Happy National Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Week!

Guest Blog post by our Child Nutrition Advocate, Jenna Whitson

In recognition of National CACFP Week, I want to highlight the hard work of hundreds of Vermont child care providers that serve nutritious meals and snacks to the children in their care each day. These meals ensure a child has the energy and nutrients they need to learn and play, provides some relief for families with tight food budgets, and provides ample learning opportunities. Most importantly, for the more than 1 in 5 young children in Vermont that live in food insecure households, it ensures access to consistent, healthy meals and snacks. Thank you, Vermont child care providers, for ensuring that our youngest and most vulnerable population is healthy, safe, and happy!

I recently had the opportunity to attend a Farm to Preschool “salon” in Middlebury where I learned that some providers are using child care meals as an opportunity to connect young children with local food and farmers. At the salon, providers, organizers, food producers, and parents got together to share many Farm to Preschool resources, successes and ideas, as well as a delicious potluck meal. With tight program budgets in child care, CACFP provides a source of funding to purchase local foods, while other programs, like NOFA-VT's Farm to Community Mentors, can help facilitate links between the child care and their local farms and community.

As a salon icebreaker, we each shared an experience from childhood which shaped our relationship with food. Whether it is sharing a special Saturday-morning breakfast with your dad, making mud pies with friends, spending summer evenings in the garden with your mom, or sharing family-style meals in daycare, experiences in early childhood shape the food choices we make throughout our lives. CACFP provides funding and training for providers, allowing them to give children the opportunity to have experiences that will inform children’s eating habits and choices for a lifetime.

This post is part of our month-long blog series in celebration of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' "National Nutrition Month." This year's theme is, "Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day," so each of us here at Hunger Free Vermont will take a turn to share a personal goal, story or fact regarding nutrition through daily blog posts throughout the month.