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Creating a child care wellness policy
- 1. Illinois Nutrition Education and Training Program The Illinois NET Program is supported by the Illinois State Board of Education
- 2. Understand the childhood obesity problem Learnabout new federal regulations Learnhow a wellness policy can get you ready
- 3. Discover how to create a wellness policy Find tools to implement your policy Identifytools to evaluate your wellness practices
- 4. 75% of children (1-5yrs) participate 21% of preschoolers are overweight or obese Children consume almost 75% of their daily calories in child care settings Children’s habits are being formed
- 5. >50% of obese children were obese at age two Too much sodium and saturated fat Toolittle fruits, veggies and whole grains Physical activity guidelines have been inconsistent
- 6. Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010: New drinking water rule New milk rule Effective October 1, 2011
- 7. Proposed rule for CACFP meal patterns by June 2012 USDA Guidance Handbook 2012 Final rule in Fall 2013
- 8. Commitment Guidance Evaluation Education Assurance
- 9. Healthy Nutrition Environment Healthy Foods and Drinks Mealtime Environment Learning About Healthy Food Choices Physical Activity Environment Playtime Play Environment Learning About Physical Activity
- 10. Staff training Engaging community partners Educating parents Assess and review
- 12. 1. Drinking water is available to children throughout the day, including at mealtimes, upon their request. 2. Children age two and older are served low-fat (1%) or fat-free (skim) fluid milk.
- 13. 3. 100% juice is offered no more than three times per week.
- 14. Allowkids to serve themselves Start a water routine Remind staff to be role models Add some fruit slices for taste
- 15. Always serve water between meals Substitute water or whole fruit/veggies Educate parents and staff Staff members drink water too
- 16. 1. A cycle menu of three weeks or longer that changes with the seasons is used. Entrees are repeated no more than two times throughout the cycle, and repetition of other food items is minimal. 2. Menus include foods from a variety of cultures.
- 17. Staff training USDA resources Parent input Go for different colors and textures Cultural celebrations
- 18. 1. Staff members allow children to decide how much to eat. Children are never forced to eat or try new foods. 2. Staff members never use food to reward good behavior. 3. Staff members join children at the table for meals and snack.
- 19. 4. Meals are served family-style 5. The center displays pictures or posters that support healthy eating
- 20. Educate Staff Talkabout hunger and fullness cues Use non-food rewards Engage parents
- 21. Staffbreaks during naptime not mealtime Divide food items into a few smaller bowls Practice passing dishes Activity Time!
- 22. 1. The center has guidelines for foods brought into the facility and served for holidays and celebrations. 2. Holidays are celebrated with mostly healthy foods and non-food treats. 3. Non-food fundraising activities
- 23. Create a celebration list Make the birthday child feel special Get children involved Try a healthy piñata Sell useful items
- 24. 1. Staff members receive training on nutrition at least twice per year 2. Nutrition education opportunities are offered to parents at least twice per year
- 25. 3. Nutrition education lessons are incorporated into the weekly schedule
- 26. Staff training Schedule Keepparents training days informed Join other Findthe right centers curriculum
- 28. 1. Children have at least 120 minutes of active playtime each day 2. Children participate in structured physical activities two or more times per day 3. Children participate in outdoor active play two or more times per day
- 29. 4. Active playtime is not withheld when children misbehave; additional playtime is offered for good behavior. 5. Television or videos are rarely or never shown in the facility.
- 30. Set up “blocks” of playtime Structured and unstructured Staff training Rainy day activities Support parents with resources
- 31. 1. A wide variety of fixed play equipment is available to meet the needs of all children. 2. A wide variety of portable play equipment is available for children to use at the same time.
- 32. Amp up your play space Grant/funding opportunities Playtime in shifts Rotate your portable equipment Enlist parents
- 33. 1. Staff members encourage children to be active and join children in active play. 2. The center displays pictures or posters to promote physical activity 3. Staff members receive training on physical activity at least twice per year.
- 34. Encourage staff physical activity Train staff Posters Educate parents Activity Time!
- 35. Create reliable Educate your policies parents Be informed Be flexible Support your staff Be smart Be patient
- 37. This institution is an equal opportunity employer.
