Component 4: Nutrition
Head Start programs ensure that children have wholesome food to help them meet their nutritional needs, and provide children and families with information and support to develop healthy eating habits that can be maintained for life.
Guidelines for Implementation
- Serve appropriate and nutritional foods for snacks and meals
- Have a “no junk food” policy
- Provide opportunities to learn about nutritional and cultural value of traditional foods
- Connect with existing nutritional programs in the community (diabetes programs, community kitchens and community gardens, prenatal nutrition, breastfeeding workshops)
- Hold family or community meals, or healthy picnic days
- Offer parents workshops and information (nutrition awareness, diabetes, food safe, food budgeting, healthy meal planning, healthy shopping, etc.)
Implementation Ideas and Examples
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- Banana Dogs & Sunny Milk
- Common Bowl
- Food Gift Certificates
- Growing Foods
- Healthy Food Bags
- Healthy Snack Basket
- Kid-Friendly Iron-Rich Foods
- Make A Salad Bar
- Nutrition Tips and Ideas
- Okanagan Community Garden
- Roasted Root Vegetables
- Sechelt Good Food Box
- Smuneem Good Food Box
- Start A Good Food Box
- Traditional Foods