Every afternoon, a familiar quiet settles over our classrooms. The blocks are put away, the cushions are fluffed, and the children gather in our favorite corner of the room. It’s read-aloud timea simple 15-minute rhythm that has been a cornerstone of the REC experience for 40 years.
Lately, our students have been completely captivated by a rotating selection of picture books, flipping through the pages and eagerly calling out what they think will happen next. In these moments, there’s no pressure or rush to decode letters. Instead, you’ll see children leaning in closely, picking up new words naturally, and discovering that books are something to look forward to.
Even outside of structured group time, our reading corner remains a bustling little hub. It’s built with low, accessible shelves so that during free play, a child can independently pull down a book, sit on a soft pillow, and piece together the story through the illustrations at their own exact pace.
It’s just 15 minutes out of a full day of playing, learning, and outdoor time. But when we show up with that same quiet routine day after day, it quietly builds a foundation that sticks with them long after they graduate.
Today we’re giving you a peek into our Chinese class at REC.
From learning new characters and reading picture books to singing Chinese songs, the kids get to explore the language in a relaxed, engaging way. Some of them can already recognize quite a few characters, while others are just starting to follow along with the teacher, but everyone is progressing at their own pace.
For kids who grow up in Chinese-speaking households, Chinese class is a chance to build on and grow the language they already hear at home. For kids from non-Chinese backgrounds, it’s a fun introduction to a new language and culture.
We’ll keep sharing more moments from Chinese class so families can see what learning looks like day to day at REC.
When you are evaluating preschools, meals are easy to overlook. But your child will eat hundreds of meals at their preschool over the course of a year. The quality of those meals matters for their health, their energy, their ability to focus, and the eating habits they develop during these formative years.
If a preschool mentions that it is “CACFP-enrolled,” that is worth understanding.
What CACFP Stands For
CACFP is the Child and Adult Care Food Program, a federal program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). It provides reimbursement to child care centers and family day care homes that serve nutritious meals to enrolled children.
More importantly for parents, CACFP sets specific nutrition standards that participating sites must follow. These are not suggestions or aspirational guidelines. They are auditable requirements.
What CACFP Requires
Under the current CACFP meal patterns (updated in 2017 to align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans), participating preschools must:
Serve meals that include specific components: a protein or meat alternate, grains (with an emphasis on whole grains), vegetables, fruits, and milk
Limit added sugars (breakfast cereals, for example, cannot exceed 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce)
Limit juice to one serving per day
Serve age-appropriate portion sizes (different for 1-2 year olds vs. 3-5 year olds)
Offer a variety of vegetable subgroups throughout the week (dark green, red and orange, beans/peas/lentils, starchy, and other vegetables)
These standards are designed to build healthy eating patterns from an early age, not just fill children’s stomachs.
What CACFP Meals Actually Look Like
A typical day at a CACFP-enrolled preschool might include:
Breakfast: Whole grain toast with fruit and milk, or oatmeal with banana slices.
Lunch: Grilled chicken with rice, steamed vegetables, fruit, and milk. Or baked fish with whole grain pasta, a side salad, and melon slices.
Afternoon snack: Apple slices with cheese, or whole grain crackers with hummus.
The specifics vary by site, since CACFP sets the nutritional framework while each preschool designs its own menus within that framework.
Why It Matters
Not every preschool participates in CACFP. Centers that do have made a commitment to meeting a specific, federally defined standard for children’s nutrition, and they are subject to regular monitoring and audits to ensure compliance.
For parents, a CACFP enrollment is a concrete, verifiable indicator of meal quality. It means the school’s meals have been evaluated against real nutritional criteria, not just described as “healthy” or “nutritious” in marketing language.
How to Check If a Preschool Is CACFP-Enrolled
You can ask the school directly. CACFP participation is not a secret; enrolled sites are required to post a nondiscrimination statement and make their participation known. You can also check with your state’s CACFP administering agency (in California, this is the California Department of Social Services).
About Meals at Rosemead Education Center
Rosemead Education Center (REC) in Rosemead, CA is a CACFP-enrolled private preschool. We serve breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack to every student daily, at no extra cost to families. Our kitchen prepares meals on-site, and our menus follow CACFP nutrition standards.
We regularly share photos of our meals on our social media pages so parents can see what their children are eating. We believe transparency about food is part of the trust parents place in us.
Contact us at (626) 572-8201 or visit us at 2662 Walnut Grove Ave, Rosemead, CA 91770.
This article is for general informational purposes. CACFP requirements may be updated periodically by the USDA. For the most current meal pattern requirements, visit the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website.
