Grow Fit®
Healthy Futures Begin With Healthy Habits
Our Grow Fit program is a gateway to lifelong healthy choices. By encouraging balanced nutrition alongside physical activity, Grow Fit puts children on the path to reaching their full potential, while guiding them away from habits that cause chronic diseases later in life.
The Children’s Courtyard is proud to join the Partnership for a Healthier America, and have combined forces with leaders in other industries to achieve the Let’s Move! Child Care standards.
Our program goals include:
- Physical activity: 1-2 hours daily, including outdoor play (weather permitting)
- Limited screen time: At school, less than 30 minutes weekly. At home, a maximum of 1-2 hours/day of quality screen time. None for kids ages 2 or younger.
- Food: Veggies or fruits at least twice per day. Family style meals. No fried foods.
- Beverages: Water, whenever. No sugar-sweetened drinks. For ages 2+: low- or non-fat milk.
- Infant feeding: We’re here to support your decisions. Breastfeeding moms can provide milk and are welcome to breastfeed during school time.
Health risks linked to poor food choices and physical inactivity have greatly increased in the United States Studies show that by age 6, one in five children is either overweight or obese.
We provide a variety of healthy choices during meals and snacks, and encourage children to try new foods. You’re welcome to sample them. Just ask your school director.
Veggies Early and Often
We’re on a mission to help raise the next generation of veggie lovers. Did you know only 10% of children in the U.S. consume the daily recommended amount of vegetables? That’s why our school has partnered with the Veggies Early and Often campaign led by PHA. Here’s what we’re doing:
- We’ve added more vegetables to our menus.
- We now offer two vegetables at lunchtime, each Friday.
- We provide vegetable options for infants at breakfast and snack.
- We encourage children to try new flavors, more than once!
In total, 26 different vegetable varieties appear on our children’s menu!
Healthy at Home
So, what can you do to move toward a healthier future beyond school?
Here are a few simple ways to begin today. Get your children fired up about healthy choices and stay healthy at home, as a family!
- Have a little fun with our grocery store scavenger hunt and restaurant activity sheet.
- Plan a vegetable garden, with these 5 easy planting ideas.
- Try new meals with these delicious, good-for-you recipes.
