The Children's School at Saint John's

We are committed to providing healthy foods and beverages and positive mealtimes so that your child can learn good eating habits and grow up strong. The Children’s School at Saint John’s strives to promote health eating habits to all children by teaching and modeling the essentially needed healthy habits, focusing on food and nutrition. The school is confident that by combining the resources from “The Color Me Healthy Curriculum” with the “Energy Balance Pre-K” activities, the school will successfully provide the children (and teachers & families) with a solid foundation towards long-lasting healthy habits through fun, innovative, and interactive learning opportunity for physical activity and healthy eating. The program is designed to stimulate all of the senses of young children: touch, smell, sight, sound and, of course, taste. Color Me Healthy uses color, music and exploration of the senses to teach children that healthy eating and physical activity are fun! 

• Children are offered a fruit and/or vegetable at every meal and snack.
• We do not serve fried foods, high fat meats, or vegetables cooked in fat.
• Sweets and salty snacks are offered once a month or less.
• We offer only healthy beverages like non-fat milk and water.

• Teachers and children eat meals together, family style, so that children can learn and practice table skills.
• Television and other screens are turned off so that teachers can talk with children about healthy habits and healthy foods, and check-in with them about hunger and fullness.
• Teachers never force or bribe children to eat any particular foods or to clean their plates.

• Celebrations and fundraisers are focused on healthy foods and fun non-food items.
  • We think healthy treats can be just as fun as cookies and cake. As such, we ask that you provide only healthy treats or non-food items to help celebrate your child’s birthday. Healthy treats include fruit salad, fruit or vegetables with dip, whole grain graham crackers or animal crackers, fig bars, low-fat pudding cups or yogurt, or 100% juice freezer pops.  Some ideas for non-food treats are stickers, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk.

• Children learn about food and eating each week through stories and activities.
• Each year, all staff and teachers participate in training on nutrition topics.

Child Nutrition in Our Early Care and Education Program

We are committed to providing healthy foods and beverages and positive mealtimes so that the children in our care can grow up healthy and strong. Because of this teachers and staff are expected to:

• Serve meals family style and help children learn table skills (scooping, passing, manners, etc.).
• Create a pleasant meal environment by turning off screens and speaking positively about the foods being served.
• Model healthy eating by sitting with children at meals and eating and drinking the same foods that they do.
• Never use food as a reward or a punishment or force children to try new foods or clean their plates.
• Include nutrition education in weekly lesson plans and use “teachable moments” to talk about healthy eating.
• Attend professional development on child nutrition each year.