How does mealtime work? How are special diets and allergies taken into account?
Mealtimes at daycare are also an important part of early childhood education. In this article, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of questions and answers about food and mealtimes at Pilke daycare centres.
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