healthy eating

Targeted PD

Promoting Healthy Eating Habits

As a professional in your program, you have the ability to model and encourage healthy eating habits for the children and youth in your care. In this targeted professional development training, you will learn about the importance of good nutrition and recommendations for each age group, including feeding techniques for infants. This training will describe appropriate mealtime habits, such as those that are integral components of family-style dining, and as well as address ways to support diverse eating habits and the preferences of the children and families in your program.

Virtual Lab School Targeted PD Promoting Healthy Eating Habits
Name
Date
unenrolled Enrollment Available

1 Clock Hour

Training Requirements:

Read & Watch

Read and watch all the content.

Pause & Reflect

Complete each pause and reflect exercise. Note: Your responses are not saved or submitted but are required before unlocking the assessment. You may use the print button at the end of the page to save-as-pdf or print your responses if you wish.

  • What and How Are We Eating?
  • Assessing Mealtime Routines
  • Supporting Healthy Eating Habits

Review & Assess

Once the above is complete, the assessment is unlocked. Review the attached appendix materials at the end of the training, then complete and submit the assessment for review.

Suggested Audience(s):

Direct care providers (center-based and family child care)

DODI 6060.02:

Nutrition, obesity prevention, and meal service

Aligns with:

NAEYC Standard 5.B: Ensuring children’s nutritional well-being, CDA: To establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment , MSA : Competency Goal I: To establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment , COA : Children and youth are helped to understand the importance of a healthy lifestyles and are provided with information and support designed to promote well-being, and encourage positive choices, outside program time

Objective(s):

Center-based direct care staff and family child care providers will identify, describe, and reflect on the importance of good nutrition and mealtime habits.

Glossary

Cafeteria-Style Dining:
A style of food service in which children choose their food (or are given predetermined food) on a serving line
Eating Disorder:
A condition characterized by irregular or abnormal eating habits
Family-Style Dining:
A style of food service in which adults and children eat from a shared supply of food, are responsible for the size of their own portions, and talk together at a shared table

Introduction

Proper nutrition is necessary for growth, development, and overall health. Starting in infancy, children develop eating habits such as when, what, and how to eat, as well as certain taste preferences. They look to the important adults in their lives to model these habits and provide opportunities to try out a variety of healthy foods. In your role as a child and youth professional, you are in the unique position to model and foster healthy eating habits in children and provide a supportive environment where children and youth can explore foods, utensils, and dining practices. You also have the opportunity to support families by sharing information about developing healthy eating habits, introducing new foods to children, creating mealtime routines, and encouraging children to eat nutritious foods.

The Importance of Good Nutrition

As children grow and develop, they need important nutrients to maintain a healthy weight, prevent chronic disease, build and strengthen bones, teeth and muscles, focus and think clearly, and have the energy to function mentally, emotionally, and physically. Young children require healthy, balanced diets that provide them with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, especially at a time when their brains and bodies are developing so rapidly. A balanced diet has a positive impact on many aspects of development.

Feeding children nutritious foods starting in infancy affects brain development, skeletal and muscle development, and tooth development, and helps to prevent tooth decay. Nutritious foods give young children energy to play and learn. Unhealthy foods, such as those high in sugar and fat, can make them tired and sluggish, which can affect their emotional and social well-being.

Throughout this training, you will explore the aspects of good nutrition and healthy eating for all ages, as well as reflect on your role in fostering these habits in children and youth.

Components of a Well-Balanced Meal

Offering young children appropriate foods and beverages—which for infants includes human milk or formula—is necessary for proper growth, development, and health. The components of a healthy meal may vary slightly across ages and cultures, but there are several things that you can do regarding mealtimes that set all children up for optimal growth and development.

