Workshop Cupcakes for 3 · Rehkin utrtio Workshop 3 3-4 Workshop Description ~ 1 Minute • TELL: Today’s workshop is shown in orange and is the third in a series about nutrition

Rethinking Nutrition: Workshop 3

Cupcakes for Lunch?

Creating Food & Nutrition Policy for Early Care & Education Programs

3Workshop

• Earlycare&educationprogramsdevelopnutritionpoliciestoassistinmeetingchildren’snutritionneeds&communicateprogramvalues&practices.

• Policiesaremosteffectivewhenconsistentlysharedwithfamilies&implementedbystaff.

KeyConcepts


3-2

1. List reasons a program should develop nutrition policies.2. Write examples of nutrition policies.3. Demonstrate how to communicate and justify program policy to

stakeholders.

Participants will . . .

PrepareRead • Chapter5fromRethinkingNutrition

Gather• Copiesfortwoactivities

1. W3NutritionValues2. W3Four-PartResponse

• Copiesofsixhandouts1. W3PowerPoint2. W3PolicyPlanning3. W3NationalGuidelines4. W3ActiveEarly&HealthyBites

Parents5. W3ActiveEarly&HealthyBites

Providers6. W3Evaluation

• Newsprintandmarker• Paperandpencils• RegistryCertificates

Timed AgendaActivity MinutesPreparation 30-60Introductions 15Slides1-8 25Slide9-11 20Slide13 20Slide14-15 10Slide16 25Closing(Slides17-19) 5

NOTE: Workshops are designed to last a total of two hours. Recommended timing is also

listed by each slide.

Sources1. Nitzke,S.,Riley,D.,Ramminger,A.,&Jacobs,G.(2010).Whyweimplementfoodandnutritionpoli-

cies.Rethinking nutrition: Connecting science and practice in early childhood settings(pp.101-118).SaintPaul,MN:RedleafPress.


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Introduction ~ 15 Minutes• DO: Haveslidevisiblewhenparticipantsarriveandleaveupwhilecompletingintro-

ductions.• ASK:Pleaseintroduceyourselves.Tellusyourname,yourprogramname,theagesof

thechildrenyouworkwith,andsomethingyouloveaboutfoodormeals.• DO:Leteachparticipantansweryourquestion.Youcouldwritesomeoftheinforma-

tionforallthegrouptosee-forinstance,alistofthethingsparticipantssharethattheyloveaboutfoodormeals.

• TELL:Todaywe’regoingtoexplorehownutritionpolicycancommunicateyourpro-gram’snutritionvaluesandpractices.


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Workshop Description ~ 1 Minute• TELL:Today’sworkshopisshowninorangeandisthethirdinaseriesaboutnutrition

inearlychildhoodeducationandcaresettings.• NOTE:Facilitators,youcanaddmoredetailsregardingwhethertheotherworkshops

willbeoffered.Forinstance,ifthereisinterest,we’llholdtheotherworkshopsinthemonthsahead.WehavearrangedRegistrycreditforeachofthese.


3-5

Workshop Description 2 ~ 1 Minute• TELL:Thisworkshopseriesisbasedonthisbook,whichwaswrittenby2professorsat

theUniversityofWisconsinalongwith2Wisconsinearlycareandeducationprofession-als.Ifyouwanttotakealookatit,I’llhaveasamplecopyupfrontaftertheworkshop,andalsosomeinformationonhowtopurchaseacopy.Throughouttheworkshop,wealsoreferenceHealthyBites,whichwaswritteninWisconsinandfocusesprimarilyonnutritionandsupportingahealthierenvironmentforchildrenintheearlycareandedu-cationsettings.HealthyBitesisavailablefreeonline.

• NOTE: Facilitators,youmayalsowanttopassthebookaroundtheroomtoallowpeopletimetoexplorethebook.


3-6

Shared Responsibilities ~ 2 Minutes• READ:slide,then:• TELL:Childrearing,foodandnurturinghasbeentraditionallylinkedtofamilysystems

andfamily’straditionsandcultures.However,earlycare&educationcentersandpro-gramsareincreasinglyresponsibleforfeedingandnurturingyoungchildrenasmorethanhalfofwomenandmothersareintheworkforce.Notonlyareearlycare&educa-tionprovidersresponsibleforsomeofchildren’snurturingandfeedingbuttheyarere-sponsibleforlargeportionsofchildren’sdaysandfoodintake–onaverage,8hoursperday,2mealsand2snacks.Asparentsandcaregiverssharechildrearingresponsibilities,policiesplayanimportantroleinprovidingconcreteexamplesofprograms’valuesandhelpingtominimizemisunderstandingsandconflicts.


