Veggie Tips: Veggie Thursday at Student Care   As many parents are not home to look after their kids before or after school, many student care centres exist all over Singapore. These student care centres provide a safe environment for children, usually between the ages of 7-14. They also provide a range of activities, including tuition, and most importantly, from our perspective at Veggie Thursday, student care centres also provide food.   you're probably asking...     largest of these is Pro-Teach with about 28 centres around the island - http://www.pro-teach.com. Another is Kampung Senang, a VT endorsing organisation with one student care centre at Blk 840 Tampines Street 82, #01-113, S. 520840 - www.kg-senang.org.sg [No doubt, there are more such student care centres. If you know of others, please inform us a gmjacobs@pacific.net.sg, so we can share the information in the next Veggie Tips.]   do these student care centres convince their students to eat veggies? One pointer from the folks at Pro-Teach is not to make a big deal out of eating veggie food; just treat it as normal. Other general tips for encouraging kids to eat more plant based foods include:     a) Avoid sweets before meals, as sweets can spoil kids’ appetites     b) Teach kids the names, origins and benefits of the plant based foods you serve     c) Involve kids in shopping for and preparing their food     d) Pay attention to colours, as kids often prefer bright colours, and fruits and vegetables come in an eye-popping rainbow of colours     e) Be a role model by letting kids see you eat and enjoy the same foods you serve them     f) Encourage kids to talk to others (or draw or write) about what they are eating, as this will enhance the kids’ communication skills and provide them with ownership     g) Make Veggie Thursday, or whatever day you choose, into a mini-holiday that kids will look forward to!