Family Child Care, Healthy Environments, Lesson 5
  • Provide a diverse selection of healthy foods so children and youth learn to like a variety of foods and make healthy choices.
  • Do not use food as a reward or punishment. This can cause negative emotional connections to food, which can transfer into adulthood and result in unhealthy eating habits and emotional stress.
  • Offer water between meals and snacks to quench thirst and establish the healthy habit of staying well-hydrated.
  • Juice, even if 100% juice, is not recommended. Juice is high in calories and sugar, and it has little nutritional value. Increased consumption of fruit juice is associated with increased risk for obesity. Offer fruits and vegetables as snacks instead of juice.
  • Focus on nutrient-dense foods and limit children’s calories from added sugar, saturated fats, and salt.
  • At minimum, milk should be offered during breakfast and lunch mealtimes.

Many of the meals that children consume happen during their time with you in the program. It’s important that the food the program provides to children at mealtimes is well-balanced and nutritious. Although your role may not include meal planning and preparation, it’s still important that you understand the basic recommendations for child and youth nutrition so that you can model and encourage children to develop healthy eating habits.

Nutritional Recommendations by Age Group

While similar, there are nutritional recommendations for each age group in child and youth programs. This guidance comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education, and the Institute of Medicine, among other contributors. Though these recommendations are designed for early child care providers, you can encourage families to adopt these nutrition guidelines at home by sharing your program’s menu, offering tips that have been successful in the classroom, and providing thoughtful education on good nutrition.

Your program provides meals and snacks through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). CACFP provides guidelines for serving nutritious food and drinks to children and youth who attend child care programs, both center-based and home-based. These guidelines are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are science-based recommendations made by the National Academy of Medicine. You can find more information on these recommendations in the references and resources section. CACFP has different meal pattern requirements based on the age of the child. Meal patterns specify how much of each type of food group a child should receive in each meal. CACFP specifies meal patterns for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. While the guidelines are subject to change based on ongoing research, the tables below show the most recent CACFP recommended meal patterns. Learn more about standards for CACFP meals and snacks at https://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/meals-and-snacks.

AgeBreakfastLunch/DinnerSnack
Ages 0-5 months4-6 fl oz breastmilk or formula4-6 fl oz breastmilk or formula4-6 fl oz breastmilk or formula
Ages 6-11 months6-8 fl oz breastmilk or formula. 
0-4 tbsp infant cereal, meat, fish, poultry, whole eggs, cooked try beans or peas; or 0-2 oz cheese; or 0-4 oz cottage cheese; or 0-4 oz yogurt; or a combination. 
0-2 tbsp vegetable, fruit, or both.		6-8 fl oz breast milk or formula. 
0-4 tbsp infant cereal, meat, fish, poultry, whole egg, cooked dry beans or peas; or 0-2 oz cheese; or 0-4 oz cottage cheese; 0-4 oz yogurt; or a combination. 
0-2 tbsp vegetable, fruit, or both.		2-4 fl oz breastmilk or formula. 
0-½ bread slice; or 0-2 crackers; or 0-4 tbsp infant cereal or ready-to-eat cereal. 
0-2 tbsp vegetable, fruit, or both.
Meal/TimeFoodAges 1-2 yearsAges 3-5 yearsAges 6-18 years
Breakfast Milk½ cup¾ cup1 cup
Vegetables, Fruit, or Both¼ cup½ cup½ cup
Grains1½ oz½ oz1 oz
Lunch/ DinnerMilk½ cup¾ cup1 cup
Meat and Meat Alternatives1 oz1 ½ oz2 oz
Vegetables1/8 cup¼ cup½ cup
Fruits1/8 cup¼ cup¼ cup
Grains½ oz½ oz1 oz
Snack2Milk½ cup½ cup1 cup
Meat and Meat Alternatives½ oz½ oz1 oz
Vegetables½ cup½ cup¾ cup
Fruit½ cup½ cup¾ cup
Grains½ oz½ oz1 oz

1Meat and meat alternatives may be used to substitute the entire grains component a maximum of three times per week 
2Select 2 of the 5 components for snack

The U.S. government has also developed a tool called MyPlate designed to guide everyone toward healthier food choices. We all need a variety of food each day. A healthy diet includes a mix of grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and protein. The MyPlate guide helps you visualize the relative amounts of food you—and children—need each day. Half of your plate should be covered with fruits and vegetables. The other half is split between grains and protein. Filling the plate with this balance of food will help children develop healthy habits.