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Why develop policies? ~ 3 Minutes• TELL:Bothfamiliesandprogramstaffbenefitfromthoughtfulandwell-communicated

policies.Policiesandrulesaccomplishtwothings.First,theymakeusmorecomfortablebecauseweknowwhattoexpect.Havingclearnutritionpoliciesinplacecanhelpfamiliesfeelcomfortablethataprogramsharestheirvalues,promisestoactinaspecificway,andwantstobeopenincommunicatingtheprogram’sbeliefsandpractices.Second,policieshelpuschangebehaviors.Forexample,ifyouwantparentstostopsendingcandywiththeirchild,apolicyorrulecanmakethiseasier.Inthisway,awrittenpolicycanhelpyouavoidproblems.Policiescanhelpinconsistentstafftrainingandbehavior,remindstaffoftheaspectsofearlycare&educationtheprogramdeemsessential,andalsogivestaffafoundationtoexplaintheirpracticestoparentsandfamilies.


3-8

Challenges or Conflicts ~ 3-5 Minutes• TELL:Aswejustdiscussed,oneofthegoalsofhavingapolicyistoreduceconflictbe-

tweenfamiliesandchildcareproviders.• ASK:Thinkingaboutyourexperiences,whatkindofconflictmightarisearoundfami-

lies,childcareandfood?(Haveparticipantsbrainstormfor1-2minutesandwritean-swersonboardorlargepieceofpaper,thenmoveontonextslide.)

• NOTE:Ifparticipantsneedpromptingyoucouldask:1)Howmightculture-baseddi-etaryneeds(i.e.,religious,vegetarian/vegan,ethnic)influencenutritionatanearlycare&educationprogram?,2)Whatmighthappenifafamily’sideasofgoodnutritiondifferfromachildcareprogram?,3)Howmightfamiliesandearlycare&educationprovidersfeeldifferentlyaroundactivitiesaroundfood(example:playingwithfoodinthedra-maticplayarea)?


3-9

Why Nutrition Policy? ~ 1-2 Minutes• TELL:AsImentionedearlier,manychildrenspend8hoursperdayandeat2mealsand2

snacksattheirchildcarelocation.ThatmeansthatchildrenaregettingtheMAJORITYoftheirnutritionfromtheirchildcarecenter.Foodisoneofthebasichumanneeds(alongwithsleep,shelter,andwater),however,researchnowshowsusthatprovidingthebareminimum(likeOliverTwist’sgruelandwater)isn’tenough.Childrenneedavarietyofhealthyfoodsandtheyalsobenefitfromhavingsocialinteractionsatmealtimeandshar-ingmealsandlearningaboutfoodfromadults.“[Wecan]notonlyprotectchildrenfromharmbutalsopromoteoptimumphysical,cognitive,socialandemotionalgrowth.”(Re-thinkingNutrition,p.105)


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Cultural and Dietary Reasons ~ 2-3 Minutes• TELL: Inadditiontoallthebenefitsofgoodnutritionforchildren,familiesandindivid-

ualfoodneedsandbeliefsarevastlydifferent.Manyoftheconflictsbetweenfamiliesandchildcareprovidersaroundfoodarisebecauseofcultural,dietaryormedicalreasons.Andthat’sexactlywhyanutritionpolicyissoimportant.Policiesprovideconcreteexam-plesofprogram’svaluesandserveasastartingpointforfamiliesandprogramstodiscusstheirdifferentfoodbeliefsandvalues.


