Meals and menu
Healthy meals, served family style.
Our menus follow the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program meal pattern: whole grains every day, fruits and vegetables at every meal, and no sugary drinks.
Meals included (standard)
Everything on this page is included in tuition. Babies join the meal plan once they eat table food.
You send food: $35 a week less
Pack labeled meals and snacks. We keep them cold and serve them at our table. See prices
What we serve each day
Children eat together at the table. They pass the bowls, serve themselves, and pour their own water.
Milk is served with breakfast and lunch. Water is offered at every meal and snack and is always available.
Sample week
Our menu changes with the seasons, so children taste lots of different fruits, vegetables, and grains. We plan fresh menus all year and post each week's menu for parents. Here is one sample week.
| Day | Breakfast | Morning snack | Lunch | Afternoon snack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Whole-wheat toast, banana slices | Plain yogurt with diced strawberries | Baked chicken, brown rice, steamed broccoli, mandarin oranges | Whole-grain crackers and cheese cubes |
| Tue | Oatmeal with diced apple and cinnamon | Hummus with soft whole-wheat pita | Mild turkey and bean chili, whole-grain cornbread, green beans, diced peaches | Thin apple slices and milk |
| Wed | Whole-grain waffle, sliced strawberries | Banana and milk | Whole-wheat spaghetti with turkey marinara, soft carrots, pear slices | Hard-boiled egg and whole-grain crackers |
| Thu | Scrambled eggs, cantaloupe | Low-sugar whole-grain cereal and milk | Bean and cheese quesadilla on a whole-wheat tortilla, corn, pineapple | Plain yogurt and diced mango |
| Fri | Whole-wheat English muffin, halved blueberries | String cheese and orange segments | Baked fish, quinoa, peas, watermelon | Homemade banana-oat muffin and milk |
Evenings and overnights
Supper and bedtime
Every supper has a protein, a vegetable, a fruit, a whole grain, and milk.
Bedtime snack choices
Milk and banana, toast and milk, yogurt and berries, or crackers and cheese.
- Chicken noodle soup with applesauce
- Turkey and cheese sandwich strips, green beans, banana
- Veggie egg scramble with spinach, toast, berries
- Baked salmon, sweet potato, brown rice, pear
- Chicken and black bean rice bowl, corn, orange slices
- Whole-grain mac and cheese with peas, peaches
- Lentil soup, whole-grain roll, zucchini, apple slices
- Low-sodium teriyaki chicken, brown rice, broccoli, pineapple
Our food rules
- Whole milk for 1-year-olds, low-fat milk for ages 2 and up
- At least one whole-grain food every day
- 100% juice only, and no more than once a day
- No soda, sweet drinks, or fried foods
- Low-sugar cereals and yogurts
- Cookies and cake only for special celebrations
For babies
- Stardust (3 months until solid foods): parents provide breast milk or formula. We feed on your baby's schedule, hold every baby for every bottle, and label every bottle.
- Moonbeams (about 7 to 12 months): smooth purées first, then lumpy textures, chopped foods, and soft finger foods as your baby learns to chew and self-feed. Parents still provide breast milk or formula.
- Twinkles (12 to 18 months): moving from bottles to cups, whole milk, and family-style meals with a wide variety of table foods.
- New foods are added one at a time, with your doctor's OK and a written feeding plan you sign.
- No cow's milk, honey, or juice before 12 months.
Allergies and special diets
- We collect allergy details at enrollment, with a doctor's plan for serious allergies
- Each child's allergies are posted in our kitchen
- Cultural, religious, and vegetarian diets are welcome
- If we serve sunflower seed butter, we tell you, because it looks like peanut butter
- Our whole team knows how to use an epinephrine auto-injector
Choking safety for under 4
- Grapes, cherry tomatoes, and blueberries are cut into small pieces
- Hard vegetables are cooked until soft
- Apples are sliced thin or cooked
- No whole nuts, popcorn, hard candy, or marshmallows
- Children always sit to eat, and an adult sits with them