In addition to thinking about what types of food to eat, it’s also important to think about how much to eat. With obesity on the rise, portion control is an essential skill to teach children and youth. Each person has specific dietary needs, and we need a certain balance of calories each day to stay healthy. Depending on their age and level of physical activity, children need approximately 1,200 to 1,600 calories per day, split between the five food groups on MyPlate. You can find more information at www.choosemyplate.gov.

Choosing Appropriate Serving Sizes

You have the responsibility to understand the proper portions of a well-balanced diet for the children in your care. To support this awareness, adequate knowledge of developmental expectations and milestones is beneficial. This will not only be beneficial to guide your understanding of how to support children’s eating habits and common behaviors (e.g., gagging, food refusal, picky eating) that you may encounter, but will also help you to know how much a child may or should consume at mealtimes.

Focus Topic, Essentials in Child Care Food Service, Lesson 2

With obesity on the rise, portion control is an essential skill to teach children, even from a young age. Practices such as family-style dining give children the opportunity to choose how much they serve themselves and to see what recommended portion sizes look like. For example, preschool-age children need approximately 1,200 calories per day, while school-age children need approximately 1,200 to 1,600 calories per day, depending on their level of physical activity. Foods should be split among the five food groups on MyPlate. MyPlate can be used as a visual tool to show the five food groups and the relative amounts of each group to include in a balanced meal.

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Portion control can be challenging, especially when working with young children. We want children to make choices about what they eat, however there will likely be times when they take too much or too little, spill food or liquids while serving themselves, or refuse to try a particular food. This is part of the process; remember to respond patiently. To prevent many of these problems you can:

Preschool, Healthy Environments, Lesson 5
  • Use small, child-sized pitchers, utensils, and serving dishes.
  • Limit waste by only putting a portion of available food in the serving dishes and refill as needed.
  • Use child-size plates, bowls, and cups; this will help children limit themselves to healthy portions.
  • Remember that children’s appetites and tastes change over time; growth spurts happen throughout the preschool years.
  • Encourage children to put a small serving of each available food on their plates, but do not require children to eat a certain food or a certain amount of food.
  • Model adventurous eating; try each food item yourself even if you know you don’t like it.
  • For children who need strict portion control for health reasons, teach them how much of each item to take and monitor their eating.
  • In an open-snack environment, you can also provide a picture and/or words about what one serving of today’s snack looks like (e.g., one apple, one large gram cracker square, and one cup of milk), so children know the appropriate amount to take. You can check back in with those who may need more.
  • Allow second helpings of nutritious foods.

Many of these recommendations will be helpful when practicing family-style dining, which we will address later in this training.

Using a menu from your program and the MyPlate Checklist shared above, review the food options that are available for one week. Is there a balance from each of the food groups? Does the menu provide choices that are limited in saturated fat, salt, and added sugar?

Is there a variety of healthy options and alternative choices that respect the preferences and diverse cultures of the children and families in your program? If not, what could you do to improve the menu?

What strategies do you use to encourage healthy serving sizes and promote healthy portion control?

What strategies do you currently use to encourage tasting and trying new foods?

Infant Feeding

It is also important to understand what a well-balanced diet looks like for infants and toddlers. How infants and toddlers are fed can be just as important as what they are fed. Child care providers can give young children age-appropriate foods and beverages, make mealtimes enjoyable, and encourage infants and toddlers to regulate their own food intake. With this age group, remember to tailor your meal schedules and routines to the specific children in your care. Each infant’s feeding schedule is unique, so it is important to follow individual schedules and look for hunger cues. Be sure to discuss these schedules and expectations with each family.

Family Child Care, Healthy Environments, Lesson 5

Bottle feeding is a time to emotionally connect with an infant while satisfying the need for nourishment. It is a time for patience and comfort, to be alert for their feeding cues, to engage in eye contact, and to talk and respond to infants’ vocalizations.