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What do you think ~ 5 Minutes• DO: PassoutW3PolicyPlanninghandout.• TELL: Youmaybethinking–okay,sohavinganutritionpolicyisimportantbutwhat

goesintoit?Ihavesomeexamplesandtipsforustogothroughlaterbut,first,we’reallgoingtobrainstormwhatYOUthinkshouldbeincludedinanutritionpolicyforanearlychildcaresetting.Givenyourexperiences,whatnutritionvaluesandresponsibilitiesshouldchildcareprovidersmakesuretooutlineinapolicy?I’mgoingtopassoutahand-outthatprovidessomecategoriestothinkaboutinnutritionpolicyplanning.I’dlikeyoufirsttospendsometimethinkingaboutyourownworkwithchildrenandwhatyouthinkshouldbeincludedinapolicy.Jotdownsomeideas.Evenifyouhavenowrittenpolicyatyourcarecenter,youprobablyhavealotofunwrittenpreferencesandexpectations.Afterwritingthemdown,I’llhaveyouallsharethemwiththegroupandwe’llwritethemdownforthegrouptosee.

• NOTE:Aftergivingparticipantsashorttimetowritedowntheirideas,askforexamplesfromthegroup.Writethesesuggestionsontheboardoralargesheetofpaperwherepar-ticipantscanseeitandrefertotheirlistthroughouttheworkshoporaskparticipantstowritetheirexamplesontheboard.


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National Examples ~ 5 Minutes• TELL:Wejustdemonstratedthatthereisalotofgroundtocoverinnutritionpolicy.

Sincegoodnutritionisessentialtochildren’soptimaldevelopment,weoweittochildren,theirfamilies,andourcommunitiestobeverythoughtfulandcomprehensiveinourpoli-ciesandintentionsaboutchildren’snutrition.Youalljustcameupwithanexcellentlistoftopicstoincludeinanutritionpolicy,butwequitepossiblymissedsomething.BoththeNationalAssociationfortheEducationofYoungChildrenandtheU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServiceshavespenttimedevelopingguidelinesforwhatshouldbeincludedinnutritionpoliciesforyoungchildren.HealthyBitesisabookthatwalksyouthroughpolicycreation.I’mgoingtopasscopiesofthemaroundsoyoucangetafeelforthedetailtheyprovideandonthebackofthehandoutyoujustcompletedarethewebaddressesforthesedocuments.Ifyouareworkingtodevelopanutritionguideline,usethesedocumentsasframeworksfordevelopingyourownpolicy!Youdon’thavetorein-ventthewheel!

• DO:PassoutcopiesofW3ActiveEarly&HealthyBitesParents,&W3ActiveEarly&HealthyBitesProviders.YoucouldalsoprintsinglecopiesofthedocumentslistedonthebackofW3PolicyPlanningandpassthemaroundtheroom.


3-13

National Examples ~ 5 Minutes• TELL: Herearesomeexamplesofthepoliciesincludedinthesenationalguidelines.(Either

readoutloudorgivegroupsometimetoreadsilently.)(NOTE:Youcouldprintthisslideasahandoutofitsownifyouthinkitishardtoreadorwouldlikeparticipantstohaveittotakehome.)

• ASK: Lookingbackatthelistwecreatedareyousurprisedbyanythingontheselists?Whatmightbeoneitemyou’dliketoaddtoyournutritionpolicy?


3-14

Before Writing Policies ~ 5 Minutes (Continued on next page)• TELL: Beforeyoubeginwritingorrevisingapolicyforyourprogram,you’llwantto

gathersomeinformation.First,knowyourstatelicensingregulationsregardingfoodandnutritionandhowthoseregulationsapplytoyourprogram.Second,talktofamiliesorconductafamilynutritionsurveytogatherinformationaboutfamilytraditionsandspe-cialneeds.

• ASK:Whataresomequestionsyoumightwanttoaskfamilies?(Possibleanswers:Doyouhaveanyspecialfoodtraditionsweshouldknowabout?Doesyourchildhaveanyal-lergiesorspecialfoodneeds?Whatdoyouthinkisimportantforustoteachyourchildaboutfoodandmeals?)

• TELL:Third,don’twritethepolicyalone–gatherateamofpeoplewhorepresentallsortsofpeoplelinkedtoyourprogram.

• ASK:Whomightyouincludeonthepolicywritingandinputteam?(Possibleanswers:families,caregiversrepresentingallagegroupsofchildren,nutritionists,foodpreparationstaff,administrators,andotherexperts,suchaspediatricians)


3-15

Before Writing Policies ~ 5 Minutes (Continued)• TELL: Fourth,you’llwanttokeepyourpoliciesgeneralenoughthattheyincorporategroups

ofchildren,whilemakingprovisionsforthespecificneedsofindividualchildren.• ASK:Forexample,thepolicy“amealwillincludemilkunlessamedicalorreligiousreason

specifiesotherwise”describeswhatwillbegenerallyprovided–milk–butleavesroomforspecificinstanceswhenachildmayhaveanallergytocow’smilkandmayneedtoconsumecalciuminsomeotherform.Whatothergeneralbutspecificpolicyexamplescanyouthinkof?

