Meals and Feeding Schedules
Place of Grace Early Learning Center serves breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack. Meals will be served at time intervals not to exceed every 4 hours. All meals are prepared according to daycare licensing regulations and USDA recommendations. Children between the ages of 6 weeks and 1 year will be served according to the child’s individual needs and schedules. Baby food and cereal will be offered to the child by 6 months of age. Parents should always try each new food for 3-4 days at home before sending the food to the center in order to monitor possible allergic reactions. The child will gradually transition to table food. Once the child is able to eat foods from the regular menu, they will be offered those foods based on parent direction. All children must be on the regular menu by the age of 1 year. Children will also be transitioned to sippy cups and whole milk rather than bottles and formula.
Children between the ages of one (1) year and twelve (12) years will at minimum be served a grain, fruit or vegetable, and milk for breakfast. For lunch this age group will be served a protein, vegetable, fruit, grain and milk. For a snack this age group will be served two of the following choices: grain, fruit, vegetable, protein, or milk.
All meals will allow for children to have only a second serving of any item in order to promote healthy choices and reduce obesity. Children will also be encouraged to try each item on the plate. The menu will frequently follow the themes with which the classroom teacher is implementing. This allows the children to use their important sense of taste to also make connections in learning.