Bottle-Feeding Techniques

The procedures for bottle-feeding are similar to breastfeeding approaches:

  • Begin feeding when infant provides cues (rooting, sucking, turning head, open mouth, irritability that is not explained by other factors, etc.).
  • Wash your hands and the infant’s hands before feeding.
  • Hold the infant during feedings, even if an infant can hold their own bottle.
  • Create a calm, warm, and pleasant atmosphere.
  • Alternate the side of your lap that you hold the infant on.
  • Allow breaks during the feeding for burping.
  • Allow infant to stop the feeding when full.

Feeding techniques to avoid:

  • Bottles should never be propped.
  • Do not bottle feed more than one infant at a time.
  • Infants should not be permitted to have a bottle in the crib.
  • Young children should not be permitted to carry a bottle while standing, walking, or running.
  • Don’t force an infant to eat or to finish a bottle.
  • Don’t display anger or frustration concerning an infant’s feeding.

Cue Feeding

Infants should be fed when they display feeding cues rather than on a schedule unless the family gives written instructions otherwise. Feeding by a cue meets the infant’s nutritional and emotional needs and provides the infant with an immediate response. This shows the infant that you are there to meet their physical needs, which helps them develop trust and feelings of security. As you consistently feed an infant, you gain a better understanding of their cues and are able to respond appropriately in a manner that is satisfying to them. Cues that an infant is hungry might include:

  • Opening their mouth
  • Turning their head
  • Rooting
  • Making sucking sounds
  • Moving hands at random

Cue feeding also tells you when an infant is full and done eating. Cues that indicate a child is full include:

  • Infant turning away from the bottle’s nipple
  • Increased attention to surroundings
  • Keeping mouth closed
  • Shaking head or saying “no”
  • Infant playing with, chewing, or mouthing the bottle’s nipple without sucking

Mealtime Habits

In addition to the types and portions of food we consume, understanding the routines and relationships we create with food are equally important. Mealtimes, especially for younger children, are a learning experience. There are many aspects of mealtimes that can be engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Because it is a predictable part of everyone’s lives, having some routines in place can help the process go a bit smoother. Consider the following habits:

  • Ask everyone to wash their hands before and after eating. This is also an essential step for infants and toddlers. Be sure that you are also washing your hands before and after preparing and serving meals, including bottles and infant food.
  • Discuss ways to be safe during meals. Ensure everyone has a safe seat, which may include a high chair or booster seat, if your program allows for these.
  • Set a good example. Eat the same foods that are offered to children. When introducing new foods, try the food first to show children that you like it.
  • Eat meals together and have conversations with the children during mealtimes. Limit distractions during mealtimes and use this time as an opportunity to connect with one another.
  • Offer meals and snacks at consistent times of the day.
  • Offer and encourage the use of appropriate utensils. For infants and toddlers, provide them with safe utensils to explore and practice self-feeding, but understand that the use of their hands is a developmentally appropriate skill.
  • Allow children to serve themselves or provide hand-over-hand assistance as needed. They may over or underserve themselves at times, but this is a great way to have age-appropriate discussions about portion sizes with the children. Be sure to model techniques such as scooping, pouring, and using utensils.
  • Accept that there may be spills during serving. Encourage children to clean up after themselves.
  • Teach children to listen to their bodies to know when they are hungry or full.
  • Allow children to eat to their own fullness without pressure to overeat. When they are finished, develop a routine for what they can do next (e.g., dispose of extra food, places dishes in a designated space, wash their hands). This may be a space where visual reminders are helpful.
  • Be sure to sit with the children and model appropriate mealtime habits. Share positive things about the food such as “These orange carrots will help my eyes stay strong and healthy.”

Family-Style Dining

Implementing family-style dining is another way to encourage healthy eating. There is plenty of research to support the benefits of this practice.

Focused Topics, Essentials in Child Care Food Service, Lesson 2

The Institute of Medicine’s 2011 Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies cites family-style dining as a way for child care providers to practice “responsive feeding,” which includes letting children serve themselves and having adults sit and eat with children to model eating, give guidance on serving sizes, and listen to hunger and fullness cues. Children who participate in family-style dining are more attuned to their natural hunger and satiety cues, are more likely to try new foods, and are more likely to make healthier choices when seeing these choices modeled for them.

