Nutrition

We are a peanut-free and tree-nut free establishment.

Many children have allergic reactions to nuts of any kind. Our program is housed inside of another business, and we need to ensure we are safe and mindful of all patrons within our building. We will not allow food that contains nuts of any kind to be served or consumed on our premises.

Children are best able to listen and learn when their nutritional needs are being met. We have outlined the guidelines set forth by the USDA for what children in each age group should be consuming during breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack. The guidelines have been structured into the Child and Adult Care Food Program Guidelines (CACFP) to outline specific measurements and components all children should be eating throughout their day. A copy of these guidelines will be provided to you upon your inquiry and are available upon request by our office.

Our program does not have full access to a kitchen. For this reason, we must ask parents to provide nutritional meals for their children each day. The USDA recommends storing children’s meals in a lunchbox that is made of fabric or metal (they suggest avoiding plastic) and includes at least 2 icepacks to keep the food at the appropriate temperature prior to consumption.

Mealtimes are set according to each age groups schedule (infants schedules are individual and they will be fed according to the meal plan that has been discussed between staff and parents- these schedules shift frequently as infants eating patterns change during the first year of life). Our Toddler and Preschool programs will all sit down together at mealtimes and will practice general manners, enjoy their peers’ company, and learn to feed themselves.

We ask that you avoid sending high sugar foods, candy, or gum as we will not allow its consumption and may disrupt your child’s day or be a source of confusion. We will work with parents individually to help educate and create ideas that your child will enjoy and consume during the school day.
All unconsumed food will be sent home daily or discarded at the end of the mealtime.

Infant Feedings / Bottles

Parents must provide enough bottles pre-measured for each feeding needed during the day. The bottles may include breast milk or formula and must be labelled with the child’s first and last name, date, and contents. We highly recommend providing an extra bottle in case your child is moving towards a bigger appetite.
All bottles must be plastic. No glass bottles will be used during care.

Bottles may be warmed using our bottle warmers and will be offered for an hour after being heated. We will work closely with parents to ensure no meals are wasted.

If you are a nursing parent, we will work to communicate with you when your child is hungry or to match their schedule to when you are planning to stop by during the day. We require open communication to ensure your child is getting the appropriate nutritional value for their age and will begin offering "solid” foods after you have received this direction from your pediatrician AND the child has previously tried the food at home. While allergies are rare for infants, we appreciate your support ensuring new exposures happen while at home. All solid foods must be pre-cut to ensure they are the appropriate size for a child to safely consume.

**Children under the age of 4 months may not consume plain drinking water
**Children under 12 months of age may not consume honey

We will hold all infants while they are drinking bottles and will help support their progression to being fed in a highchair and eventually sitting in a chair at a small table during feeding times. We will also work with them to transition from bottles to sippy cups and eventually open cups.