At The Learning Tree Preschool, health and nutrition has been of great importance. In April, the children planted a garden of fruits, vegetables, and herbs for Earth Day to be used in their snacks. Since the children worked so hard to plant and care for the garden, they were much more likely to enjoy or even just try the fruits of their labor. They were excited to know that the yellow squash and zucchini added to their spaghetti was actually from their garden. They loved the tomato, bell pepper and green onion salad and they were excited to put fresh mint in their fresh squeezed lemonade. As an educational center, it is important for us to incorporate all aspects of living a healthy lifestyle. The Learning Tree has recently partnered with Valley Care Health System’s nutritional program to offer fresh and well balanced meals for lunch. We are proud of what this new partnership has to offer. Not only does this save time and money for families, it also helps maintain healthy eating habits and appropriate portion sizes for our children. For just $3 per meal, families can relax knowing their child is eating healthy in a way that is convenient for every family. This exciting program is offered as an optional meal plan for our families. It is our hope that children will learn healthy eating habits which include 1 1/2 oz protein, 1/2 bread, 1/4 cup fruit, 1/4 cup vegetable, 6 oz nonfat or 1% milk set forth by the USDA’s requirements for children ages 3-6. For more information on our new lunch program, please visit www.livermorelearningtree.com or call (925)447-8279.
