Recently, we discussed our leading nutrition program, Brain Bites, and how it is not only a powerful way to set our students up for success but remains a key differentiator for all Ivy Kids locations. Ivy Kids nutrition plans are thoroughly researched and thoughtfully designed to provide our students with a careful selection of recipes with ingredients that focus on supporting brain development and healthy eating habits to help encourage a lifelong preference for healthy eating for years to come.
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ToggleAt Ivy Kids, we believe in caring for the whole child, mind and body. We teach good eating habits early to encourage adventurous eating and expand children’s palates. Our goal is to encourage kids to taste foods they are unaccustomed to by introducing new foods often, which our parents and families greatly appreciate. which our parents and families greatly appreciate.
We hire experienced chefs to prepare meals and snacks fresh daily on-premise, just as parents would at home. We eliminate as many processed foods as possible and utilize whole grains, lean proteins, fresh fruits, and vegetables. By preparing everything fresh, our meals and snacks do not contain food dyes and can be catered to most food allergies, dietary restrictions, and preferences.
We take it a step further by providing parents with nutritional information. Ivy Kids shares the nutrition content (calories, fat, carbs, vitamin content) for all of our lunch entrees with parents on our parent engagement app, ProCare, each month.
Additionally, Ivy Kids is planning on rolling out family recipe cards. Our goal is to provide parents with the recipes we prepare as part of the Brain Bites program so they can re-create them at home.
How Does Ivy Kids Develop Nutrition Programs?
As with any of our programs, Ivy Kids takes nutrition seriously. We take the time to consult with chefs that have worked in restaurants that specifically focus on providing healthy meals. We then take the recipes they originate and adapt them to fit children’s palates.
When we introduce a new recipe, we examine the recipe for its nutrition content to make sure it meets our standards and the standards of CACFP (child and adult care food program) guidelines. The CACFP guidelines are published by the USDA and include criteria for nutrition content. We strive to meet or exceed these standards in all of our recipes.
We follow the recommended guidelines to limit our students’ calories from solid fats, added sugars, and high sodium foods. Instead, we focus on ingredients that provide maximum brainpower, like whole grains, lean proteins, fresh fruits, and vegetables.
How Does Ivy Kids Decide Which Child-Friendly Recipes to Use?
Ivy Kids reviews a variety of sources for recipe ideas. In addition to restaurant chefs, we source ideas from magazines, blogs, and more and work with our in-house chefs to adapt these recipes for children’s taste and analyze their nutritional content.
We also pilot our recipes at our corporate schools to ensure our students enjoy every meal. Once the recipes have been conditionally approved and enjoyed by the children, we introduce the new recipes to our franchise locations. Altogether, we have successfully piloted 90+ recipes for our lunch and snack time menu.
- We use only fresh fruit. Canned or packaged fruit generally has more sugar and less vitamin C.
- We use quality vegetables. We avoid canned vegetables as they have less protein and more sodium.
- We only use fresh meat. We do not use pre-seasoned, pre-cooked, or pre-formed meats.
- We use whole grains. Refined grains lack the antioxidants, B vitamins, healthy fats, and fiber of their whole-grain counterparts.
As you can see, we put a lot of time and effort into our Ivy Kids meal plans and aim to ensure our students are getting the best for their bodies and minds. If you’re looking for a childcare franchise opportunity that truly embraces the well-being of students, consider investing in Ivy Kids!
Contact us today to learn more about Ivy Kids and our focus on nutrition at our early learning centers.