What's Cooking in our Kitchen? A Closer Look at Our Nutrition Program
Offering Nutritious Meals Reflecting Our Families' Cultures
In addition to providing nutritious food, meal time offers rich learning experiences. For example, students use math concepts to count utensils and plates and practice socialization skills. Prior to COVID-19 safety guidelines, children took turns measuring food portions and served as 'helpers', setting and clearing the table.
“This is a great meal to feed a kid!"
"I want to eat this every day!"
"It's so good! It's so good! It's so good!"
These might not be the expected responses from a 4-year-old eating pumpkin coconut curry chickpeas -- but Children's Village Nutrition Program creates recipes that are wonderfully unexpected for a child care program.
The preschooler had been telling his mom that he really likes chickpeas. Delighted, she whipped up chickpea stew. But his reaction to the meal was: I don't want these chickpeas. I want the 'chickpeas with the yellow sauce from school.' She then reached out to our chef Matt Ferry for the recipe and replicated it in her kitchen together with her son.
Like this preschooler, our students often request their Children's Village mealtime favorites at home.
The 'chickpeas with the yellow sauce' was, in fact, a New York Times Cooking recipe for Coconut Curry Chickpeas With Pumpkin and Lime that Chef Ferry had modified. Like to try it? You can find the recipe here and Chef Matt's modifications here.
'Eating with All of Our Senses'
Our Nutrition Program works to serve meals that not only are nutritious but represent the tastes, smells, traditions, and cultures of Children's Village families. Current menu items include chicken tikka masala, Spanish chickpea stew, coconut ginger salmon, and homemade hummus. View our menus from our website here.
"I want to expose children to different flavors, seasonings, and spices through a multi-faceted flavor profile. Of course, the meal must taste good but its aroma and appearance also must be appealing. We eat with all of our senses," says Chef Ferry. Chef Ferry and Stephanie Chisholm develop the menus by age group (toddler, preschool, and school-age), which are prepared on 4-month cycle, in four-week rotations. This approach allows for inclusion of seasonal items and variety. "Many students attend Children's Village for several years and we want to ensure that they are exposed to a range of foods," says Chef Ferry.
It is no small task. Scaling recipes for hundreds of children is not merely a matter of multiplying the ingredient list to create a specific number of servings. It is a labor-intensive process, often including trial and error and adjustments. "For example, when using fresh ingredients, such as butternut squash, the vegetable may be especially sweet so we adjust the recipe accordingly," says Chef Ferry. The Nutrition Program seeks out student and teacher feedback and guidance from Children's Village Nutrition Committee.
Elevating our Level of Nutrition Program Excellence
Children's Village participates in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which establishes meal component and serving size guidelines aligning with the U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements. Reflecting our commitment to excellence, Children's Village also adopts more rigorous, best practice standards from the Nutrition and Physical Activity and Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC Program) from the University of North Carolina's Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.
Setting the Stage Early for Healthy Bodies and Healthy Minds
The tremendous effort to serve nutritious meals to our students is worth it -- especially given Philadelphia's 20.6% obesity rate for children ages 5 to 18. Obesity puts children at greater risk for serious health conditions. Nutrition is one aspect of our comprehensive approach to safeguard children's health and well-being; teachers also embed health education into the curricula and provide daily opportunities for physical activity. Please see photo gallery below.
"We must start early with nutritious meals and whole foods to help young children make healthy eating choices for better long term health. My hope is to open children's eyes to see beyond chicken nuggets and to taste a greater range of cuisines and flavors. We welcome children from many backgrounds and traditions into our classrooms and meals are also an important way to explore different cultures,' says Chef Ferry.
A Starting Point for Greater Understanding
"Our Nutrition Program contributes immensely to what makes Children's Village a high-quality education environment and ensures we support the needs of the whole child. A great deal of learning also takes place during our snack and meal time. This learning not only relates to math and measuring concepts or details about color, consistency, and taste of food. Our Nutrition Program staff create meals that often serve as a starting point for greater understanding about classmates' traditions and cultures," says Mary Graham, Executive Director.
