Health & Nutrition

Proper nutrition and daily physical activity during a child’s first five years of life are vital to their physical, emotional and cognitive growth and development, as well as their cognitive functioning and overall health. Children’s ability to learn, their moods and their energy levels are affected by what they eat, and how frequently they eat healthy food.

Role of the Health team

The goals of the school health program are carried out by the School Nurse and assisted by the nursing assistant.

Two-generation community impact approach

Our Nursing staff is always available to discuss any medical concern or answer questions about your child's health. Feel free to email schoolhealth@onecityschools.org or call 608-531-2121. We look forward to working with you to make this a healthy year for your child.

All Health office forms will be available in our new SchoolDoc System Managing App or may be obtained from the school health office.

We began our Healthy Meals Program immediately when our school opened in September 2015. Through this program, our children eat a healthy prepared breakfast, lunch and snack every day. All meals are prepared fresh on-site by our full-time chef. Our commercial kitchen was designed by popular local chef, Rod Ladson, the former owner, general manager and executive chef at Bonefish Grille in Madison. Chef Rod served as the volunteer Executive Chef for One City. He and One City’s former Chef, Joel Villarroel, developed our monthly menus and ensured that our children are fed a healthy balanced diet every day.

Children’s ability to learn, their moods and their energy levels are affected by what they eat

Why the emphasis on
healthy food?

The nutritional quality of our diet affects our well-being throughout our lives, but it has an even greater impact on children whose bodies and minds are still growing. Studies by neuroscientists have found that low-quality nutrition during childhood can be detrimental to the development of cognitive capabilities, such as learning, problem solving and memorizing.

Early malnourishment can lead to deficiencies in vision, fine motors skills, language and social skills as well as an array of chronic illnesses lasting well into adulthood. Unfortunately, the crucial role nutrition plays for developmental, cognitive and behavioral outcomes in life’s early stages is often not well understood and appropriately acted upon by schools and parents.

Picture of a Family for Our 21st century equity agenda section

One City’s daily menu includes a combination of fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins. Our children eat their lunch, breakfast and snack on The Plate designed by the United States Department of Agriculture and former First Lady Michelle Obama. Our children are taught daily what good food is using The Plate and the USDAs curriculum for young children. The Plate replaced the Food Pyramid in 2011.

In support and promotion of healthy eating practices, we do not use canned goods, boxed frozen goods, or any foods containing high fructose corn syrup or refined sugars at One City. All of our food is delivered fresh and is stored in our freezers and refrigerators on-site. As a substitute to refined sugar, we use Monk Fruit, Stevia Leaf, Agave Nector, Organic Brown Sugar, Organic Honey and Maple Syrup. As a substitute to refined table salt, we use a limited amount of sea salt.

Picture of a Family for Our 21st century equity agenda section

Our Chef prepares meals every day. Food is not stored overnight and then heated up later for children. Our Chef also prepares salad dressings, mayonnaise, salsas, tomato sauces and desserts from scratch. Our aim is to ensure that our children are eating a healthy, balanced diet daily, that their palates adjust to eating healthy food, and that they are able to develop healthy bodies and strong minds by not eating high fat, high carbohydrate foods that are not good for them, and that turn off learning. Our school’s Healthy Meals Program was featured on the local news in December 2016. Click here to read.

Chef Rod Ladson Picture
Special Remembrance

Remembering Chef Rod Ladson (1968 – 2016): “Everyone Loved Him and He will be Greatly Missed” (Madison365, July 20, 2018)

About

Chef Rod Ladson

One City’s unique and notable Healthy Meals Program was conceived and established in 2016 by one of Madison’s most famous, memorable and generous leaders in the food industry, Chef Rod Ladson. “Chef Rod” as all affectionately called him left us physically after passing away from a heart attack on July 13, 2018, but he will forever be with us in spirit. Rod, his wife Lisa, and their entire family will forever live in our hearts at One City, and our special food program will continue in the name of its special founder. We also thank former One City Chef, Joel Villarroel, for his important role in developing and shaping Chef Rod’s program

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