Child Care administrators and staff that plan and provide meals and snacks to preschool age children are setting the course for their nutritional well-being. Studies have show a definitive link between nutrition and learning, and that child care centers can be a key to life-long success. Below is a list of resources to help children succeed.      

FREE Online Training for Childcare Facilities and Preschools:

New! Color My Meals Healthy Online - This online version of the Color My Meals Healthy training will make it easy for you to prepare for the menu changes required by The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Child care staff completing the course will be able to: spot healthy foods using the food label; keep costs down and nutrition up; create meals with kid-appeal; and download ready-to-use healthy cycle menus and recipes. Earn three FREE professional development hours

Child Care Online Courses - These online courses will explain the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and how to provide quality care for the children in your child care center or family day care home.

RECIPE for Growing Healthy Children: Child Care Culinary Workshop - Indiana Department of Education; Purdue Unversity Extension. These training resources (including training videos, pdf files, and other materials) will assist child care food service staff in planning and preparing meals and snacks that comply with the Dietary Guidelines and My Pyramid.

FREE Resources for Childcare Facilities and Preschools:

NEW! Child and Adult Care Food Programs: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All - Institute of Medicine report providing recommendations to USDA for updating the CACFP meal requirements to meet current Dietary Guidelines.

NEW! Missouri Eat Smart Guidelines for Child Care
A set of nutrition-related recommendations to help child care providers create a food and nutrition environment that will improve children’s health.

Ready, Set, Go! - Creating and Maintaining a Wellness Environment in Child Care Centers Participating in the CACFP, NFSMI

CACFP Healthy Menu Planning Guide, IDE - Menu planning, nutrition recommendations and best practices. Meets 2005 DGA's.

Making It Balance and Kickin' It Up! A Cycle Menu for Montana Child Care - revised for Illinois Child Care. This 5 week menu cycle for breakfast, lunch, and one snack (with accompanying recipes) will help you serve cost effective, healthy meals that are easy to prepare and appealing to children.  The menu was designed to meet the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005.

NFSMI's CARE Connection Lessons - Lessons based on best practices in the operation of child care centers and family day care homes participating in the CACFP. Find short grab-and-go lessons that you can deliver to staff in 10 minutes or less, easy lesson plans, family materials, fun activities to do with the children for nutrition education, and links to NFSMI's child care resources.

Create Healthy, Active Celebrations – This downloadable guide from the USDA Eat Smart Play Hard initiative is full of party planning ideas for educators and homes. The guide provides suggestions for food, age-appropriate games and activities, and party favors. .

Healthy Snacks for Children -a list of healthy snack ideas from all the major food groups, including beverages.

Make it Quick and Easy Recipes - from the USDA Food and Nutrition Services, a great menu and recipe planning tool for in-home child care providers or parents.

Mealtime Memo Newsletter for Child Care - Includes a wide variety of topics related to nutrition and child care. It features menus, USDA Recipes for Child Care, and activities. Available in English and Spanish.

Menu Magic for Kids - A Menu Planning Guide for Child Care. This booklet provides information on the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Meal Pattern requirements, serving quality meals and snacks, and tips on menu planning and grocery shopping.

Child Care Recipes: Food for Health and Fun - Newly updated! - USDA resource of recipes for Child Care programs - consists of a booklet and 2 CD-ROMs: working with recipes, adjusting recipes, food safety information, and much more. Also contains the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs.

For more resources, including food service related resources, please visit our Healthy School Meals page