By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent

THE importance of anutritious diet for children attending crèches is being highlighted in a resource for providers of pre-school services.

Up to 800 pre-schools in south Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow are to benefit from a training course and menu plans to ensure the children they care for get all their daily nutritional requirements.

The menu plan gives a guide for breakfast, lunch, tea and snack suggestions for five days of the week. The recipes are clearly presented and child-friendly, and list ingredients needed to make enough for groups of 10, 20 or 30 children.