Healthy Meals for Kids at USDA Approved Preschool in Long Beach

Launch Pad Learning, located in Long Beach and Hawthorne, is one of the few USDA-approved preschools in Los Angeles County. We provide healthy meals for kids as part of our preschool services. We understand that food and nutrition are essential for strong bodies and quick minds, which is why we integrate practicing healthy lifestyles into our curriculum. Breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks are served daily as part of our regular program.

By following USDA School Lunch guidelines, we are able to ensure that all of a child’s daily nutritional needs are met. At Launch Pad in Long Beach, we also encourage our little learners to explore new foods from many different cuisines to help build their palates from a young age.

As a preschool serving families from Long Beach, Paramount, Lakewood, Bellflower, Downey, Lynwood, Each Rancho Dominguez, Norwalk, Compton, East Compton, and Artesia, we understand the need to keep our students fed. Breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks are provided by Launch Pad as part of our regular program. 

However, allergies and religious preferences are accommodated with acceptable alternatives. In these cases, parents are encouraged to bring food from home for their child.

Breakfast: 8:00am – 8:30am

Breakfast is not served after 8:00am and children arriving after that hour should have been served breakfast prior to being dropped off.

Lunch: 11:45am – 12:00pm (hours may vary)

Lunch is a well-balanced hot meal delivered right from our kitchen. Any time a child needs to arrive at the center after 10:00 am, parents should notify the center, so they may be added to the lunch count. Parents should feed their children if they will be arriving after their class has eaten lunch.

Afternoon Snack: 3:00pm – 3:30pm

The center will supply meals and snacks of quantity and quality to supplement food served at home, so that the daily nutritional needs of the child are met. Meal time is a vital part of the curriculum and is designed with nutritional and social needs of children in mind. Children are encouraged to serve and feed themselves whenever possible. Staff is present to assist the children, as well as to model appropriate behavior at meal times.

Evening Snack: 5:30pm

If your child is present late in the day, parents are encouraged to send a snack to eat at 5:30 pm. If your child will not be picked up until much later, pack a more substantial meal for the child to eat at that time.

WE ARE A PEANUT FREE FACILITY. Our meals are planned around food children generally like, and they are encouraged to try a variety of new foods. We follow the USDA Meal Pattern Requirements for all meals, which ensure that the food we serve meets your child’s nutritional requirements. Portions are served according to the child’s age.

Food is prepared, served, and stored in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Food Program (CACFP) guidelines. For special occasions such as birthday parties (allergy policies must be followed precisely), goodies are welcome when coordinated with the classroom teacher. If your child is allergic to any items, please make a notation on the application and medical forms and make staff aware of the situation. We provide vegetarian alternatives and allergy modifications for most menu items.

Parents may also provide suitable substitutes for the items that their child cannot eat from the menu. Please help us monitor your child’s safety by reviewing the posted menu for appropriateness for your child. Lunch and snack foods brought from home must meet the guidelines of the Child and Adult Care Food Program for the types of foods and portion sizes.

They must be prepared and transported in a sanitary fashion, including maintenance of safe food temperatures for perishable items, and must not need refrigeration.

Food brought from home will be labeled with the child’s name, the date, and the type of food.

Leftover food will be discarded. The only food that may be returned to the family is food that does not require refrigeration or holding at a hot temperature, that came to the facility in a commercially-wrapped package, and that was never opened. See our Food & Nutrition Policy in the Parent Handbook for more information. Book a tour today to see our learning center in Long Beach today.