Family Style Meals
Meals and snacks are provided and served family style in which food is placed on the table and the teacher and children sit together to enjoy the meal. Family style teaches portion awareness, hunger and fullness cues and exposes children to a wide variety of foods. Children learn and practice social and motor skills such as taking turns, passing food and scooping and pouring. Teachers model appropriate meal time behavior and lead the children in pleasant conversation. The time is also used to education children about nutrition.
Menus are developed by a Registered Dietitian who ensures meals are nutritious, attractive and meet the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) child requirements. Meals provide 1/3 to 2/3 of the Recommended Daily Allowance of nutrients for preschoolers. Copies of menus are posted at each center and sent home to parents.
Growth Assessment: Height & Weight Measurement
Head Start children’s heights and weights are taken, at least once during the program year. Heights and weights are measured to analyze growth pattern for children ages three to five. Parents will receive letters with their children’s measurements and nutrition /physical education, at least once during the school year.
Infant Feeding
Formula will be provided by the center. Breast milk is encouraged and must be labeled with the infant’s name, date of milk expiration and will be refrigerated immediately upon receipt at the center. All centers have a designated area for breastfeeding your child during school hours. Infants are always held during bottle feeding times.
USDA Program Discrimination
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Compla..., from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
Fax
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
