The Strong Child Program

At Providence Academy, we’ve always been committed to forming strong children—academically, spiritually, physically, and in character. But when we took an honest look at our daily routines, we realized something important: lunch was the one part of the day that didn’t reflect the same excellence we pursue everywhere else.

We pour so much into shaping our students’ minds and hearts, yet the meals we offered didn’t match that level of intentionality. If we truly believe that children are image-bearers who should be nourished in mind, body, and spirit, then what we serve them at lunch matters more than we’ve treated it.

The Strong Child Project is about bringing lunch into alignment with our mission—providing food that supports health, focus, community, and the kind of daily rhythms that help students flourish.

This isn’t just a food upgrade.

It’s us making sure every part of a Providence education reflects who we are and who we want our children to become.

Allergies are a major priority, and one of the strongest reasons we pursued a professional lunch partner. We understand the trust you place in us when your child has a dietary restriction, and the new program includes a robust, school-tested allergy system designed to keep every student safe.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• A professional, kitchen-to-table allergy workflow
• Ingredient tracking for every recipe and item served
• Clear allergen labeling on menus, signage, and within the parent app
• Designated prep areas to prevent cross-contamination
• Color-coded tools and equipment used only for allergy-safe production
• Separate serving utensils and clearly marked stations
• Trained staff who understand each student's allergy profile

Staff who know your child — not just the allergy.

During school visits, our team saw firsthand that staff members:

• Learn students’ names
• Know their allergy list
• Watch for them at the serving line
• Communicate with one another during prep and service

This is not a one-size-fits-all approach — it is personalized and relational.

Daily safety checks

• Each day includes:
• Recipe review
• Allergen cross-checking
• Confirmation that substitutions are available
• Clear communication between the chef and serving team
• Final verification before food reaches the line
• A safe alternative option every day

Students with allergies will always have a safe, nutritionally balanced alternative, and parents will know ahead of time what is being offered through the menu app.

Transparency for families

You’ll have access to:

• Ingredient lists
• Allergen tags
• Nutrition breakdowns
• Alerts when menus change

This lets parents plan confidently and decide what is right for their child.

Taste-tested and student-approved

During site visits, we also sampled allergy-friendly meals and were pleasantly surprised — they were flavorful, well-prepared, and not an afterthought. Students with allergies enjoy the same high-quality experience as every other child.

Yes. Every student is included in the program, and the cost is built into tuition for all families.

This ensures equitable access, sustainability, and a consistent dining experience that benefits the entire community.

Families may still pack lunch if they prefer, but all students participate financially.

Including the program in tuition allows Providence to:

• Provide higher-quality nutrition at a lower per-student cost
• Ensure equity among students
• Maintain allergy-safe workflows
• Sustain a fully staffed kitchen
• Build a unified community dining experience
• Offer predictable budgeting for families

But there is also a deeper reason.

A healthy, shared lunch is part of our identity as a school and a reflection of who we want to be. We can all agree on the importance of nutrition and the impact it has on a child’s growth, focus, and wellbeing. When our community moves together in the same direction, we can accomplish far more than when everyone is approaching lunch in different ways.

This is about aligning around a value we all share: nourishing strong children in mind, body, and spirit. Making the program universal allows us to live out that commitment consistently siand excellently for every student.

Because the lunch program is included in tuition, families receiving Financial Aid or using EFS will have this cost offset through their existing support.

This means the effective cost per meal for these families could be significantly lower than $6.11, making high-quality nutrition more accessible and affordable.

Family spending today typically looks like this:

Ordering lunches:

$7–$10 per meal → $1,260–$1,800 per year

Packing lunches:

Even when packing lunch feels inexpensive, the real cost usually includes:

• Entrée/protein
• Snack or chips
• Fruit or veggies
• Drink

Most packed lunches end up in the $5–$7 per day range without families realizing it.

With the new program costing about $6.11 per day, that means you’re paying roughly $1–$2 more per day for a fresh, hot, nutritious, professionally prepared meal.

Meanwhile, your grocery bill decreases, and your mornings become simpler and less stressful.

Students also gain access to fruit, vegetables, a salad bar, and daily variety — options that are often more expensive to provide consistently at home.

So while it may look like monthly tuition is increasing, this is really a reallocation of money families are already spending — now consolidated, predictable, mission-aligned, and much more nutritious.

And for families receiving Financial Aid or participating in EFS, the effective per-meal cost can be even lower, because the lunch program is covered within existing assistance.

Yes. Parent partnership was central to this process.

Through our spring survey, three clear priorities emerged:

• Nutritious options
• Allergy awareness and safety

• Affordability

We also gathered insight from parents with children at schools that already have robust lunch programs. In addition, parents were invited to visit schools using our prospective vendor, taste the food, observe allergy workflows, and offer feedback.

The final program reflects the values our parent community voiced most strongly.

Yes. Parent groups and staff members visited partner schools to sample meals firsthand, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Taste-test observations included:

• Flavorful, well-seasoned foods
• Allergy-friendly meals that were just as delicious as the main line
• Scratch-made dishes that exceeded expectations
• Students genuinely enjoying their meals

Even adults who consider themselves picky were impressed by the freshness and quality.

No. This program is intentionally designed to be very different from the old-style cafeteria lunches many of us remember. During our site visits, the biggest surprise for our team and for parents was how fresh, flavorful, and high-quality the food actually was.

This is not heat-and-serve trays or prepackaged items.

Instead, the program emphasizes:

• Fresh ingredients
• Scratch-made recipes
• Higher-quality proteins
• Seasoned, well-prepared meals
• A daily variety of options, including a salad bar
• Allergy-sensitive choices that aren’t an afterthought

Our goal is to give students nutritious, enjoyable meals, not the bland or processed options many associate with traditional school cafeterias.

