2025 Mountainview Daycare Nutrition Program

SPRING - NEW BEGINNINGS

Spring brings Daylight Savings Time and is the beginning of many outdoor activity opportunities.

 

Day Care Homes -Be sure any pending Child Enrollment Forms are turned in via email (in-box@mdnp.org) or mail each month when you submit your claim.

 

Last month, the Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS) were sworn in. Brooke Rollins is the new Secretary of Agriculture, which oversees all Child Nutrition Programs including the CACFP. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the new Secretary of HHS, which oversees the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and has been tasked with the creation of a "Make our Children Healthy Again Strategy" to encourage fewer additives and more clean foods in our marketplaces.

MARCH header holidays :: 4th Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday; 12th Plant A Flower Day; 14th Albert Einstein Birthday/Pi Day; 17th St Patricks Day; 20th Spring Equinox; 23rd Nat’l Puppy Day; 25th Int’l Waffle Day; 31st Crayon Day

GET SNACKING! Help from the CACFP & Institute of Child Nutrition

 

Healthy snacks taste delicious and fuel children’s growing bodies, laying the foundation for a lifetime of healthy choices. The Institute of Child Nutrition’s Mealtime Memo explores practices to incorporate nutritious, fun & creative snacks into menus.

  Plan for Variety, Nutrition, and Appeal

Balancing variety, nutrition, and appeal is necessary to help provide a varied and healthy menu. Check out these helpful tips:

Serve different foods throughout the day and week. Try not to repeat. 

Vary the forms of foods (e.g., raw vs. cooked). 

Introduce new foods with familiar foods.

Serve a variety of vegetables and fruits.

USDA Resources: Serving Snacks in the CACFP 

Child Nutrition Recipe Box Snack Recipes

4th FAT TUESDAY

17th ST PATRICK'S DAY

23rd NAT'L PUPPY DAY

21 Easy Plants to Grow with Kids

Celebrate Spring & Plant a Flower Day by starting a garden!

  Get your kids out in the garden with you more frequently. Sharing a love of gardening with your kiddos can be so rewarding! In this article, gardening experts will cover 21 easy plants to grow with your kids to get them excited about getting dirty!

Gardening with children does not need to be complicated. It may require patience, but they may surprise you! Keep your supply list minimal, and invite them to help you select what they want to grow.

 For more ideas check out THIS list of touchable plants

Need some fun ideas for

little hands?

http://www.craftymorning.com/


MARDI GRAS MASK CRAFT



CRAYON DAY

COLORING


Click titles or photos for links



SPRING VEGGIE IDEAS




SWEET POTATO WAFFLES

MAKE THEM WHOLE GRAIN RICH

 


Click titles or photos for links to the recipes

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.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; fax: (202) 690-7442; or email: program.intake@usda.gov.
 This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Contact MDNP at: 360-653-7273 / 800-631-1118 / www.mdnp.org