Bringing CACFP-Compliant, Scratch-Made Food to Family Care Center

For childcare centers, food service is never “just food.” It affects everything: children’s health, parent satisfaction, classroom mood, and staff workload. The preschool at Family Care Center in Lexington, Kentucky struggled with their meal program. Before Ordo, the center relied on a local caterer. But the meals came pre-packaged and leaned heavily on processed foods.

The staff’s concern was twofold:

The meals weren’t as healthy as they wanted for young children

Kids weren’t excited to eat them—finishing meals was a struggle

For a 5-STAR center committed to quality, this was important to them. The staff wanted food that supported the work they were doing every day: helping children learn, grow, and thrive.

But it was difficult to find a food service company that could also meet the compliance requirements for CACFP food service. So, the team felt stuck.

Then they heard about Ordo through a local community group, and the staff reached out to see if they could serve something better to their kids.

The Solution: Fresh, Scratch-Made Meals Delivered Daily

Ordo stepped in and began providing fresh, scratch-made meals every day—real food cooked homestyle that kids would actually enjoy eating. The team swapped out the disposable packaging with reusable trays and dishes to reduce waste. The chef sourced local supplies and ingredients for maximum freshness.

Instead of opening pre-packaged trays and heating them up, the staff got meals they felt proud to serve. Instead of children picking at food, they saw something every childcare owner wants:

Kids just eating.

It was a night and day shift in the experience. Here’s how their staff describes the partnership with Ordo:

“Working with Ordo has been incredibly easy. We launched on time, and our students now enjoy high-quality, fresh, homemade meals every day. They love the food, many even go back for seconds, which used to be a struggle for us. Communication is excellent, any questions we have are answered quickly. Our chef is reliable, always delivers on time, and labels everything clearly.”

Many childcare centers can struggle with finding reliable, compliant food service for their children. But, thanks to Ordo, Family Care Center was able to do just that.