Notes de l'éditeur
- Welcome audience to the training.The Illinois NET Program is supported by the Illinois State Board of EducationIllinois NET’s mission is to help Illinois school, child care, and afterschool care staff create learning environments that promote and support children’s health and learning. One way this objective is accomplished is by providing FREE, on-site nutrition education training such as this one.Today’s workshop, Creating a Child Care Wellness Policy, is based on a resource from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Model Policies for Creating a Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment in Child Care Settings. A link to this resource along with all the handouts for this presentation can be found on the workshop webpage at kidseatwell.org/handouts.html.
- Let’s start with the goals of our workshop today:To understand the scope of the childhood obesity problemTo become familiar with new federal regulations related to the childhood obesity problemTo learn how a wellness policy canget you aligned for the future
- Goals:To discover how to create a wellness policy To find tools to help you implement your wellness policyTo identify tools to assessyour wellness practices
- Why are we talking about wellness policies in the child care setting? Becausethe focus of addressing the childhood obesity epidemic is shifting to child care settings.Approximately 75% of young children (ages 1-5) currently attend some kind of daycare or preschool.Approximately 21% of preschoolers are overweight or obese.Children are consuming almost 75% of their daily intake of calories in daycare or preschool settings.These early years are when children’s habits are being formed.
- Greater than 50% of older, obese children were obese at the age of two.Studies looking at the nutritional status of many facilities supported by the Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) showed; higher than recommended saturated fat levels, an absence of fruit in morning and afternoon snacksa minimal amount of vegetables in snacks too much sodium in mealstoo few whole grainsThe regulations thus far for physical activity have been broad and non-specific. When child care providers are uncertain of how much physical activity is needed, children may not be active enough.
- The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) is the government’s response to these troubling statistics. The Act, based on recommendations from the Institute ofMedicine, includes plans for new regulations for the CACFP program. Two of these new regulations were finalized last fall and should already have been implemented into all CACFP programs by October 1, 2011. These include: Expanding access to drinking water Nutrition requirements for milkWe will go into more detail about these regulations later in the presentation.To read more about the IOM report, you will find a link in the Resource Handbook.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Child-and-Adult-Care-Food-Program-Aligning-Dietary-Guidance-for-All.aspx
- The USDA will also issue a proposed rule for changes to the CACFP meal patterns by June 2012.This proposed rule, based on the IOM report, will include improvements in meal quality to meet the Dietary Guidelines:More fruits and more vegetables A greater variety of vegetablesMore whole grain-rich foods, fewer refined grain foodsIncreased emphasis on limiting foods high in solid fats and added sugarsLater this year the USDA will be publishing a Guidance Handbook to assist CACFP providers with implementing these new rules. They will also be making recommendations for reducing sedentary time, including screen time, and for increasing physical activity. The final ruling on the CACFP meal requirements is due by Fall 2013.Today’s training will show you how to develop a wellness policy that incorporates these proposed rules so that your program will be ready when the final ruling is out.
- Creating a wellness policy can help you adapt to the changes coming to the CACFP program, but there are many more benefits to having a wellness policy:They provide written documentation to your staff, parents and licensing officials of your commitment to good nutrition care.They provide clear guidelines to your staff.They provide a basis for evaluating your facility and your staff, and identify areas that need improvement. They help you educate new staff members and parents on current nutrition and physical activity practices.They guide the choices and decisions your facility makes each day and assure that children are getting the same care in every classroom from day to day and week to week.
- A child care wellness policy should include healthy practices in your nutrition and physical activity environment.To create a healthy nutrition environment you will want to focus on these areas:Healthy Foods and DrinksWhat should be offered?When should it be offered? And, how much should be offered? Mealtime EnvironmentHow does your staff interact with children during meals?Do the menus reflect the social, cultural and family values of the children? Learning About Healthy Food ChoicesHow are children involved in food preparation and awareness activities?What education do you provide for children, parents and staff? To create a physical activity environment you will want to focus on these areas: PlaytimeHow much time should be allowed for active play?How long should children be inactive at one time? Play EnvironmentWhat types of equipment, both permanent and moveable are needed or offered?How much TV time should children be allowed each day? Learning About Physical ActivityWhat education do you provide for children, parents and staff?
