The Children’s Courtyard Expands Commitment With Partnership for a Healthier America

The Children’s Courtyard and her sister schools at the Learning Care Group are reaffirming their commitment with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and introducing new nutrition, fitness and gardening initiatives that further enhance the company’s Grow Fit culture.  The new agreement, announced today at the PHA’s Building a Healthier Future Summit, builds upon the early education provider’s leadership in creating a healthy learning environment and inspiring children to make smart choices.

“Through our Grow Fit healthy lifestyle program, we are prioritizing nutrition and fitness as a foundation for supporting children’s healthy development and ensuring they have the energy to learn,” said Learning Care Group CEO Barbara Beck. “Two of the most important lessons we can teach our children are the importance of eating nutritiously and staying active. By integrating the Grow Fit mindset into every aspect of our school experience, we are paving the way for a lifetime of healthy habits.”

Nurturing a Healthier Generation

Learning Care Group joined the PHA in February 2014 and is on track to meet its criteria aligning with the Let’s Move! Childcare goals regarding physical activity, food, beverages, infant feeding, screen time and parent engagement.  Under a renewed three-year agreement, Learning Care Group pledges to continue achieving all of these standards to help prevent childhood obesity and avoid chronic disease later in life. The new commitment will positively impact 130,000 children attending its schools nationwide, including:  Childtime, The Children’s Courtyard, Creative Kids Learning Centers, Everbrook Academy, La Petite Academy, Montessori Unlimited and Tutor Time.

The expanded commitment with PHA further enhances best practices Learning Care Group already has achieved through its Grow Fit policy and leverages its exclusive personalized curricular approach designed to ensure school readiness:

• Nutrition: At every Learning Care Group school, healthy nutrition habits are emphasized during each meal – including the importance of drinking water and following appropriate portion sizes.  Created by a registered dietician nutritionist, the company’s Grow Fit menu now offers over 50 fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, more than 30 multi-cultural offerings, and more than 30 whole grain options.  Having already eliminated all fried foods and juice from the Grow Fit menu, Learning Care Group will now convert the remaining non-whole grain offerings to whole grain within the next year.  It will also eliminate all grain-based desserts from the menu, further reducing consumption of sugar and saturated fats.
• Fitness: Physical activity is an essential part of every school day throughout Learning Care Group. The company is now further augmenting its physical fitness curriculum with new guided activities for indoor and outdoor play. Using the company’s proprietary Learning Care System, teachers will assess progress and create customized lesson plans to meet each child’s fitness needs while ensuring age-appropriate progress in physical development and health.
• Garden Program: In keeping with its emphasis on STEM and STEAM learning, the company is developing a Grow Fit Gardening Program that will be available to all its schools. The program will have scalable options for both outdoor and indoor gardens, with hands-on learning opportunities for preschoolers and school-agers alike.

“By teaching children to make healthy choices, Learning Care Group is helping them develop valuable skills that will make a lasting difference throughout their lives,” said PHA President Lawrence A. Soler.  “As they renew their commitment with PHA, we applaud Learning Care Group for reaffirming their dedication to prioritizing health and fitness in their curricular program. We’re also pleased to recognize Learning Care Group as one of the finalists for PHA’s Partner of the Year Award.”