|  | Family Health | Childrens Health

Ways to Promote Health Safety & Nutrition in Child Care

Obesity in America has become a major problem among young people, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Care Bureau. Obesity affects nine million children between the ages of 6 and 19. The rate of obesity has tripled in children 6-11 years old since 1970. Additionally, many parents and caregivers rely on child care services. Thus, there is a need for promoting health safety and nutrition in child care.

  1. Share Menu and Food Preparation

    • Angela Owens of the National Childcare Accreditation Council points out that child care providers can promote health safety and nutrition by involving kids in the menu and food preparation process. This technique gives children the opportunity to practice some autonomy in food choices, learn what is in different dishes and discover how to handle food safely. The caregiver can implement various activities for this purpose, such as having kids design the layout and style of a menu through an arts and crafts project.

    Provide Training

    • Children have inadequate health safety and nutrition in part because child care providers don't always have health safety and nutrition training. Leaders of child care facilities may promote health safety by providing educational classes for workers. Employees can then apply what they learn during their shifts. This training does not need to be limited to workers, however. Facilities can also train parents and other caregivers through classes or educational media children take home.

    Educate About Nutrition Labels

    • Children are still developing reading skills when they are in child care. Providers can take advantage of this and design activities for reading nutrition labels. For example, they could have students find labels with milk as an ingredient. Caregivers can also incorporate math lessons by having students divide foods into portions according to the serving recommendations on the nutrition label.

    Host Educational Programs and Trips

    • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services explains that gardening can teach students about nutrition by involving them in the entire food manufacturing process. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School of Berkeley, California, is a model of a school with such a program. Children prepare soil, plant seeds, water plants and harvest fruits and vegetables. If a child care facility does not have the space or funding for a program like this, providers can still take children on field trips to local farms or processing plants so kids can learn how food grows and is prepared.

Childrens Health - Related Articles