- As you develop your wellness policy, keep these tips in mind: Staff Training: Your staff is the most important element to creating a successful wellness environment. They need to be well trained, supported with resources and encouraged to strive for their own wellness. Engaging Community Partners and Educating Parents: Look for organizations in your community who are also interested in children’s health such as hospitals, churches, schools, and YMCAs. They may be able to provide funds or resources for implementing your policies.Offer mini-classes or educational events before or after work for parents or send home fact sheets, newsletters or emails with wellness information. Assess and ReviewDo an assessment of what strengths and weaknesses your program already has in nutrition and physical activity. This will help to narrow your focus on what still needs to be done.Regularly review your wellness policy goals and objectives: Are you meeting them? If not, what obstacles are keeping you from meeting them? How can you overcome those obstacles?Two good assessment tools to look at before writing your policy:Let’s Move Child Care - An online, interactive toolkit that includes a Healthy Checklist to assess your program.Ready, Set, Go! NFSMI Checklist - This best practice resource is a Web-based, self-assessment checklist designed for child care directors who are implementing or assessing wellness practices in child care centers participating in the CACFP.
- Let’s get started creating your wellness policy. We will start with a Healthy Nutrition Environment. We are going to discuss five policy areas related to the nutrition environment and look at some possible model policy statements for each. Refer to the handout titled Model Policies for a Healthy Nutrition Environment. Note: We will not be discussing every model policy on the handout.
- Our first Policy Area isBeverages: The best beverages for children are milk and water. Water should be the beverage of choice between meals and at snack time. Milk should be served with meals. Water satisfies thirst without adding extra calories and helps with dental caries by decreasing acid in the mouth. If children stay hydrated throughout the day they will not fill up on milk at mealtimes and will be able to concentrate on their food. Sweetened beverages should never be offered to children, as they are linked to an increased risk of obesity. TheHealthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act provided recommendations on milk and water consumption. These recommendations have become requirements per a USDA ruling for Child Nutrition Programs in Jan 2102. The requirements are reflected in these model policies. Model Policy 1. Drinking water is available to children throughout the day, including at mealtimes, upon their request. ** Model Policy 2. Children age two and older are served low-fat (1%) or fat-free (skim) fluid milk. ****The language has been modified from the original source handout because these are now USDA regulations, effective October 1, 2011.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendsthat preschool age children drink no more than 4-6 oz. of 100% juice each day. That is a small amount and chances are they are going to get it at home. Children who fill up on juice are less likely to eat their meals and snacks and miss out on their nutrients. In addition, 100% juice contains extra calories and natural sugar that puts children at risk for unhealthy weight gain and dental caries. Model Policy 3. 100% juice is offered no more than three times per week.
- Find creative ways to keep water within reach – child-size water coolers or a few (plastic) water pitchers with small paper cups – so the children can serve themselves.Start a routine: encourage every child to take a drink of water whenever they come in from outside play, after indoor physical activities and after using the bathroom. Remind staff to be role models: drink water throughout the day and to choose water, low-fat (1%) or fat-free (skim) milk during mealtimes. Add lemon, lime or orange slices to the water to make it tastier and fun.
- Always serve water between meals. This will keep children from getting thirsty and filling up on beverages at mealtime instead of eating their meal. Substitute water,whole fruit or whole vegetables for juice.Educate parents about the potential harm of drinking too much juice – additional sugar, extra calories, etc. Provide education and training for staff about making healthy choices.Encourage staff to be role models and drink water too.
- Our second Policy Area is Menus and Variety: Children need variety in their diet to help them learn healthy eating habits and to get all the nutrients they need. A cycle menu helps you achieve this balance while saving time and cutting costs. By starting to include a different fruit and vegetable each day of the week and including a variety of whole grains and proteins, you will be ready for the final rule on changes in the CACFP meal patterns due out in Fall 2013. Also, adding food items from different cultures will help you to expand the variety of your menu and will teach children about different customs. Integrating seasonal and ethnic food items is a great way to link classroom activities to mealtimes. Model Policy 1. A cycle menu of three weeks or longer that changes with the seasons is used. Entrees are repeated no more than two times throughout the cycle, and repetition of other food items is minimal. Model Policy 2. Menus include foods from a variety of cultures.
- Find training opportunities for your staff that are free, can be done on-site or online to save time and money. Here are two freetraining opportunities from ILNET:Color My Meals Healthy (on-site or online) – This training will show you how easy it is to prepare for the upcoming menu changes in the CACFP. Learn to spot healthy foods using the food label; keep costs down and nutrition up; create meals with kid-appeal; and download ready-to-use healthy cycle menus and recipes.Multicultural Make and Taste – a hands-on, interactive workshop that provides cross-curricular teaching strategies and activities that encourage children to explore cultural diversity. You will make and taste new recipes from around the world and get lesson ideas thatintertwine culture and nutrition.Go to the USDA Healthy Meals Resource System. It has CACFP-approved recipes and menu planning.Get parent suggestions for what healthy items they enjoy eating at home or ask about their favorite (healthy) ethnic foods at home that could be added to your menus. Children eat with their eyes, so set a goal to serve different colors and textures at each meal. Talk about the colors they see and the textures they feel. Choose a different culture or country each month and learn about the traditions and sample the food.
- Our third Policy Area is Mealtime Environment: A supportive mealtime environment encourages healthy eating. Children need to be shown how to serve themselves, how to interact with others, how to listen to their internal hunger cues and how to self-regulate their food intake. We use the term Division of Responsibility to describe how to create a supportive mealtime environment with young children. The caregiver’s responsibility is to buy, prepare and serve healthy food items and it is the child’s responsibility to decide how much and what to eat. Model Policy 1. Staff members allow children to decide how much to eat. Children are never forced to eat or try new foods. Forcing a child to clean their platewill disrupt internal hunger cues and is a cause of overeating and obesity. Model Policy 2. Staff members never use food to reward good behavior.Using food as a reward places unnecessary importance on food and taking it away as a punishment may lead to emotional overeating. Model Policy 3. Staff members join children at the table for meals and snacks. Mealtimes are an opportunity for staff members tomodel healthy eating behaviors. It is also a great time to practice table manners and communication skills, and to have a quick nutrition lesson about the food they are eating. Children eat better when there is an adult present.
- Model Policy 4. Meals are served family-style.When children are served family-style, they are given the opportunity to practice some independence. They learn to pour, spoon and pass dishes. They also learn how much is the right portion for themselves and don’t have to feel pressured to eat something they don’t want.Model Policy 5. The center displays pictures or posters that support healthy eating. An environment that encourages healthy eating includes visual cues, such as posters and pictures. When a healthy meal is surrounded by happy healthy messages and supportive staff, children will come to understand that this part of the day is valuable to them and others.
- Your staff may be unaware of the psychology of eating in young children. Educate them about mealtime behavior at this age and how to deal with issues as they arise. Talk to children about what full means and how hungry feels so they can begin to use these words accurately to describe how they feel. Use non-food rewards such as special privileges (sitting next to the adult at mealtimes, helping adults with tasks, being first in line, extra playtime); stickers, bubbles and bookmarks. Children can earn good behavior points and when they reach a goal, they can be the “star of the day”.Communicate with parents about all the changes you are making and encourage them to make some of these changes at home – serving meals family-style, eating together, letting the child decide what and how much to eat and not rewarding them with food at home.
- Let your staff take breaks during naptime so they can spend mealtimes eating with the children. When serving family-style divide the food item (mashed potatoes) into several bowls to pass around. If something should be dropped, not all is lost. Make a game of practicing passing bowls and pitchers that are empty.Let’s take a moment to split up into groups of two or three and do a group activity. See Best Practices in Child Care Wellness Group Activity Sheet.
- Our fourth policy area is Foods from Outside the Facility:This includes foods brought in for holidays and celebrations. When celebrations are filled with sweets and calorie dense food items, children learn that this is the only way to celebrate. With so many potential holidays and birthdays in a given year, the occasional “treat” from one of these has become a weekly (if not daily) event. Model Policy 1. The center has guidelines for foods and non-food items brought into the facility and served for holidays and celebrations.Put your new health policies into the parent handbook and gently but firmly explain that you will send home those items that do not comply with your policies. Model Policy 2. Holidays are celebrated with mostly healthy foods and non-food treatsYour child care center can be a role model to your families. Show them how you celebrate with healthier food options and fun physical activities.Model Policy 3. Fundraising activities consist of selling non-food items only. Selling unhealthy food items to raise money sends the wrong kind of message, especially if the majority of the people buying these items are your families and staff. It’s illogical to promote healthy behavior at your center, and then ask your families to buy unhealthy items and put them in their homes.
- Provide parents with a list of acceptable healthier food items that they can bring for birthday celebrations or ask them to donate a book or game in their child’s name. Allow children to dress up as their favorite character on their birthday or wear a “birthday hat”. Birthday treats don’t have to be sweet, let the kids make their own personal pizzas with healthy toppings. Fill a piñata with healthy items – raisins, stickers, toothbrushes.During the holidays sell items people need like cards, wrapping paper and gift certificates.