• TELL:Finally,coverallareasofnutrition–planningandpracticesofnutritionservices,pro-ductionandservingofmealsandsnacks,familyneeds,foodsafety,andsanitation.


3-16

Write a Policy ~ 20 Minutes (Part 1: 10 Minutes, continued next page)• DO: YouwillneedenoughcopiesoftheW3NutritionValueshandoutsothateverypar-

ticipantgetsonesheetandyouhaveroughlyevengroupsofeachstatement.Forinstance,ifyouhave24participantsyouwillneedfourcopiesofeachofthesixnutritionvaluestatements.

• TELL:I’mgoingtosplityouintogroupsofsixandthenpassoutsheetsofpaperthathaveanutritionvaluestatementlike“kidsshouldeattheirvegetables”atthetopofthesheet.I’mgoingtohaveeachofyourewritethatnutritionvaluestatementasa3-5sentencepolicyattheBOTTOMofyoursheetofpaper.Whenyoufinish,foldthepapertocoverupyourwriting,andpassittoyourleft.Onceyougetanewpage,writeapolicyforthatstatement,foldthepaperandpassiton.Bytheendyou’llhaveeachwritten6policystate-mentsbutshouldhaveonlyseenthoseyouwroteyourself.Rememberpolicystatementsaregeneralbutalsospecificandclearlycommunicatevaluesandpractices.(Demonstratefoldingseeimageonnextpage.)Anyquestions?


3-17

Write a Policy ~ 20 Minutes (Part 2: 10 Minutes, continued)• TELL:Great!Icouldtellyouwerereallyworkinghardontranslatingthosevaluesintopolicy.

Now,wehaveonemorestep.Ifyouunfoldyourpaper,youshouldhavesixdifferentversionsofapolicystatement.I’dlikeyoueachtofindtheotherpeoplewhohavetheSAMEstatementatthetopofthepage.Forinstance,everyonewithasheetthatsays“kidsshouldeatvegeta-bles”shouldgatherinanewgroup.Yourtaskforthenext5minutesorsoistoreadthroughthedifferentpolicystatementsthatwerewrittentodescribethesamenutritionvalueanddecideononefinalpolicystatement.I’llgiveeachgroupasheetofpaperthathasyourinitialnutritionvaluestatementontopandaskyoutowriteyourfinalpolicyonthatsheet.

• TELL:Whatdidyoucomeupwith?I’dlikearepresentativefromeachgrouptoreadyourfirststatementandthenreadyourfinalpolicy.(Collectfinalpolicysheetsfromparticipantforevaluationpurposes.)

• ASK:Tellmeaboutthisprocess.Whatwasitliketowriteapolicy?Whatwaschallenging?Diditgeteasier?


3-18

Policies Along ~ 1 Minute• TELL:Nomatterhowwell-writtenyourpolicies,theywon’tmakeadifferenceunlessthey

aresharedwithfamiliesandpracticedbystaffmembers.


3-19

Policies into Practice ~ 5 Minutes (Continuted on Next Page)• TELL:Yourfirststepistoputyourpoliciesintopractice.Ifapolicyisthatavegetable

isservedwitheverymealmakesurethatyou’veorderedthecorrectfoodandthatyourmenusreflectavegetablewitheverymeal.Next,itisessentialthatyourstaff–allthestaff–areonboardwiththepolicychanges.

• ASK:Howmightyoutrainstaffonthepoliciesandimplementationplans?(Possiblesug-gestions:Holdin-servicetrainings,havetrainingdonebyexpertsinthefieldwhoaren’tsellingaproduct,servefoodsthatmeetthenutritionpolicystandards,involvestaffinac-tivitiessuchascookingdemonstrationsoraskingstafftobrainstormwaystoputapolicyintopractice)

• TELL:Educatingfamiliesaboutyourpoliciesisalsoimportantbecausemoreinformedfamiliesmaymeanlessconflictandconfusionaroundnutritionpractices.


