Right now, less than 10 percent of 4 to 8 year old kids get enough vegetables. The CACFP meal pattern separates vegetables and fruits into two different food components at lunch, supper, and snack, which gives more opportunities to introduce and serve vegetables to children and adults throughout the day.

To increase the amount of vegetables you serve to your day care children, you can also serve a second vegetable in place of fruit. Here, you can see that the lettuce and the tomatoes in the taco meet the minimum ¼ cup of vegetables required for 3 through 5 year olds at lunch and supper. Instead of fruit, roasted sweet potatoes are served. This is a great way to offer more vegetables to your participants throughout the day.

Minimum Serving Sizes Shown for Children 3-5