Wonderland involved in food program

For more than 30 years, the Geary Family YMCA's child-care operation has participated in the United States Department of Agriculture's Child Adult Care Food Program. Youngsters enrolled in daycare at the YMCA's Wonderland Enrichment Center receive two meals and a snack Monday through Friday. Chris Costilla, the YMCA's child care director, said the local program has been in place since about 1989, with much of the funding coming from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The YMCA purchases, prepares and serves the food and receives reimbursement from the state agency. "It doesn't completely cover our costs, but it does help us quite a bit," Costilla said. She said the meals, prepared by cook Jennifer Kiehl, must align with USDA standards. "The program sets up nutritional guidelines for us to feed our children the daily recommended requirements for nutrition," she said. "There are several components: dairy, fruit, vegetables, bread and grains and protein. They have provided us with the recommended serving amounts for the age of each child. We have our meals prepared on-site here; we serve breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack, and they all are to meet those nutrition standards through that program." Costilla said parents register their children each year, with the families' financial situation determining how much, if any, financial responsibility is assumed by families. "We also present nutrition lessons to our children and our families and try to go away from the dessert type of snacks and have more healthy snacks," she said. "We serve a whole grain every day. We limit their juice intake; instead of having juice at snack (time), we'll probably have milk. Sometimes we just have regular water with our snacks. It is to teach children and their families how to eat appropriately. Costilla said she expects about 55 youngsters between ages 1 and 5 to be enrolled in daycare through the remainder of the school year, with about 25 children up to age 11 taking part in the summer program. She noted that the food service is subject to regular monitoring. Along with being certain the children are being fed in a healthy manner, Wonderland personnel work on introducing various multicultural types of food. "Sometimes it's interesting," Costilla said, referring to the youngsters' reactions to new foods. "We have 'Try Me' stickers that say, 'I tried something new today,'" said Hannah Wayne, a preschool teacher and assistant director at the Wonderland Enrichment Center. "So, that's a really good push for them. That, and we sit down to eat with them, so seeing you try it is a good thing for them to see. Then, they're like, 'Well, you're eating it, so I guess I'll try it.'"