Creating Healthier Places

Learning Care Group

2018 Progress Report

Year Committed: 2017
Length of Commitment: 3 years
Select a Progress Report:

Committed to developing physical activity and gardening curriculums to further encourage outdoor and indoor play. As well as phasing out less healthy snacks and food from its menu.

Verified Results

  • Commitment Element

    Learning Care Group did not have any reporting or compliance deadlines in 2018.

    Progress To Date

    N/A

Partner Statement

“At every Learning Care Group (LCG) school, the company continues to deliver on its commitment to prioritize nutrition and fitness through Grow Fit, its comprehensive healthy lifestyle initiative. Created by a registered dietician nutritionist, the 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, LCG is now in the process of converting the remaining non-whole grain offerings to whole grain. The company has now eliminated all grain-based desserts from the menu, further reducing consumption of sugar and saturated fats. As LCG continues to implement new best practices for fitness and nutrition, its advancements also are driving positive changes among other early education providers. The company has worked closely with its vendors to introduce healthier versions of child favorites such as chicken nuggets, cheese ravioli and granola – new product offerings now also served by other childcare providers. The latest nutritious new menu item to emerge from LCG’s innovative thinking is a sweet potato cracker. Physical activity is an essential part of every school day throughout LCG. The company is now further augmenting its physical fitness curriculum with new guided activities for indoor and outdoor play. The company’s Grow Fit Yoga program, which was initially available for Preschool and Pre-K students, is now expanding to other age groups. More than 150 schools now include garden programs, part of the company’s new PHA commitment. The company continues to work with the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, having completed a rigorous 36-month study of the facilitators and challenges involved with implementing a wellness initiative across a large number of childcare centers. The results have been published in the Journal of Translational Behavioral Medicine.”