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Meal Menu

Nutrition and Wellness

Maple Bear Academy enthusiastically endorses the importance of early childhood nutrition. Whether or not a child is well nourished during the first years of life has a profound impact on their health. Nutrition affects their ability to learn, communicate, think, socialize, and adapt to new people and environments. Poor nutrition can impede behavioral and cognitive development, leading to difficulties in school and in forming positive relationships with others. Good nutrition is also a child’s first line of defense against disease. These are some of the many reasons that we choose to follow the standards set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics when developing our weekly menus for our students. For more detailed information about their specific guidelines, click here: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Childhood-Nutrition.aspx

Maple Bear Academy does not have a rotating menu. We are always varying our selections to keep it healthy and exciting for the children. Children are encouraged to try new foods and discouraged from wasting. Portion sizes are always age appropriate, children are always permited to ask for more. Children have the opportunity to make choices between different options available to them at each meal.

Soups, main dishes, and infant first foods are always homemade.
We do not serve any pork. Vegetarian diets will be accommodated per parent request. We assure adequate hydration by offering water frequently, not just at snack and mealtimes. We work closely with parents to help transition infants from breast milk and formula to whole cows milk/soy milk after 12 months of age and per parent preferences. Children transition to 2% milk after their second birthday (soy milk always available if parents prefer).

Our goal is to expose children to a wide variety of healthy and delicious foods. This promotes taste bud development leading to love for wholesome food, and instills awareness about the importance of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.

About our Menu:

Maple Bear Academy provides children with nutritious and delicious snacks and lunches. We follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations in developing our menus. Just as adults do not appreciate eating the same foods day in and day out, children love variety and surprises. We will keep them guessing since there is no rotating menu at our school! We are very proud of our unique and constantly evolving menu. Children do have favorites, and we take that into consideration each week while developing our nutrition plan. Our menu is prepared with children of all ages in mind.

A seasonal variety of fruit is served on a daily basis with a minimum of 6 different types of fruit served weekly. Hot and cold cereal is offered as a morning snack once during the week. The hot cereal is either cream of wheat or oatmeal and the cold cereal is a variety such as Rice Krispies, Cheerios, Life, Shreddies, or Cornflakes. Children have the opportunity to choose which selection they would like. Once a month cold cereal is offered as an afternoon snack.

Every lunch main course is homemade, as are the tasteful side dishes. We serve fish once per week, salmon, tuna or tilapia prepared in a variety of recipes.
Infant first foods (baby foods) are also homemade, with the exception of first infant cereal. As infants diet advances, whenever possible the same foods will be provided for them but prepared strained.
A vegetable platter compiled of an assortment of at least 5 different raw vegetables to choose from, such as baby carrots (slightly softened), cucumbers, celery, grape tomatoes, peppers, snow peas, etc is always offered with lunch. Children love passing the platter around and selecting what they want, and it encourages good manners. Along with the raw vegetable platter, avocado slices are also offered every day with lunch.

Yogurt is offered three times a week, once with their lunch alongside sandwiches, once as a dessert, and once as either a morning or afternoon snack.

We are never discouraged by picky eaters, and encourage the children to try new foods. If they dislike a dish, we will serve it again down the road and hope for successful results as their taste buds continue to mature. It is said that a child must try a new food twenty times before you can say they do not like it. Variety is the spice of life and through gastronomical delights and positive social experiences, the children learn healthy eating behaviors that may remain with them for life.

Five Weekly menu samples follow:

Meal:	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Morning Snack	Grapes Cantaloupe Strawberries Cheese Boiled eggs Cereal bars	Hot & cold cereal Banana Strawberries	Banana Honeydew melon Pear French toast Cheese	Toasted raisin bread Cheese Boiled eggs Strawberries Blueberries	Mini croissants Cheese Veggie bacon Pear Banana
Lunch	Carrot soup Grilled tofu & cheese Avocado slices Raw veggies Crackers	Hamburgers Cheeseburgers Veggieburgers Potato salad Avocado slices Raw veggies	Salmon loaf Rice Broccoli Avocado slices Raw veggies	Beef noodle and vegetable casserole Avocado slices Raw veggies	Sandwiches: Egg salad, tuna salad, cream cheese & jelly Yogurt Avocado slices Raw veggies
Dessert	Yogurt Apple slices	Cantaloupe	Rice krispies squares	Honeydew melon	Applesauce
Afternoon Snack	Oatmeal cookies Banana Blueberries	Salmon cream cheese & crackers Grapes Blueberries	Yogurt Apple slices Snack mix of: cheerios, raisins, sunflower seeds	Sandwich wedge with sunflower seed butter or cheese Grapes Banana	Cantaloupe Apple Grapes Cheese Pretzels