An Association of County Children and Families Commissions
Investing in Nutrition and Physical Activity For Children Birth to 5
Active Start: A Statement of Physical Activity Guidelines for Children Birth to Five Years(www.aahperd.org/naspe/template.cfm?template=ns_active.html)
Specific guidelines for the physical activity of children birth to five years old were developed to support NASPE’s position statement and to address the unique characteristics and needs of the developing child.
The Adventures of Captain 5 A Day Kit Connecticut Department of Public Health (www.captain5aday.org)
Captain 5 A Day is a joint project between the University of Connecticut and Connecticut Department of Health that is funded by a USDA Food Stamps grant to the Department of Health. This nutrition program currently reaches over 35,000 children, parents and teaching staff each year through workshops and training materials. Classroom activities packaged in an adventure box demonstrate that learning about new foods can be lots of fun. A parent workbook and video (in both English and Spanish) are included in the program. According to the website, the Captain 5 A Day program has been widely tested and used throughout the state in Early Childhood Education Programs.
Center for Weight and Health, UC Berkeley (www.cnr.berkeley.edu/cwh/)
The Center for Weight and Health conducts research on the prevention of childhood obesity. The Center’s website has a number of relevant reports on research conducted by the Center and useful tools for those working on the issue of children’s weight including Children and Weight: What Communities Can Do About It. The kit serves as a "how-to" guide offering technical assistance to community leaders who wish to launch a local task force dedicated to preventing childhood overweight. This resource can be ordered from http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu.
Contra Costa Child Care Council (www.cocokids.org)
The Contra Costa Child Care Council has a number of resources for early care and education providers and parents on nutrition and physical activity including the new CHOICE Toolkit designed to help child care programs develop and implement comprehensive written nutrition and physical activity policies for their centers. The Toolkit can be downloaded for free and any of its forms may be reproduced for training and parent education purposes, but none of the materials may be sold. The CHOICE project was funded by the USDA's Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program.
Cooking Up Learning (www.cookinguplearning.com)
These booklets are designed for family childcare providers with comprehensive, age-appropriate, and easy-to-read booklets on early childhood nutrition – complete with activities that can be integrated into any childcare program. Booklets are $2-$5 depending on quantity and a DVD with all materials is $50. Booklets include lessons on healthy eating and physical activity, teaching healthy eating habits using children’s literature, and lessons on teaching nutrition through cooking with early childhood learning themes. Materials are available in English and Spanish.
Food & Health Communications (www.FoodandHealth.com)
The No Battles, Better Eating for Kids Toolkit is designed for parents and caregivers of children age 3 and older and includes: copier-ready handouts; overheads with speaker's notes for instructing parents and caregivers on how to motivate children to eat healthier; a 28-slide PowerPoint show with speaker's notes, food presentation tips and fun snack ideas for kids; copy-ready recipes; and leader/activity guides. Updated with MyPyramid and 2005 Guidelines. The complete set of materials is available for $45 shipped or $40 downloaded.
Healthy Start Company (www.healthy-start.com)
The organization offers curricula, CDs, posters and activities for families in English, Spanish and Creole including: • Healthy Start: Wellness Concepts and Behaviors for children aged 3-5. A 12 unit curriculum centered on the child, their environment, and their family ($175). • Animal Trackers: Physical Activity and Motor Skills for children ages 3-5. 10 units devoted entirely to motor skill development, each with a different animal theme ($79.95). • Healthy Hops-Healthy Eating - Healthy Play for children ages 3-5. Nutrition and physical activity with more than 25 classroom activities and take-home activities for families ($39.95). • Teacher Training and Train-the-Trainer Workshops are also available.
Kids in Action(www.aahperd.org/naspe/template.cfm?template= kids_brochure.html)
A downloadable booklet presenting parents and caregivers with simple ideas for physical activities that they can do with children from birth to age five to adopt an active lifestyle early and positively impact their physical, intellectual and emotional development.
National Association for Sport and Physical Education (www.aahperd.org/naspe/)
NASPE is the preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity. NASPE is a non-profit professional membership association that sets the standard for practice in physical education and sport. The following materials are available on their website.
United States Department of Agriculture (www.fns.usda.gov/fns/nutrition.htm)
Information and resources about Child Nutrition Programs, TEAM Nutrition materials, and the Food & Nutrition Information Center (FNIC). Examples of materials include: • Nibbles for Health: 41 reproducible Nutrition Newsletters for parents & parent sharing session guides and posters • Making Nutrition Count for Children- Menu planning guide for child care providers • Menu Magic for Children- meal pattern requirements, shopping lists, menus.
USDA TEAM Nutrition (www.fns.usda.gov/tn)
Team Nutrition is an initiative of the USDA designed to support its Child Nutrition Programs. The project includes a variety of educational and promotional materials to help teach children the importance of healthy eating and physical activity.
Yummy Designs (www.yummydesigns.com)
Nutrition education materials, designed to make learning about nutrition fun and appealing to children and adults. Yummy Designs materials have included bilingual activity books, coloring books, flip books, games, card decks, puppets and puppet show scripts, and large fruit & vegetable balloons.
Zero to Three On the Move: The Power of Movement in Your Child’s First 3 Years (www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/OntheMoveEnglish.pdf?docID=802&AddInterest=1153)
Movement, dance, and active play can support infants and toddlers growing physical awareness and excitement about the world. Physical activity of all kinds stimulates young children’s development in many ways. Learn more by downloading this free resource.