National Nutrition Month
Teri Ann Cox
Executive Director of The Children’s Center
Dear Families,
Did you know March is National Nutrition Month?
Nutrition is now a popular and important subject, even in early education. The first National Nutrition Week was in 1973 and became a monthlong celebration in 1980. Here at The Children’s Center, we take eating well seriously, and are fortunate to have Kelly Murphy thoughtfully planning our meals and snacks each day. She even makes homemade baby food for our youngest children!
Look at various websites celebrating National Nutrition Month and you will find encouragement to:
Include a variety of healthful foods from all the food groups (for daily meals and snacks),
Shop local whenever possible (can’t wait for the farmers’ markets to be back in full swing!),
Be mindful of portion sizes and eat slowly (so we know when we are full),
Get creative with leftovers and reduce food wasting (we waste about 90 billion pounds of food each year!).
Along this topic, I am pleased to share that we will be the recipient of a NAP SACC (Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care) grant this spring. Our participation includes setting an action plan for ongoing improvements around nutrition. Our goals include:
Preschool children choosing and serving foods themselves,
Vegetables offered at least 2 times per day,
When children request seconds, teachers always ask them if they are still hungry before serving more.
We will also be offering education to families on the importance of children’s physical activity at least two times per year. As a result of our efforts, we will be receiving $1,500 to put toward our Center garden and to purchase wheeled toys for our toddlers and preschoolers.
Happy, healthy eating this month!
My best,
Teri Ann
