The Children’s Garden is a learning environment, which includes helping children develop healthy habits early in life. A lot of thought has gone into how food fits into the overall philosophy of our programs.
- Here at The Garden, we strive to serve nutritious meals and snacks that include a variety of fruits and vegetables and a minimum of processed foods.
- We use a very limited amount of sugar in our recipes and encourage healthy treats like yogurt and fruit for special occasions. Because the balance of whole proteins, vegetables, fruits and grains is important to all growing children, we’ve incorporated such products as organic tofu and tempeh into our menu.
- We strive to limit the use of nuts due to the severity of some nut allergies. Delicious and nutritious sunflower seed butter is used in place of other nut spreads.
- As with many of our families, we’ve found that organic produce is optimal for healthy lifestyles. We shop at organic grocers as much as possible and offer many leafy greens in our meals.
- We believe meals offer a time to gather together and support friendships while promoting healthy habits and manners.
- Serving meals “family style” helps create a sense of community within each classroom.
The Green Garden
The Garden is aware and concerned about our lasting effect on our earth, and to address this we:
- Are taking measures to ensure that the next generation of gardeners has a beautiful space to plant roots.
- Have received the Eco-Friendly Childcare certification and adhere as best we can to the state’s suggested guidelines.
- Recycle paper and cardboard and try to limit the use of disposable plastic products.
- Use biodegradable and compostable paper products.
- Use non-VOC paint and many recycled products in our classrooms. We do not use aerosol or harsh chemical cleaners.
Immunization records
- 97% up-to-date
- 1% opted out of all recommended vaccines
- 3% opted out of Hep B