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Healthy Mealtimes in Early Childcare
Report   Open access

Healthy Mealtimes in Early Childcare

Annie J Roe, Kathryn Hickock, Shelly L Johnson, Kali Gardiner, Becky Woodhouse, Kristin Elizabeth Hansen and Heather Whitehead
Extension Bulletin Series, BUL 1056, University of Idaho Extension
12/01/2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60841/000000298

Abstract

Food Preparation
Proper nutrition for children younger than five years old is vitally important to establish for their growth and development. It’s a critical life stage, during which they develop their relationship to food, a connection that lays the foundation for lifelong dietary patterns. Learn how to instill healthy mealtime habits as a childcare provider (day care, preschool, or prekindergarten) in this dynamic, eleven-page bulletin. Strategies include menu planning that highlights whole foods, setting the best mealtime atmosphere, integrating nutrition education, and more. A handy scorecard helps you to apply these techniques consistently; five pages of resources provide examples of all the strategies, including hyperlinks to even more resources, including those from the United States Department of Agriculture and University Extension.Proper nutrition for children younger than five years old is vitally important to establish for their growth and development. It’s a critical life stage, during which they develop their relationship to food, a connection that lays the foundation for lifelong dietary patterns. Learn how to instill healthy mealtime habits as a childcare provider (day care, preschool, or prekindergarten) in this dynamic, eleven-page bulletin. Strategies include menu planning that highlights whole foods, setting the best mealtime atmosphere, integrating nutrition education, and more. A handy scorecard helps you to apply these techniques consistently; five pages of resources provide examples of all the strategies, including hyperlinks to even more resources, including those from the United States Department of Agriculture and University Extension.Proper nutrition for children younger than five years old is vitally important to establish for their growth and development. It’s a critical life stage, during which they develop their relationship to food, a connection that lays the foundation for lifelong dietary patterns. Learn how to instill healthy mealtime habits as a childcare provider (day care, preschool, or prekindergarten) in this dynamic, eleven-page bulletin. Strategies include menu planning that highlights whole foods, setting the best mealtime atmosphere, integrating nutrition education, and more. A handy scorecard helps you to apply these techniques consistently; five pages of resources provide examples of all the strategies, including hyperlinks to even more resources, including those from the United States Department of Agriculture and University Extension.
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