Many children today are in full-time early care and education settings; they may obtain one-half to two-thirds of daily nutrient needs during their time at the centers. Because of that, early care and education professionals can play a key role not only to offer nutritious food but also to help children establish healthy eating habits. The purpose…

Objective: To describe Head Start teachers' perceptions of mealtime, feeding, and overweight risk in Head Start students. Design: Qualitative focus group study. Setting: Five Head Starts in a greater metropolitan area in the Northeast. Participants: Thirty-five teachers in 5 focus groups. Intervention: Two experienced focus group facilitators…

This Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC) Resource List is a quick guide designed to help professionals find information related to nutrition, learning and behavior in children. Each resource has been placed into one of five categories, in alphabetical order, by title.

Discusses the benefits of having family-style meals in early childhood programs. Notes how such meals allow young children to develop self-help and communication skills and allow teachers to assess many aspects of children's development. Reviews the implementation of a family-style meal program at the University of South Carolina's Children's…