Food and Nutrition Program
Our participation in the federally funded Child Care Food Program (CCFP) ensures that we serve your children nutritious meals and snacks. This helps your children get the nourishment and energy they need to learn, grow and be healthy. There is a critical relationship between nutrition, health and learning.
In addition to following CCFP regulations, our goal is to provide meals that reflect current dietary guidelines. We stress a diet with a wide variety of foods that are low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and that include vegetables, fruits, grains, milk products, meat, and meat alternatives. Our goal is to encourage wise food choices and healthful eating. What we eat is influenced by many factors -- taste, culture, social situation, religious beliefs, ethnic background and even food sensitivities or allergies. Food should be enjoyed. It is the overall diet that counts, not one single food or day’s meals. We strive to provide healthful food that tastes good and is presented attractively so that your children will choose it.
It is center policy to serve whole milk for children between 12 and 36 months as a supplement to breast milk or formula and when the child is no longer taking a bottle.
A menu/newsletter is published every four weeks and is put in parent pockets. Mealtime schedules are posted on all classroom doors. Children are served breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. Children attending the center with a 12:30 start time are served lunch at no extra charge if requested by the parent. Your part in all this is to complete a CCFP Center Eligibility Form upon enrollment and annually thereafter.
Parents may enjoy a meal with their child in his/her classroom by arranging at least 24 hours in advance with the child’s teacher and the kitchen and paying $3.00 for lunch and $1.50 for breakfast. Parents may sit with children at lunchtime and not eat, at any time without paying. However, other food may not be brought by the parent to be eaten in the classroom. Special meals are planned occasionally for center parents and children so that parents can experience meals the children are served. These are publicized. Advance signups and payment for the meal is required.
Food sensitivities and allergies require completion of an Allergy/Food Preference form by your child’s doctor. The Food Program Manager will give you the appropriate form after you meet with her. Once the form is received from the doctor, your child can be served the recommended substitute for the offending food(s). Food sensitivity/allergy forms must be renewed annually. Young children outgrow many food sensitivities as their digestive system matures. The variety of foods in their diet can then be expanded.