Good News

With a New Kitchen, St. Anthony's Provides Lunch to More Than 100 Students

Posted on: Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Children attending St. Anthony’s Early Childhood Education Center are finding school a little more delicious (and nutritious) this year. In addition to providing a high-quality education program to young children, St. Anthony’s now has a beautiful new kitchen that meets the guidelines of the Schenectady County Health Department -- making the Center eligible to receive federal funds for the Child-Adult Care Food Program.

With the new kitchen, which was made possible by a $10,000 grant from The Schenectady Foundation, St. Anthony’s is able to serve a hot lunch to 80 children a day and an additional 60 children daily in their summer program. “Our children are an economically and culturally diverse group,” said Center Director Peggy Sullivan. “Some are trying foods they’ve never eaten before; for some of our families this allows them to stretch their food dollars a little further.” Teachers are also using the kitchen for cooking lessons  -- a very popular activity with young children -- that incorporate math and reading readiness skills. During the holidays, students have loved baking cookies and gingerbread houses in their school’s kitchen. St. Anthony’s is also exploring offering a nutrition education program to teach parents how to make healthy eating choices for their family.

St. Anthony's Early Childhood Center, located on Van Vranken Avenue in Schenectady, enrolls 114 children -- 75 in their Universal Preschool Kindergarten Program, and 39 in the Toddler and Nursery Programs.

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