WASHINGTON, May 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Learning Care Group is reaffirming its commitment with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and introducing new nutrition, fitness and gardening initiatives that further enhance the company’s Grow Fit culture. The new agreement, announced today at the PHA’s Building a Healthier Future Summit, builds upon the early education provider’s leadership in creating a healthy learning environment and inspiring children to make smart choices.
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“Through our Grow Fit healthy lifestyle program, we are prioritizing nutrition and fitness as a foundation for supporting children’s healthy development and ensuring they have the energy to learn,” said Learning Care Group CEO Barbara Beck. “Two of the most important lessons we can teach our children are the importance of eating nutritiously and staying active. By integrating the Grow Fit mindset into every aspect of our school experience, we are paving the way for a lifetime of healthy habits.”
Nurturing a Healthier Generation
Learning Care Group joined the PHA in February 2014 and is on track to meet its criteria aligning with the Let’s Move! Childcare goals regarding physical activity, food, beverages, infant feeding, screen time and parent engagement. Under a renewed three-year agreement, Learning Care Group pledges to continue achieving all of these standards to help prevent childhood obesity and avoid chronic disease later in life. The new commitment will positively impact 130,000 children attending its schools nationwide, including: Childtime, The Children’s Courtyard, Creative Kids Learning Centers, Everbrook Academy, La Petite Academy, Montessori Unlimited and Tutor Time.
The expanded commitment with PHA further enhances best practices Learning Care Group already has achieved through its Grow Fit policy and leverages its exclusive personalized curricular approach designed to ensure school readiness:
- Nutrition: At every Learning Care Group school, healthy nutrition habits are emphasized during each meal – including the importance of drinking water and following appropriate portion sizes. Created by a registered dietician nutritionist, the company’s 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, Learning Care Group will now convert the remaining non-whole grain offerings to whole grain within the next year. It will also eliminate all grain-based desserts from the menu, further reducing consumption of sugar and saturated fats.
- Fitness: Physical activity is an essential part of every school day throughout Learning Care Group. The company is now further augmenting its physical fitness curriculum with new guided activities for indoor and outdoor play. Using the company’s proprietary Learning Care System, teachers will assess progress and create customized lesson plans to meet each child’s fitness needs while ensuring age-appropriate progress in physical development and health.
- Garden Program: In keeping with its emphasis on STEM and STEAM learning, the company is developing a Grow Fit Gardening Program that will be available to all its schools. The program will have scalable options for both outdoor and indoor gardens, with hands-on learning opportunities for preschoolers and school-agers alike.
“By teaching children to make healthy choices, Learning Care Group is helping them develop valuable skills that will make a lasting difference throughout their lives,” said PHA President Lawrence A. Soler. “As they renew their commitment with PHA, we applaud Learning Care Group for reaffirming their dedication to prioritizing health and fitness in their curricular program. We’re also pleased to recognize Learning Care Group as one of the finalists for PHA’s Partner of the Year Award.”
About Partnership for a Healthier America
The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation's youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with—but independent from—First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation's most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.ahealthieramerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.
About Learning Care Group
Learning Care Group is a leader in early child education and family solutions, with nearly 50 years of experience in inspiring children to love learning. Headquartered in Novi, Mich., the company provides early education and care for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years through seven unique brands: Childtime Learning Centers, The Children’s Courtyard, Creative Kids Learning Centers, Everbrook Academy, La Petite Academy, Montessori Unlimited, and Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Centers. It operates more than 900 schools (corporate and franchise) across 36 states, the District of Columbia and internationally, and has a capacity to serve more than 130,000 children. Learning Care Group’s proprietary School Readiness Pathway supports the development of the academic and social skills needed for a smooth transition to elementary school. For more information, please visit www.learningcaregroup.com and follow Learning Care Group on Twitter @TheLearningCare .
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.