FIVE STAR FRESH FOOD PROGRAM
Promoting wholesome eating can help change the health and well-being of our next generation.
FIVE STAR FRESH FOOD PROGRAM
Promoting wholesome eating can help change the health and well-being of our next generation.
Lifestyle Habits Start at Infancy
Healthy eating and lifestyle habits start at a young age and are directly influenced by the food options given at school.
FEED THE BODY, YOU FREE THE MIND
We also know that children who are well-nourished learn better. This is why our priority at The Learning Tree is simple; “We want children to love real food.”
LOCAL, REPUTABLE, AND HIGH QUALITY INGREDIENTS
We order all produce and products from local, reputable and quality companies. Our menus are custom designed and change with each season to reflect the fresh produce available. All meal, and most snack, items are prepared inside our own kitchen by an on-site, full time chef.
Nutrition Standards
- Always whole grain
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Always Family Style Serving
Did you know: When children serve themselves, they are more likely to learn what “being full” means? - Always organic chicken
- Always organic eggs
- Always organic milk
-
Always organic ‘Dirty Dozen’
This lists the 12 items that should be purchased organic due to being the most contaminated and sprayed with pesticides.
Meals
Breakfast
- Served at 8:30am
- Whole grain
- Fruit
- Organic Milk
Lunch
- Served at 11:30am
- Whole grain
- Protein
- Fruit
- Vegetable
- Organic Milk
Snacks
10 am snack: Fruit
Typically, the teacher will set a serving bowl of fruit out on a table, and children are invited to help themselves to a morning snack of fruit.
3 pm snack: Protein & Vegetable
Our protein is always a homemade dip (ex: Greek yogurt with cream cheese and dill).
A vegetable is always served with a homemade dip. The vegetables served are blanched for our youngest children, and sometimes for all children.
5 pm snack: Homemade Snack
Our chefs make homemade snacks such as graham crackers, zucchini muffins, energy bites, popcorn and more!
The milk served in our center is Organic Valley Milk. This brand is recognized as high quality organic milk. The cows who produce this milk are raised in a pasture and have no hormone injections. What is fed to the cows have no pesticides. Research has proven that choosing organic milk VS. Hormone free milk has several benefits to the growth and development of children. Hormone free milk has shown to cause cancer and speeds up estrogen development. Choosing a high quality, organic milk is important to our food program standards.
Is encouraged all day long! Children enrolled at The Learning Tree are welcomed to bring a water bottle to fill with water and enjoy during the day. During warmer seasons, water bottles are taken outside each time a classroom goes out to play.
We purchase our bread from a local bakery; Embassy. This bakery has made whole wheat available for us, and has really partnered with The Learning Tree’s needs.
Wraps are on our menu, they are always a vegetable wrap (spinach or sun dried tomato).
Organic chicken.
Ground Turkey. We are not able to purchase organic ground turkey, consistently. We serve Coleman brand and believe it’s the best quality ground turkey.
Some processed meats such as Canadian bacon and hot dogs are on our menu from time to time. Our guidelines with this:
Uncured AND nitrate free.