1. Early Childhood Mealtime Curricula:
Adaptation for Inclusive Environments
Elizabeth Koss, B.S, S/OT, Ashley Bronston, B.S, Marcia Nahikian-Nelms, PhD, RDN, LD, CNSC, Kelly Tanner, PhD, OTR/L, Katherine Walton, PhD
The Ohio State University Nisonger Center
Introduction
Selection of Curricula
Implementation
Nutrition education in early childhood education centers are vital to the development of healthy nutrition behaviors in children.
A child’s food preferences are generally established before the age of 5.
Children spend a significant amount of time in school settings and therefore, it is important that classrooms role model optimal nutrition behaviors.
Factors that impact the development of food preferences include:
The foods that are offered.
The number of times that the food is exposed.
The environment in which the food is given.
Objectives:
Literature review for evidence based curricula.
Use national evidence based guidelines to assess curricula for appropriate nutrition content.
Provide guidance to current ECE faculty with for adaptation of selected curricula for children with special needs.
Benchmarks for Curricula Selection
Color Me Healthy
More than Mud Pies
Nutrition Matters!
Early Sprouts
Chef Combo
Models Healthy Eating
Promotes eating as a family with no TV; uses MyPlate
Promotes a variety of healthful foods in a fun and exciting ways
Goal is to increase fruit and vegetable intake while increasing physical activity
Encourages children’s food preferences for 6 selected vegetables (bell peppers, butternut squash, carrots, green beans, Swiss rainbow chard, and tomatoes)
Teaches simple nutrition concepts and demos healthy foods
Teaches Hunger Cues/ Portion Sizes
Teaches appropriate portion sizes
Teaches children how to understand their feelings of hunger and fullness
Specifically states how much of each meal should be that specific food card for your child
Not specifically
Incorporates Families
Parent newsletter; info on shopping/ meal planning
Sends menus home with the children, has families serve on a menu planning committee with teachers and food service staff, and encourages families to observe the lessons whenever possible, they also give nutrition info at family meetings
Mealtime parenting cards available, as well as “Mom Messages” accessible online; includes many cards on how to engage child in meal time, child growth, and child reward for proper eating; many parenting tips free online as well
Promotes social modeling by the family, they support families in encouraging children to make healthy food choices at home. They also provide monthly newsletters. Families are also
Parent newsletters – information on program, nutrition, featured recipe, mealtime tips
Encourages Active Play/PA
Fitness module; suggests President’s Challenge for families No
Goal to increase physical activity
Not specifically; there is outdoor activity when gardening
Dance sessions and play with food items
Offered F/B are Nutritionally Adequate
“Rethink your drink”
Yes; there are snack and drink pamphlets available
Yes
 Yes; develops willingness to taste foods that may be new to them
Limits foods high in sugar/sodium
Not specified
Yes through promotion of increasing fruits and vegetables
Incorporates Food Variety
 No
Yes; discusses the food groups and promotes variety
Yes for each food group card they promote a variety
Focus on six specific vegetables
Yes; variety of foods involved in curriculum
Food Prep Meets Safety
Yes; food safety module
Cleanliness/ sanitation module and kitchen safety module
Teaches you to look at the labels when buying; no cooking safety or cooking modules
Organic gardening techniques and hand picking garden pests.
Yes; focuses on being clean and careful with foods – BUT teachers will have to practice food safety with activities
Teaches Origin of Food
Yes ex: Baked Apples module they discuss where they come from and where apple trees come from.
Yes; they are gardening beginning with the seeds of the vegetable
Yes; farm modules
Hands on Experiences
Yes, gives children the opportunity to cook and prepare meals. Helps children follow recipes and measure ingredients.
Gardening module
Yes; gardening and preparing the meal
Includes “Make It Myself Recipes” and I Can Help Recipes
Engages their Senses
Coloring, dancing, singing
Books to read, songs, pictures, drawings, food games engaging touch, etc.
Music, play outside, play with ball, less TV pamphlets all available
Each recipe has an accompanying sensory exploration activity that features the same vegetable and involves children in exploring the plant parts by using all of their senses
Tasting, dancing, identifying food shapes and colors. Also has “5 Sense Theme Modules”
Culturally Sensitive
Newsletters in English and Spanish; “Spanish add-on kit”
Couldn’t find a Spanish add-on or any other languages
English and Spanish version
They have information on how to adapt Early Sprouts at your center
Yes; guides and newsletters in English and Spanish
Lend Trainees: Ashley Bronston (left) and Elizabeth Koss (right) are holding the finished Mealtime Curricula to be used in the Early Childhood Center classes.
LEND trainees taught a sample lesson from the Mealtime Curricula in classes at the ECE.
The lesson was modified in each class based on age, and the cognitive/physical capabilities of the children.
Literature Search
We conducted a systematic and thorough search of published literature on curricula designed to encourage healthy mealtime behaviors for preschool aged children.
Electronic databases were searched using MEDLINE, PUBMED, CINAHL, PyschInfo, ERIC, and Google Scholar, to find research supporting any existing mealtime curriculums.
48 articles were assessed by four reviewers and then compared to the American Dietetic Association: Benchmarks for Nutrition and Child Care (2011).
Benchmarks and research articles were used to guide our selection for choosing appropriate curriculums.
Articles were excluded if designed for children under 5 years of age, or if the mealtime curriculum was developed in another country.
Lend Trainees implementing a sample lesson from the Mealtime Curricula in the Growing Buckeyes class at the ECE.
Future Directions
Table 1. Row 1 under the heading identifies the curriculums we chose, based on supporting literature. Column 1 represents the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Benchmarks for Nutrition and Child Care. Each curricula was compared against the benchmarks.
To evaluate the efficacy of the curricula using pre/post measure of food acceptance.
Conduct a qualitative analysis to identify teacher satisfaction.
Evaluate the need for other modifications.
Four of these curricula (More than Mud Pies, Color Me Healthy, Nutrition Matters! Chef Combo) were presented to the teaching staff at the Early Childhood Education Center at Nisonger.
The staff voted anonymously and selected Color Me Healthy (CMH).
Nutrition Matters was also selected for its family educational materials to be used in adjunct with CMH.
Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau Grant T73MC00049

2. Contact Information:
Ashley Bronston:
Elizabeth Koss: