LBJ&C Head Start is utilizing the Child and Adult Care Food Program to provide daily hot meals to hundreds of children across the Upper Cumberland.
Head Start Director Penny Meadows said the organization serves 880 children across 20 centers in the region. Meadows said the program provides breakfast, lunch, and a snack each day that must meet specific nutritional requirements for protein and grains. Meadows said the federal program serves people of all ages at child and adult day cares across the region.
“I do feel like there’s food insecurities, not just in Putnam County,” Meadows said. “We serve 12 counties in the Upper Cumberland. And you do see many food insecurities when you see a child that comes in on a Monday morning and they can’t wait to eat.”
Meadows said the program prioritizes fresh food over pre-packaged options by cooking hot meals on-site. Meadows said the agency also coordinates with outside partners like Second Harvest and Tennessee Tech to provide additional food packages for children to take home.
“We’re all about getting the children in the best place possible, get them ready for school, help them to make sure that they’re healthy because if you’re not healthy, you can’t learn,” Meadows said. “If you’re not fed, you can’t learn.”
Meadows said the organization employs a nutrition specialist to create menus that are then reviewed and signed off by a registered dietician at the regional health office. Meadows said the state reimburses the non-profit agency at a set rate for every meal served to an enrolled child. Meadows said the program prioritizes offering a wide-range of healthy options to try to expand the palate of UC schoolchildren.
“Sometimes people can’t afford the food,” Meadows said. “Fruits and vegetables are extremely high now and a lot of times that’ll be the thing a parent might not purchase because they just cost too much.”
Meadows said participation in the food program is a federal requirement for operating a Head Start center. Meadows said the state government performs random unannounced inspections to observe meals and verify that children are receiving the correct portion sizes.
“It’s a checks and balance kind of thing but I think it’s a very good program,” Meadows said. “We educate our staff and our parents on what those needs are for the children.”
Meadows said that while Head Start has federal income eligibility guidelines for enrollment, every child accepted into the program receives their meals for free. Meadows said families do not pay for any services, supplies or food once they are enrolled in one of the 12 counties served by LBJ&C.
“We don’t just do like cereal and pre-packaged, we actually cook our foods,” Meadows said. “And so I really feel like that is something that head start wants us to do is to help these children to be healthy so they can learn.”
