Nutrition
Menus
Active kids need fuel! Every day, children will get age appropriate servings for breakfast, lunch, and a snack, giving them additional time to learn social skills with their peers. We provide parents with menus a few weeks ahead of time to allow for coordination with cooking at home to help make sure your child gets a variety of foods.
Meals / Food Program
Jack & Jill serves nutritious and delicious meals and snacks that are prepared daily in our on-site, licensed, and inspected commercial kitchens. The centers have a trained food manager, licensed by the State of Minnesota Department of Public Health, to regulate the food service and maintain current food preparation/serving requirements. Our menus aim to exceed USDA standards for both quantity and quality of the food we serve.
Meal time is a perfect time to continue teaching! Everyday, children get time to combine social engagement with independence, all under the supervision of our staff to ensure safety at all times.
Meals and snacks, including baby food are included in the tuition price, although parents must provide their own brand of infant formula or breast milk for an infant.
Jack & Jill prides itself on its nutrition. We serve all five food groups, also known as MyPlate, in our weekly menus to ensure our children are eating a healthy, varied diet which is necessary to promote growth & development. See below for examples of items taken straight from our menus which highlight a selection of our offering in each food group.
Fruits: We serve a variety of fresh fruits along with frozen berries & other canned fruits. These include:
· Pears
· Peaches
· Pineapple
· Unsweetened Applesauce
· Bananas
· Apples
· Blueberries
Vegetables: We cook and serve fresh & frozen vegetables daily at Jack & Jill. These include:
Broccoli
Peas
Green Beas
Carrots
Cauliflower rice
Protein Foods: We serve a variety of protein foods including a variety of meats, seafood & beans throughout the week. These include:
Ground beef
Ham
Chicken
Turkey
Tuna
Bean (black, pinto, and refried)
Grains: We serve a variety of grains at Jack & Jill, including many whole grains. These include:
Whole wheat tortillas
Whole wheat bread
Whole grain breadstick and Shubert rolls
Rice
Whole grain pastas
Whole grain oatmeal
Potatoes, including homemade baked French fries
Whole grain Goldfish
Dairy: We serve Milk at both breakfast and lunch every day as well various other dairy products at mealtimes. These include:
Unflavored 1% Milk for children 16 months and older. Unflavored whole milk for children 16 months and younger.
A variety of cheeses
Low fat yogurt
Cottage cheese