Resources for Child Care Providers

	CACFP Menu Planning Guide (Wisconsin) Sixteen weeks of cycle menus, recipes that are CACFP creditable shopping lists to go with menus, and guidance regarding choking hazards and allergies.
	Setting the Stage for Eating Well: The Nutrition Environment (Missouri) Presentation introduces preschool teachers and food service staff to the benefits of family-style meals.
	Eat Smart, Child Care (Missouri) Set of nutrition related recommendations and support materials for child care facilities.
	Mealtime Minutes – Inspiring Success: Illinois Child Care Wellness Team Nutrition Training Sub-grants This bonus Mealtime Minutes highlights Work Plans submitted by child care facilities that received an Illinois Child Care Wellness— Team Nutrition Training Sub-grant. It provides many great examples of nutrition and wellness education activities and may be used as a resource to enhance health and wellness efforts at your own child care facilities.
	Mealtime Assessment for Child Care Centers (Minnesota) The Child Care Mealtime Assessment is a tool for evaluating the meal environment in a child care center. To complete the assessment, centers examine the serving and dining spaces where children eat meals and indicate whether each statement is true by checking the corresponding box. Unchecked boxes are areas to consider for future implementation to improve the meal environment.
	Leap of Taste: Child Care Nutrition Standards (West Virginia) Child care nutrition standards, divided into four key components: Beverages, Fruits and Vegetables, Grains and Bread, and Meat/Meat Alternates. Materials include food prep videos, administrative tools, menu planning, menus and recipes, and more.
	Family Fun, Food, and Fitness Event Planning Guide (Kansas) Guidebook provides instructions for planning and promoting a health-centered, family-friendly, school or child care center sponsored event, and includes specific instructions detailing both nutrition and fitness activities.
	Rainy Day Physical Activity Ideas (Georgia) Child care providers can use these ideas to help children in their care to be physically active indoors. From the Caregivers Promoting Health Habits (link is external) program.
	Wellness in Alaska Child Care: Best Practices Best practices for healthy eating and physical activity in the child care setting.
	The First Years in the First State Toolkit: Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity Quality in Delaware Child Care A guide for child care providers to meet Delaware nutrition and physical activity requirements. Includes 16 weeks of approved menu cycles and recipes, shopping lists and tips, age-appropriate physical activities, and ideas for engaging children, staff, parents and the community.
	Flavor Shakers (Iowa) Chef Deanna Olson created these low-sodium herb/seasoning mixtures to be utilized in child care and schools to decrease sodium consumption.
	Snacks from A to Z (Iowa) A handout for child care centers, home childcares, and preschools that lists snack ideas according to letter.
	Action Guide for Child Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies (Connecticut) The action guide is intended to help local and community child care, early education and afterschool programs establish and implement policies and practices that encourage healthy lifestyles in children.
	No- to Low-Cost Ways to Promote Physical Activity in the Child Care Setting This card set provides fun and interactive physical activities for young children that can be done without costly equipment.
	Iowa CACFP Healthier Menu Toolkit These materials are part of the Healthier Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Award in Iowa. Healthier CACFP is a recognition system that supports the wellness efforts of child care centers and homes participating in CACFP.