Eat Well Play Hard is free and promotes a culture of health and supports healthy lifestyle
Funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings
The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida Countyis inviting eligible child care centers to participate in the Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings (Eat Well Play Hard) Champion initiative. This initiative uses a center-wide approach to create an environment that promotes a culture of health and supports healthy lifestyles.
The Champion initiative is provided at no cost. It is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Program (SNAP-Ed) and administered by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
TheCornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County, a New York State Department of Health CACFP grant recipient, will partner with your center and designate an Eat Well Play Hard Nutritionist to work with you for 16 weeks. The Nutritionist will:
- Offer support, technical assistance
and mentorship as you work on your center’s goals to improve your nutrition,
mealtime and physical activity environments. Together, you will:
- Establish a Champion Workgroup to create or enhance policies and best practices.
- Modify snack menus to include more fresh fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy.
- Effectively communicate nutrition and physical activity messages to families.
- Obtain a CACFP Breastfeeding Friendly designation.
- Conduct trainings and workshops for
children, families, and staff, including:
- Six lessons in all preschool classrooms. Each lesson includes three activities, i.e. a nutrition, food discovery, and movement activity.
- Six workshops for families.
- Three center-wide staff trainings, plus an introduction to the Champion initiative, to prepare staff to work toward your center’s goals.
- Provide a toolkit of materials to:
- Support family style dining during mealtimes.
- Enhance physical activity for children.
- Support preschool teachers in leading nutrition and movement lessons in the classroom.
After 16-weeks, centers will:
- Become part of a network of other Champion centers working toward sustaining similar goals.
- Receive a Refresher Training from your Eat Well Play Hard Nutritionist.
- Be invited to annual Advanced Practice Workshops for continued support of healthy lifestyles in your center.
Contact
Sarah Blank
Eat Well Play Hard Advisor
ses447@cornell.edu
(315) 736-3394 x117
Last updated February 11, 2021
Your center will:
- Involve the entire center in making the Initiative successful. Ways to achieve this include:
- Creating a Champion Workgroup to set goals and develop policies highlighting nutrition, mealtime and physical activity best practices (staff and parents)
- Taking a lead in staff trainings (administrators)
- Providing nutrition and physical activity education in the classroom (teachers, cooks)
- Revising the snack menu to align with Champion child lessons (administrators, cooks)
- Provide appropriate space for child lessons, staff trainings and family workshops.
- Provide appropriate kitchen space for the Nutritionist to prepare and store food for workshops.
- Assist the Nutritionist in scheduling child lessons, family workshops and staff trainings.
- Support teachers conducting Champion lessons in all preschool classrooms.
- Share positive messaging about healthy eating and physical activity with families.
- Meet regularly with your Eat Well Play Hard Nutritionist and complete all paperwork in a timely manner.
- See List of Qualifying Sites