Yes. Dramatically — and in ways every parent will appreciate.

Imagine this:

No more running back into the house because someone forgot their lunchbox.

No more relying on a $5 emergency lunch because… well… it was one of those mornings.

No more checking (and re-checking) whether you remembered to order for the week.

And no more feeling guilty when you realize at drop-off… you didn’t.

With this program, lunch becomes one of the only parts of the morning routine you can finally stop juggling.

Every. Single. Day.

That means:

• No forms
• No weekly deadlines
• No “Did I order Wednesday?” panic
• No scrambling at 7:45 a.m. to throw something together
• No mystery emergency charges on your account

Just a steady rhythm, a predictable routine, and a lunch you can trust is already taken care of.

Your future self — the one holding coffee and herding children into the car — is going to be so grateful.

No. One of the major advantages of this program is that you do not need to pre-order meals each week. Because lunch is included for every student, the kitchen prepares a variety of options daily, and students choose what they want at the time of service.

No forms, no weekly deadlines, no guessing which days they’ll be hungry — just a consistent, convenient system that removes the burden from families while giving students flexibility and choice.

We understand this concern deeply. Our parents shared that picky eating is a real challenge at home, and we can all agree that it’s not ideal for a child’s long-term health or confidence around food. Parents want their children to try more foods and develop healthier habits, and we want to partner with you in that. We hear your concerns, and you’re not alone.

One of the most encouraging pieces of feedback came from Providence families who moved here from other schools with established lunch programs like the one we’re adopting. They consistently told us that their children tried more foods in that environment than they ever did at home. Being surrounded by peers who are eating the same meal creates a sense of ease and adventure that’s hard to replicate at the kitchen table.

Shared meals provide:

• Gentle peer encouragement
• Exposure to new foods in a positive setting
• Less pressure than at home (“just try a bite” dynamics)
• Modeling from classmates and teachers
• A culture where trying something new feels normal, not scary

And importantly — children will never be forced to eat something they don’t want. There will always be multiple options daily, giving students choices they enjoy while also offering opportunities to expand their palate at their own pace.

Our heart is to support your family. This program allows us to work together so children can grow in curiosity, confidence, and nutrition over time — one small taste at a time.

Yes. Students will have multiple daily options so they can choose foods they enjoy while also having the chance to try new things.

Daily variety may include:

• A main entrée
• An alternate entrée
• A sandwich and salad bar
• Allergy-friendly selections
• Age-appropriate sides

Students are never limited to a single choice.

Portions will be age-appropriate, and students who need more—especially older students and athletes—will be able to receive additional servings or extra protein. We want every child to feel well-fed and energized for the afternoon.

For our younger students, the focus will be on encouraging them to eat what they have, try new foods, and make healthy choices without overwhelming them with too much on the plate. The goal is to build confidence and good habits while still giving them access to nutritious options.

Yes. While every student participates in the program through tuition, students may still pack lunch if they’d like.

If Mom made the best meatloaf ever and your child wants to bring it — absolutely. They can enjoy it and still swing by for fresh fruit, veggies, or the salad bar.

The goal is flexibility, not restriction.

Yes. Menus will be posted on the school website, and families will have access to a mobile app that provides:

• Daily and monthly menus
• Allergy and ingredient information
• Nutrition details
• Real-time updates

This allows families to plan ahead with confidence.

Yes. Our program will have built-in health and nutrition education designed for schools just like ours. This includes:

• Monthly wellness and nutrition themes
• Taste-testing events
• “Eat the rainbow” challenges
• Posters and visual education in the dining hall
• Chef demonstrations or interactive food experiences
• Digital resources for families through the app

These experiences help students understand why nutrition matters and reinforce healthy lifelong habits.

Yes. A large body of research shows that students who receive balanced, nutritious school meals consume more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and high-quality proteins than students who rely on packed lunches or highly processed foods. Studies also show improvements in diet quality, energy, attention, and even academic outcomes when children eat well-prepared school meals.

Our program builds on these same principles — but elevates them further through fresh ingredients, scratch-made recipes, allergy-aware cooking, and consistent nutritional standards. These are the elements that research identifies as most beneficial for children’s health.

This program nourishes strong children — not only physically, but holistically.

We all believe that our children should be healthy. Every family at Providence shares the conviction that our kids are our responsibility, and the school serves as an extension of the home in shaping their growth. When families and the school move in the same direction, we create something much greater than we could accomplish alone.

This lunch program helps us build a culture of wellness—one that teaches students to care for their bodies, strengthens community around the table, and reinforces habits that support learning, behavior, gratitude, and long-term health.

Most importantly, it reflects our desire to steward our children well for the glory of God. By nourishing their minds, bodies, and spirits, we help cultivate young people who are prepared to serve Him faithfully.

This is about more than food.

It’s about formation, partnership, and building strong children together.

Yes, in more ways than one.

Let’s be honest:

Every parent has had that moment when you lovingly prepare a lunch, pack it carefully, actually remember to send it…

…and then the next day, while packing round two, you discover:

• Half-eaten sandwiches
• Untouched fruit
• A yogurt that looks like it’s been on a journey
• Or the truth: it got traded at recess for gummy bears

With a consistent, well-prepared lunch program, students are much more likely to eat what’s served, because:

• The meals are fresh and appealing
• They see their friends eating the same foods
• They’re offered choices they actually enjoy
• Portions are appropriate
• There’s less pressure and more curiosity

That means less wasted food, fewer sad apples coming home in lunchboxes, and fewer dollars disappearing into the trash can.