National Food Service Management Institute The University of Mississippi

for Child Care

for Child Care

July 2013

Do you have a wellness plan in your child care program? A wellness plan (often referred to as a wellness policy) is an important tool that describes a child care program’s promise to help young children develop life-long healthy habits.

Establishing a wellness plan offers countless benefits to children, parents, and child care professionals. When a wellness plan is implemented: • Children learn healthy habits at an early age. • Parents are confident that their children receive

healthy meals, participate in physical activity, and are introduced to other healthy practices on a regular basis.

• Child care professionals have a clear plan for providing healthy environments for young children.

In addition, a wellness plan is a great tool for educating new staff and parents on current nutrition and physical activity practices.

Wellness Plan ComponentsThere are three major components of a wellness plan: Standards, goals, and evaluation plans. Standards are developed based on the subject areas: nutrition education, physical activity, and other program-based activities, such as the sample below. The goals are the steps for meeting each standard. The evaluation plan provides feedback for improvements.

Sample Standard and Goal Standard: Nutrition education learning experiences for young children. Goals: Nutrition education materials are used to increase children’s interest in healthy foods and

eating.

Developing a Wellness Plan in Child Care

for Child Care

Start Today! The first step for developing a wellness plan is assessing your current practices. Start by evaluating your program using an assessment tool, such as the National Food Service Management Institute’s Ready, Set, Go! Creating and Maintaining a Wellness Environment in Child Care Centers or Nemours Child Care Wellness Policy Workbook: Creating an Environment for Preschoolers to Develop Healthy Habits for Life to identify areas that need improvement. Ask for feedback from staff, parents, registered dieticians, or your local school nutrition director.

Resources for Developing a Wellness PlanAfter you have assessed your practices, then you are ready to develop a plan. There are several resources, such as Healthy Bites: A Wisconsin Guide for Improving Childhood Nutrition designed to assist child care providers throughout the process of developing a wellness plan.

Healthy Bites addresses childhood obesity by striving to improve the nutrition and physical activity environment. Healthy Bites includes a self-assessment tool that can be used to assess your current environment and practices. This tool provides resources that will help you identify which program plans to create, strategies to try, and how to help staff improve physical activity and nutrition. Website: http://fns.dpi.wi.gov/files/fns/pdf/healthy_bites.pdf

Model Policies for Creating a Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment in Child Care Settings is a detailed manual from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. This resource provides guidance on developing model nutrition and physical activity plans for child care programs. It includes examples of best-practice plans, tips for successfully implementing plans, and materials that can be shared with parents.Website: http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/hsmrs/Missouri/ChildCareModelPolicies.pdf

The National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI) offers Ready, Set, Go! Creating and Maintaining a Wellness Environment in Child Care Centers. 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. It is a user-friendly checklist that focuses on the nutritional and safety aspects of wellness in child care centers. Website: http://www.nfsmi.org/documentlibraryfiles/PDF/20110126034352.pdf

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July 2013, continued

Nutrition Tip of the MonthStart a parent’s wellness challenge. The overall goal of this challenge is to promote wellness and encourage parents to incorporate wellness in the home. For example, 30 Days in 30 Ways to Wellness Success at Home. For 30 days, parents and children will have one wellness activity to complete. Activities can include 15 jumping jacks or preparing a meal using a simple recipe. For those who complete the challenge, recognize them in a special way, such as contacting the local newspaper or giving them a certificate of completion.

This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service through a grant agreement with The University of Mississippi. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The University of Mississippi is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA Employer.

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The Nutrition and Wellness Tips for Young Children: Provider Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program is a great handbook developed by USDA. This resource provides a series of helpful tip sheets to help you plan and implement a wellness plan. Website: http://www.teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/nutritionandwellness.html

For more information on developing wellness plans, contact the NFSMI Help Desk at 1-800-321-3054 or by email at nfsmi@olemiss.edu.

Nutrition Fact of the MonthAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during 1998 to 2011, 2,384 illnesses were reported because of drinking or eating raw milk products. Consuming raw milk can cause serious infections resulting in hospitalization or even death. Raw milk is made safe when it is pasteurized because the milk is heated to 161° for 15 seconds or 145° for 30 minutes. Pasteurizing raw milk is the only way to ensure that milk or milk products are free of harmful bacteria.

Vegetable of the MonthIt’s vegetable time! Cabbage is the vegetable of the month. It was discovered over 2,000 years ago in the Mediterranean. There are over 100 varieties of cabbage; the most common varieties in the United States are the Red, Green, and Savoy. Cabbage is rich in vitamin C, but it is very important to keep this vegetable cold to retain its nutrients. Introduce cabbage to young children by reading books, planting cabbage seeds, and purchasing cabbage from the local grocery store.

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In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights; Room, 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”

SourcesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Raw (unpasteurized) milk. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/Features/RawMilk/Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (n.d). Model policies for creating a healthy nutrition and physical activity environment in child care settings. Retrieved from http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/hsmrs/Missouri/Chil dCareModelPolicies.pdfNational Food Service Management Institute. (2010). Creating and maintaining a wellness environment in child care centers participating in the CACFP. Retrieved from http://www.nfsmi.org/documentlibraryfiles/PDF/20110126034352.pdf Nemours. (2012). Nemours child care wellness policy workbook: Creating an environment for preschoolers to develop healthy habits for life. Retrieved from http://www.nemours.org/content/dam/nemours/wwwv2/filebox/

service/healthy-living/growuphealthy/Child%20Care%20Wellness%20Policy%20Workbook.pdfWashoe County Child Care and Early Childhood. (n.d.). Wellness policies and family engagement: Healthy preschool program menu. Retrieved from http://www.gethealthywashoe.com/fb_files/PWP%20Policy%20

Menu%20Final.pdfWisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (2008). Healthy Bites: A wisconsin guide for improving childhood nutrition. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov /health/physicalactivity/sites/Community/Childcare/

HealthyBites_Sept8.pdfUniversity of Nebraska Lincoln Extension Services. (n.d.) Fruit and vegetable fact sheets: Cabbage. Retrieved from http://lancaster.unl.edu/nep/fruitveggie.shtmlUnited States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services (2012). Nutrition and wellness tips for young children: Provider handbook for the child and adult care food program. Retrieved from http://www.

teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/nutritionandwellness.html

National Food Service Management Institute

CACFP Rock Star of the Month The CACFP Rock Star of the Month is Ms. Janice Stuckert. Ms. Stuckert is a Child Care Food Program Assistant in a northern rural county in Lakeport, CA. One thousand children a day know her for her enthusiasm, humility, and commitment. Ms. Stuckert plans the food budget and menus, purchases all foods, and delivers all the food to CACFP programs around a 130-mile lake. Ms. Stuckert is also the monitor and the trainer for the county. In addition, Ms. Stuckert took the initiative and started Super Snack, an afterschool supper program. Ms. Stuckert is best known for making mind-numbing jobs amusing and pleasurable.

Congratulations, Ms. Stuckert. You are indeed a CACFP Rock Star!