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Child Care Centers provide natural diet for children
BY BETH LAWTON
You'll never find twinkies in the lunchboxes of chil
dren going to University Child Care Center, 333 N. 14th
St., or the Infant Care Center at 6345 Madison Ave. Both
centers adhere to a natural food policy. And, according to
Valdeen NeLsen, director of the project, parental reac
tions have been positive.
"It's a drawing card for enrollment," NeLsen said.
When the child care center first opened in 1970, sack
lunches were brought by the parents for their children,
she said. Then, in 1973, a decision was made to furnish
meals for the children at an increased fee. At the time of
the switch to hot meals, the natural food plan was imple
mented. The University Infant Care Center opened its doors in
1971. It is currently located on Madison Ave., but will
move to the basement of Wesley House, 10 N. 16th St.,
before the fall semester begins. It also endorses a natural
food policy.
"Parents reactions are real favorable," said Melindaa
Brown, supervisor for the infant care.
Menus for the centers are decided upon by a commit
tee that includes personnel from both centers, a vista vol
unteer and interested parents.
The menus are arranged in cycles for spring, summer,
fall and winter, said Joyce Wagner, supervisor for child
care. These cycles are revised once a year, she said, with
both centers using the same cycle and the same food.
Recipes for the menus come from various cookbooks
that the centers have or recipes that parents may sug
gest. Cost of the natural food in relation to other food de
pends on the item, Wagner said. Some foods are more ex
pensive, such as organic raisins, she said.
Longer preparation and cooking is needed for some of
the foods. Both centers try to use fresh or frozen fruits
and vegetables during the summer, Brown said, adding
that they often used canned diet fruit to avoid sugar.
Vegetarian meals are served three times per week and
these are often cheaper than meat meals, Stephens said.
Some specific substitutions include wheat, rye or soy
flour for white flour; cornbread or whole wheat for white
bread; honey for sugar; sauces for syrup, carob for choco
late; and C-salt for regular salt. Very little of the salt is
used and omitted if possible. There are no preservatives
used and the infant center avoids nuts.
Effect on the children's behavior is hard to tell, Wag
ner said. Brown said that the only side-effect for the
smaller children is diarrhea from the whole wheat.
The children themselves usually have little trouble ad
justing to the natural foods, Wagner said, adding that
they can usually accept it better than the workstudy
staff.
Brown said that most of the smaller children eat well
and won't say anything until they are asked to try a cer
tain food.
The children do let them know what their favorites
are, though. "They love barbecued chicken legs," Brown
said.
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Pizza is also a big hit with the children, along with
fruits and vegetables, she said. Pineapple is a fruit that it
quickly eaten, but one they dislike is grapefruit becuase
of its bitterness, she said.
Blended meats for the babies doesn't go over very
well, Brown said, adding that they really like vegetables.
A few of the foods that the older kids will avoid eating
are eggplant quiche, squash parmesean, and yogurt with
granola, Brown said.
Most parents think that the policy is a good one and
will follow the programs somewhat at home. Most fami
lies cut down on sugar and salt, but don't make sure to
get whole wheat bread every week, Brown said. Yet,
there are a few families who do incorporate natural foods
into their homes.
The project's on a reuimbursement plan with the
US DA and receives 65 percent to 70 percent of their total
monthly costs for food and labor connected with food
preparation, Nelsen said.
Because of this plan, there are specific requirements
that must be adhered to when a menu is planned, she
said. Food components are set up by the USDA for each
meal served and specific minimum amounts are given.
For breakfasts, each child must have milk, juice or fruit,
cereal and-or bread. Lunch must include milk, meat and
or an alternate such as poultry, fish, cheese, eggs, peanut
butter or cooked dry beans or peas, a vegetable or fruit
and bread, enriched or whole greain. The amounts for
each center varies.
In addition, the infant care also has requirements for
mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. This includes
milk, juice, fruit or vegetable, and bread or cereal.
"It makes me feel good to fix a whole meal," said
libby Stephens, nutritionist for the University Child
Care Center.
But some on the staff seem a little less enthusiatic
about it.
"If the kids and staff get hungry enough, they'll get
used to it," said Ronnie Buss, a workstudy student.
Letters to the editor
1 received in the mail yesterday a copy of the article,
(Summer Nebraskan, June 18), Lori Merryman wrote fol
lowing my presentation at the Brown Bag Luncheon Se
ries in the UNL student union. I appreciated the cover
age, but had hoped for a more accurate rendering of the
views I expressed:
The article I cited in which it was stated that "no
human rights problems exist in Guatemala" was not at
tributed to Sec. Haig, but his special emissary, Gen. Ver
non L. Walters, in the Washington Post, reported by
Chris Dickey.
I specifically stated, at considerable length, that
Cuba has been disparaged as a revolutionary role model
in Latin America and that it is highly unlikely revolu
tionary governments will follow its mistakes, i.e., mass
nationalizations of resources, abolition of dissident
parties, militancy toward the U.S. I cited Nicaragua as
an example of this trend, where 60 percent of the coun
try's resources are still in private sector control, opposi
tion.parties continue to challenge official Sandinista poli
cies, and the Nicaraguans have invited all countries, in
cluding the Ui5., to help them in their reconstruction and
economic revitalization efforts. And, for God sakes, the
Sandinistas are not a "family," but the vanguard party
of the revolution that overthrew the Somoza family
which had dominated the country for 43 years.
I stated that churches have accepted, in certain
aspects, that Marxist thought can be compatible with
Christian dogma, though the Superior General of the Jes
uit Order in Rome recently issued a lengthy statement
warning churchmen not to go so far as to adopt Marxism
as a valid political system which accords with their reli
gious beliefs in its entirety. In the same letter, he in
structed that the door should be left open for discussion
between the church and Marxist analysis of societal in
justices in Latin America.
J. Michael Luhan
C
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Letters policy
The Summer Nebraskan welcomes readers comments
and opinions either in the form of Letters to the Edi
tor, or, on longer pieces, as Guest Opinions. The editor re
serves the right to condense letters, while maintaining
the writer's original point. Timeliness, clarity and rele
vance are all determining factors for publication.
AH submissions must be received the Monday prior to
date of publication. All letters must be signed and veri
fiable. '
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