Participating in family-style dining with young children includes many benefits, such as:

  • Promoting social skills. Children learn to say “please” and “thank you.” They also learn to ask for what they need, wait patiently, and take turns.
  • Preventing behaviors that increase the possibility of arguments, taking someone else’s food, stuffing food into the mouth, potential choking, and playing with food.
  • Promoting language and vocabulary development. Children learn the names of new foods, and adults can model complex language around the size, color, texture, taste, and smell of foods. Meals are also a natural time for conversations about interests and ideas.
  • Modeling manners and how to use utensils.
  • Establishing warm relationships between children and their peers.
  • Promoting hand-eye coordination as children handle dishes and utensils.
  • Promoting decision-making and problem-solving skills as children decide what to eat, how much to eat, and how to express their wants and needs.
  • Allowing children to see adults making healthy choices. This is an excellent opportunity to model these important lifelong behaviors.

Family-style dining has a special look and feel. It should allow caregivers and children to relax, enjoy the meal, and enjoy each other’s company. However, family-style dining does not happen without challenges. Toddlers might spill their drinks, drop their forks, fidget in their seats, and squabble with peers. However, these behaviors are common in early childhood as children gain a greater sense of independence and mastery of their physical skills.

Depending on your program, school-age children may participate in family-style dining, self-serve dining, or cafeteria-style dining. Regardless of the dining style, meals are a great time for school-age children to relax and engage with their peers and are an opportunity for you to model healthy habits.

Family Child Care - Healthy Environments - Lesson 5

Take a moment to watch these examples of family-style dining.

Family-Style Dining

Learn tips and benefits of family-style dining.

The development of healthy eating habits in children is influenced by the entire mealtime experience, including the foods that are served, the language that is shared, and the responsive techniques that are used by their caregivers. As a child and youth professional, you play a significant role in helping children develop lifelong healthy eating habits.

Understanding and Supporting Diverse Eating Habits and Preferences

School-Age, Healthy Environments, Lesson 5

Some individuals, cultures, and religions follow eating habits that differ from the USDA recommendations. It is important to find out if any children in your care cannot follow the USDA guidelines. Families should notify program staff of any dietary restrictions or allergies and note any substitutions or accommodations that need to be made. Staff must ensure that dietary restrictions and allergies are posted in food preparation areas and in areas where children eat, and that anyone who may help with meals is aware of these special considerations. Dietary restrictions and allergies should be monitored daily. When working with school-age children with dietary restrictions because of their religion, it is best to get written instructions from families detailing what they can or cannot eat or drink.

Some families follow vegetarian or vegan diets, avoiding eating animals (meat) or animal products (milk, cheese, etc.). They may request that their children be served vegetarian or vegan food. Again, it is best to check with the family and obtain written instructions as to what and what not to allow their children to eat while in your care.

It may be challenging at times to provide children with a balanced and nutritional diet when dietary restrictions or allergies rule out many of the foods usually served in your program. Work with families to come up with options to best fit their needs.

Additionally, you may have children and youth in your programs that require meal modifications due to a disability. Through CACFP, programs are required to make substitutions to meals for children with a disability that restricts the child’s diet on a case-by-case basis and only when supported by a written statement from a state-licensed healthcare professional. For children without a disability that require meal modifications (due to religious beliefs, moral convictions, or personal preference), food substitutions and modifications must still follow CACFP meal patterns and should be supported by a special dietary statement. Review your Service-specific guidance related to providing and preparing foods based on food preferences. It is important to respect and celebrate diverse eating habits and preferences, just as you do with other diverse aspects of your program. Help all children and families feel supported and educate all children by having open conversations about food and diet choices, as well as the different ways people eat and enjoy meals. You may also include books or add new materials to your dramatic play space. Additional resources on diverse eating habits and cultural practices can be found in the resources and references section.

