We will finish our first group of Go NAPSACC child care programs in September. Twenty child care programs from across Missouri have been working to make changes to increase nutrition and physical activity for the children and families within their programs.
Katie Thornburg, director at Kid’s First Day Care and Preschool in Carthage, responded to the NAPSACC call in the Partner Publication and discovered a wealth of resources on the Go NAPSACC website. Katie knew they needed to do the project.
Katie and her staff of 15, focused on Child Nutrition and Farm to ECE by incorporating more of a variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables into their snack and lunch menus. Using the “Tips and Materials” resources on the Go NAPSACC website provided so many ideas and tools to plan, prepare, and build their garden. Katie was amazed at all the wonderful information and resources that helped bring their goals to reality. “They had everything we needed starting from planting and growing the fruits and veggies to storing and cooking,” stated Katie. The site also provided sample menus with new ideas to modify their current menus. Katie loved the Go NAPSACC step-by-step action plan that she could customize and build with her team to keep them on track with their goals.
Katie is proud that they have their very own garden at the center. This initial season they planted cucumbers, okra, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, watermelon, sweet potatoes, and a variety of peppers. The project was a hands-on experience involving teachers, children, and families in planting, watering, and tasting all the wonderful produce they are growing.
Moving forward, Katie and her staff plan to dive into the Oral Health and Physical Activity modules using the Go NAPSACC resources. She believes these two areas are often overlooked but essential to a child’s healthy growth and development. Katie wants to support that change at her center.
If you are interested in learning more about Go NAPSACC, click here.
To register for the October-March group, Click here to register.
If you have questions, please contact Lauri Choate, Director of Training at lauri@mochildcareaware.org or 314-754-1603.
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