Food and Nutrition

Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) Standards

Our YMCA programs follow HEPA standards to create healthy lifestyles. These guidelines provide standards for the amount of physical activity, limits on screen time, fruits and veggies snack options, water as a primary beverage and educational information about healthy living behaviors for parents to incorporate at home.

Meals and snacks

“We believe that proper nourishment helps our body and mind develop to its full potential and allows us to perform and feel our best and help us thrive.” YMCA Food Philosophy

Healthy meals and snacks are the cornerstone of your child’s learning throughout the day. Smart food choices are taught and modeled by our staff such as drinking water and the importance of all four food groups.

Our Full-day Child Care programs provide breakfast, lunch and snack each day, meeting or exceeding the guidelines of the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

Our centers follow state and federal requirements for accommodating children with special dietary needs.  With appropriate medical documentation, we modify meals for children with food allergies or other special dietary needs.

Parents must provide an appropriate medical statement before we can make any dietary accommodations. This statement must be signed by a licensed physician if the child has a disability that restricts her/his diet. If the child has special dietary needs but is not disabled, the statement must be signed by a recognized medical authority, i.e., physician, physician assistant, doctor of osteopathy or advanced practice registered nurse.

Special diet and other medical statements are available from each center director. The YMCA reserves the right to determine what, if any, dietary accommodations can be reasonably provided if such accommodations are not related to a child’s diagnosed disability. The appropriate staff will be notified of any special, prescribed diets.