Picky Eating

Beyond diverse eating habits and preferences in children and families, it’s likely that some children in your program will exhibit characteristics of picky eating. Depending on the age of the child, it could be a developmentally appropriate behavior, as is typical with toddlers. In general, the following characteristics are common in toddlerhood and therefore not necessarily a sign of picky eating:

  • Throwing food
  • Refusing to stay seated at the table
  • Refusing certain foods (inconsistently)
  • Spitting out food
  • Displaying extreme appetite variability (e.g., not eating much for breakfast, but asking for multiple servings during dinner)
  • Showing preference to certain food groups (carbohydrates and fruits are common)
  • Having tantrums when their favorite foods are not an option

Picky eating, however, is different from common toddler selectivity. Picky eating is often related to underlying issues like anxiety or fear around food and/or meals, sensory processing, or developmental delays (Solid Starts, 2023). While it’s difficult to pinpoint a cause for picky eating, possible reasons include negative mealtime experiences, lack of exposure to a variety textures and flavors of foods, anxious or permissive caregiving practices, and certain child characteristics such as medical issues, developmental disabilities, and temperaments. When it comes to preventing picky eating, the more positive and engaging adults are about eating, the more likely the child will be too. Below are a few strategies you can try in your program and share with families who express concern over their child’s eating habits:

  • Enjoy meals together. Eating together refocuses the importance of the meal to the social aspect of eating, rather than on what is being eaten. Be sure to provide a positive atmosphere free of distractions and full of conversation.
  • Don’t force the child to eat. Encouraging children to try foods is much different than forcing them to eat. Celebrating “clean plates” and rewarding them with dessert will not help a true picky eater to eat more food.
  • Involve children in the meal planning and prepping process. Children can be involved in this process at any age. Activities for planning might include looking at grocery ads together, making shopping lists, visiting the grocery store or farmers market, or planting and tending to a garden. Children can safely be involved in the preparation of meals by washing fruits and vegetables, mixing ingredients, setting timers, and serving the food.

A growing body of research suggests there is a relationship between picky eating in childhood and disordered eating in adults, which has negative psychological correlations, including anxiety and stress (Shim et al. 2011). If addressed early, overcoming picking eating is possible, however it does take time. If you have concerns about a child’s eating preferences, be sure to communicate your observations with their parents or caregivers.

Eating Disorders

As a child and youth professional, you work with young children every day to promote positive self-esteem, which includes the way children think and feel about their own bodies. Part of the discussion around healthy eating and good nutrition involves eating disorders. Eating disorders can show up in a variety of ways and while they are likely more prevalent with school-age children, there are things you can do and say with children of all ages to support a positive body image. Reflect on the ways you celebrate different body shapes, sizes, and colors. Help children to understand the good in individual differences and think kindly toward themselves and others, practice healthy eating, and create realistic expectations around appearance through the materials and displays offered in your program. When topics around body image do come up, you can:

  • Use positive language: Encourage conversation around personal characteristics such as kind or helpful, and avoid negative nicknames or comments based on a person’s physical characteristics. Additionally, talk about how eating healthy helps our bodies to grow and be strong and how exercise improves our health and wellness.
  • Be a good role model: Children and youth notice how you talk about and care for your own body so avoid making negative comments about your appearance. Engage with children in physical activity and eating healthy, without making either sound punitive (i.e., “I’m running with you because it keeps me healthy and strong” versus “I need to run with you because I ate a big piece of cake last night for dessert”).
  • Talk about what they see and hear: As children grow, their bodies will change. Have conversations with children and youth about what to expect and provide appropriate resources as needed. Additionally, they will likely see and hear messages pertaining to body image through their interaction with different types of media and their peers. Encourage them to ask questions and strive to provide them with healthy roles models through the materials, activities, and interactions in your program.

In your role, you should watch for any signs that a child may be using unsafe methods to control their weight.