- Our fifth policy area is Nutrition Education: Child care facilities are ideal places to teach children, staff and parents about nutrition. Model Policy 1. Staff members receive training on nutrition (other than food safety and food program guidelines) at least twice per year.With education, your staff will be better prepared to support your policies and practices and provide better care to the children. Model Policy 2. Nutrition education opportunities are offered to parents at least twice per year. Parents are their child’s most important role model. They need to be supported with education and information at home, so they can reinforce the lessons you are teaching their children.Parent education should focus on how to talk to their children about healthy eating, how to employ healthy child-feeding practices, and how to provide healthy food for meals and snacks.
- Model Policy 3. Structurednutrition education lessons are incorporated into the weekly schedule. There are many opportunities to discuss nutrition throughout the day – snack times, mealtimes, and story times; but it is also important to have an organized nutrition education plan. By providing structured curricula at least once per week, you can be sure the children are getting the full breadth of nutrition information appropriate for their age.
- Provide training opportunities for your staff on-site or online to save time and money. ILNET or Illinois Extension offices offer free training opportunities. Schedule two training days each year and offer a variety of topics. Make it fun; include healthy food and physical activity. Join with two or more small centers to train staff and share resources and costs. Keep your parents informed about all your healthy activities and encourage them to incorporate them at home. Create your own parent newsletter with nutrition topics and other healthy living information,or find a newsletter that has already been created that you can download and print. Find an effective nutrition curriculum. Look for lessons that are fun, hands-on, effective, behavior-based and age appropriate. You also want to look for a curriculum that has a home or parental component for reinforcing healthy behavior at home. Here are a few Nutrition Education resources that are no cost or low-cost and easy to implement:MyPyramid for Preschoolers – free posters, factsheets and resourcesGrow it, Try it, Like it! – garden-themed nutrition education lessons The Two-Bite Club – storybook that encourages trying new foodsThese resources (and many more) can be found in the Resource Handbook at Kidseatwell.org/workshophandouts.html.
- Let’s move on to the Physical Activity Environment. We are going to discuss three policy areas related to the physical activity and look at some possible model policy statements for each. Refer to the handout of Model Policies for a Healthy Physical Activity Environment. Note: We will not be discussing every model policy.
- Our first policy area is Active Play and Inactive Time. We all know kids should be more active and spend less time in front of a screen, but how much activity is best and how much screen time is too much? Model Policy 1: Children have at least 120 minutes of active playtime each day. A minimum of 120 minutes per day has been shown to provide health benefits. “Active play” means children are allowed to move freely, such as skipping, running and climbing.Model Policy 2: Children participate in structured physical activities (teacher-led) two or more times per day. Children do not develop advanced motor skills, like kicking and hopping, without adult guidance and encouragement. Developing these motor skills leads to positive physical activity experiences. This will lay the groundwork for being regularly active into adulthood.Model Policy 3: Children participate in outdoor active play two or more times per day. Children who spend more time outdoors get more physical activity. Playing outside offers more space for physical development and playing with other children builds social skills. Here are a few resources for active play (they can be found in the Resource Handbookon the workshop handouts page at kidseatwell.org):Let’s Move Child Care – best practice ideas for physical activity Motion moments – short videos showing simple physical activities with an adult and child.Healthy Habits for Life – Sesame Street toolkit with fun, easy “Get Moving” activities
- Model Policy 4: Active playtime is not withheld when children misbehave; additional playtime is offered for good behavior.Taking away active playtime as a punishment can lead children to associate physical activity with being bad. This can lead to long term negative attitudes toward physical activity. Because children have so much energy, limiting active play time can actually worsen bad behavior. Model Policy 5: Television or videos are rarely or never shown in the facility. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours of screen time per day. Screen time takes away from active time and is associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity. Consider the possibility that the children might already be exposed to one to hours of screen time at home. Parents may be relying on you to offer a stimulating, engaging environment for their child.
- Set up “blocks” of playtime- Divide the recommended 120 minutes into three or four blocks of time and put them on the daily schedule.Designate half of the playtime to be structured, and half unstructured. This gives children a chance to learn a gross motor skill and then time to practice it on their own. Find fun physical activity lessons for your staff and train them on how to use them with the children, AND make it a rule to take part in the activity with the children.When the weather prohibits outdoor play, instead of sitting the children in front of a TV, have a few special activities that the children love and usethem as your “special rainy day” activities. (Motion moments)Give parents tips on how they can be active with their child at home. Encourage parents to have television-free days at home. Reduce the number of televisions in the facility and/or set a rule that it will only be used as part of an educational lesson for a minimum amount of time. If children see a television they are more likely to want to watch it. Out of sight, out of mind.
