Authored by Emily Cooke, RDN, LDN
Are you finding yourself in a carrot and celery stick rut? Does your mind go blank when you are trying to plan new and exciting movement activities for the week? Well, the USDA and Department of Health and Human Services have a new resource designed just for propelling you out of this situation! And it’s available for FREE!
The “Nutrition & Wellness Tips for Young Children: Provider Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program” is a booklet bursting with easy-to-read and use tip sheets for planning healthy meals and activities for children ages 2 through 5 years old. The booklet was designed with CACFP participants in mind, but any child care program can benefit from the ideas and activities included.
Each tip sheet focuses on a specific topic and includes a practical application section to help providers put the tips to action in their child care program. A huge bonus of using the tip sheets for planning meals and activities is that as you do, you are automatically incorporating key recommendations and best practices right into your menu and daily schedule! Take a sneak peak at the Table of Contents and booklet’s introduction. You may also want to take a look at one of the tip sheets.
One of the best parts of this booklet is that it has a whole section of success stories from across the nation. And would you know that of the nine stories presented, two of them are from programs right here in little ol’ Portland, Maine?! Youth and Family Outreach and the Cumberland County YMCA share their experiences of how they’ve transformed their environments in healthy ways. Now you have got to go download the booklet for yourself and check it out!
Learn more about the booklet and download an electronic copy of the whole thing for free.
If you participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, you can order a free printed copy as well.