School-Age, Healthy Environments, Lesson 5

Below are some signs of possible eating disorders (PBS, 2012). The child:

  • Has lost a great deal of weight in a relatively short period of time
  • Wears big or baggy clothes, or dresses in layers to hide their body
  • Obsesses over weight and complains of being fat (even if they are of average weight or thin)
  • Obsesses over the calorie and fat content of foods
  • Exercises obsessively
  • Starves themself, or limits food intake
  • Eats a lot of food at once, then makes themself vomit
  • Often makes trips to the bathroom right after meals (sometimes you will hear water running, as this hides the sound of vomiting)
  • Uses or hides the use of diet pills, laxatives, ipecac syrup, or enemas
  • Avoids eating with or near others

These are the most common symptoms seen in older school-age children with eating disorders. However, it is important to remember not to jump to conclusions if you see any of these symptoms. If you observe behaviors that seem alarming or cause for concern, bring them to the attention of your administrator.

More information on eating disorders as well as resources to support professionals and families who may be facing this issue can be found in the references and resources section.

What are some resources that you currently share or plan on sharing with families that address good nutrition and healthy eating habits for the various age groups that you serve?

What are some strategies that you use to promote nutrition and healthy eating habits with the children and youth in youth classroom or program?

How does your program gather information from families regarding any cultural considerations that need to be addressed in your program’s menu planning process?

Training Progress Status: unenrolled Enrollment Available

Training Requirements:

Read & Watch

Read and watch all the content.

Pause & Reflect

Complete each pause and reflect exercise. Note: Your responses are not saved or submitted but are required before unlocking the assessment. You may use the print button at the end of the page to save-as-pdf or print your responses if you wish.

Review & Assess

Once the above is complete, the assessment is unlocked. Review the attached appendix materials at the end of the training, then complete and submit the assessment for review.

My Progress Print P&R Responses

Additional Virtual Lab School Support:

The strategies reviewed in this training, when applied consistently, help to foster healthy eating habits in children and youth. The materials from this training are drawn from the following VLS lessons. You can find additional strategies, tools, and resources in these lessons: 

References & Resources

Dietary Guidelines for Americans. (2020). Make every bite count with the dietary guidelines (9th ed.). USDA. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans-2020-2025.pdf

Harvard School of Public Health. (2023). Early child care obesity prevention recommendations: Complete list. Harvard T.H. Chan. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-prevention/early-child-care/early-child-care-obesity-prevention-recommendation-complete-list/

Harvard School of Public Health. (2023). Infant feeding and mealtime habits. Harvard T.H. Chan. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-prevention/early-child-care/early-child-care-feeding-and-mealtime-practices-and-obesity-prevention/

McCarthy, C. (2020). Study gives insight—and advice—on picky eating in children. Harvard Health Blog. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/study-gives-insight-and-advice-on-picky-eating-in-children-2020060920004

National Eating Disorders Association. (2022). Parent toolkit. NEDA Headquarters. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/parent-toolkit

National Eating Disorders Association. (2023). NEDA 2023 back to school. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/neda-2023-back-school

National Institute of Mental Health. (2021). Eating disorders: About more than food. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders

Nemec, K. (2020). Cultural Awareness of Eating Patterns in the Health Care Setting. Clinical liver disease, 16(5), 204–207. https://doi.org/10.1002/cld.1019

Peter, J., Garcia, A. S., Dev, D. A., Rida, Z. (2018, May). Using Culturally Responsive Feeding Practices. Nebraska Extension. https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/html/g2303/build/g2303.htm

Shim, J. E., Kim, J., & Mathai, R. A. (2011, September). Associations of Infant Feeding Practices and Picky Eating Behaviors of Preschool Children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 111(9), 1363–1368. https://www.jandonline.org/article/S0002-8223(11)01179-5/fulltext

Solid Starts. (2023). Causes of picky eating. https://solidstarts.com/causes-of-picky-eating/

USDA Food and Nutrition Service. (2019). Feeding infants in the child and adult care food programs. US Department of Agriculture. https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/feeding-infants-child-and-adult-care-food-program

USDA Food and Nutrition Service. (2023). Nutrition standards for CACFP meals and snacks. US Department of Agriculture. https://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/meals-and-snacks

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). My plate. https://www.myplate.gov/