- Our second policy area is Play Environment.Children pattern their physical activity based on their environment. An effective play environment helps children build gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Having enough equipment allows every child to participate and fulfill the recommended amount of daily physical activity. Model Policy 1: A wide variety of fixed play equipment (slides, climbing equipment) is available to meet the needs of all children.The more varied the equipment, the more opportunities for children to challenge their physical abilities and become skilled at a wide variety of movements. Model Policy 2: A wide variety of portable play equipment is available for children to use at the same time. Portable equipment (balls, hula hoops, jump ropes) builds eye-hand and eye-foot coordination because it promotes more challenging play.
- Watch the children at play: what do they use, what don’t they use? If possible, add more of the commonly used equipment and replace the less used items. Recycled tires are a great piece of equipment that kids can run around, run through, climb in and out and swing on. Search for grant opportunities that offer playground equipment or money to buy playground equipment. Hold a healthy fundraiser to buy new equipment. Ask local sporting goods merchants to donate unsold merchandise. If your play area is small, divide the children into smaller groups and take playtime in shifts, so every child has access to the space/equipment. Rotate your portable equipment to keep children interested. Ask the parents what their child likes to play with at home. Ask if they would consider donating small portable items.
- Our last policy area is Supporting Physical Activity. Your staff can create lifelong positive messages about physical activity by encouraging children to try new activities, challenging them with new movements and equipment, and modeling the activities for them.Model Policy 1: Staff members encourage children to be active and join children in active play. When staff members join children in active play, children learn that being physically active is important to the staff and so it should be important to them. Model Policy 2: The center displays pictures or posters that promote physical activityBy simply having a poster that promotes physical activity, you open the door for questions and opportunities to discuss the benefits of physical activity. It can also help children become familiar and comfortable with the language of physical activity. Model Policy 3: Staff members receive training on physical activity at least twice per year. Support your staff with quality training. It is easy to let children be active in unstructured play, but your staff may not feel comfortable providing structured play. Quality training will benefit the health of both the children and your staff members.
- Organize opportunities for your staff to be active, such as a walking club. Provide pedometers as an incentive. Let your staff take walks during quiet times of the day. Provide quality training so your staff feels confident providing safe, effective physical activity for the children. Sources of free/low-cost PA training:Let’s Move Child Care has archived webinar and trainer resources on this page http://www.healthykidshealthyfuture.org/content/hkhf/home/resources/webinars.html). SPARKIAEYC (Illinois Association for Education of Young Children) – they often have training at their state and division meetings.Local University (student presenters).University of IL Extension - offers webinar training in many wellness topics.Have children create posters of themselves in their favorite physical activity. Each day ask a few children to talk about their poster, or search online for downloadable and free posters – USDA Team Nutrition for Child Care Providers.Educate parents on the importance of daily physical activity. Discuss the types of physical activity you are doing with their child and encourage them to do them together at home. If a child never sees their parents being active, they will not think it is important for them to be active. Let’s take a moment to split up into groups of two or three and do a group activity. See Best Practices in Child Care Wellness Group Activity Sheet.
- Let’s end with some important take-away points to remember when creating your wellness policy.Create policies that ensure you will meet current recommendations and regulations for child care sites.Become familiar with the recommended changes for meal patterns and watch for the new proposed rules for the CACFP program in June 2012.Support your staff – Train them well so they feel confident teaching and modeling healthy behaviors to the children. Encourage them in their own wellness.Educate your parents – This is so vital to change the childhood obesity environment. Parents need to be informed of your wellness policies and practices, understand your policies and practices, support your policies and practices, and be willing to reinforce them at home. Be flexible – Understand that your wellnesspolicy is fluid and you can change it as you go. It should evolve as your program evolves. Be smart – Take advantage of resources, toolkits, and curricula that have already been created and find one that fits your program’s needs. Be patient – even small steps will complete a long journey.
- Remember, you can download all the handouts for this session at Kidseatwell.org.
- Thank you for participating in this Illinois NET training. Feel free to contact us with any questions about our other services and on-site trainings.