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Policies into Practice ~ 5 Minutes (Continuted)• ASK:Howmightyouasachildcarecenterinformfamiliesaboutyournutritionpolicies?

(Possiblesuggestions:Haveapartyoropenhousewithexamplesofacceptabletreats–thiscouldresemblethesnackofthedaywhereeveryonebroughtadifferenthealthysnack,havecommunitymembersorparentsdemonstratecookinghealthymealsforthechildrenortalktothechildrenabouthealthyfood,newsletter)

• TELL:Finally,frequentlyreviewyournutritionpoliciesforrelevance,effectivenessandprac-ticalimplementation.Inotherwords,checkonceayearorsotoensurethatyourpoliciescontinuetoreflectthevaluesandpracticesofyourprogramandyourfamilies.Youmayevenwanttoformacommitteeofstaffmembers,familiesandcommunitymemberstomakethisyearlyassessment.


3-21

Emotional Encounters ~ 5 Minutes• TELL: Aswe’venoted,inorderforthemostsuccessfulexperiencesforchildren,early

childhoodstaffandparentsmustworktogether.However,sometimesdespiteourbestef-forts,therearemisunderstandingsovernutritionpoliciesandpractices.Thesesituations,willusuallyrequiremoreeffortbystafftoconsiderthefamilyperspectiveinchildrearing,communicaterespectfullywheretherearedifferences,andsettleonaresolutionthatisbestforthechild.

• ASK: Haveyouencounteredanemotionallychargedissueinvolvingfood?Ifso,howdidyouhandleit?Whatmightyouhavedonedifferently?(Writeresponsesontheboardorwhiteboard)

• NOTE: Insomegroupsthisquestioncouldtakemorethan5minutesbecausepartici-pantshavestoriestotell.Makesuretowatchthetimeandcutoffthediscussionat5min-uteswithastatementlike,“Iwishwecouldhearallyourexperiencesbutweneedtimetotalkaboutstategiestouseinthesesituations.”


3-22

Four Steps ~ 25 Minutes (Continued on next page)• TELL: Mostissuesthatarisewillnotbeemotionallychargedunlesswehandlethem

clumsily!Mostoften,anissuewillarisefromaparent’squestionorbecauseyouspotsomethingthatisagainstyourpolicies.Forexample,avegetarianparentmightaskthattheirchildnotbeexposedtomeatintheclassroomoryoumightspotsugarycupcakesinachild’slunch.Butwhatshouldbeyourresponse?

• TELL:Wearegoingtopracticeafour-partresponsetohelpyoueffectivelyrespondtothesesituationswhentheyarise.• First,itisimportanttostatetheotherperson’sviewpointsotheyknowtheyhavebeen

heardandunderstood.Thisisalwaysagoodideaandmakesitmorelikelythattheotherpersonwillreallylistentoyou.

• Second,statetheprogrampolicyandthereason(rationale)forthepolicy.Youarejustreportingthepolicyinanobjectiveway.Theirargumentisnotwithyou,butwiththepolicy.Inthisway,youcande-personalizeanyconflict,sotheyarelesslikelytogetangrywithyou.


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Four Steps ~ 25 Minutes (Continued)• Next,stateaconclusion.Somepossibleoptionsforconclusionsareto1)Reasserttherule

bysaying“Nowthatyouunderstandtheprogrampolicy,canyoulivewithit?,”2)Com-promiseisanotheroptionandyoumaysay,“Yoursituationisaspecialcase,andtheprogramcancompromiseonthispolicywithouthurtinganyone.,”3)Insomecasesyoumaybewillingtochangethepolicy.Forinstance,youmighttellaparent,“Wemayneedtorethinkourpolicyandrewriteitforeveryone’sbenefit.Thankyouforhelpingusseetheneedtodothis!”and4)Youmighttellaparentthatyouhaven’tmadeadecisionyetbuttellingthem,“I’mnotsurehowtohandlethis.I’dliketotalkwithothers.Canwecontinuetotalkaboutthis?”

• Finally,inallcases,itisimportanttofollowthrough.Thismaymeanthatyoushouldscheduleafollow-upmeetingorincludeothersinthemeetingorinformotherstaffandparentsaboutapolicychange.

• TELL:We’regoingtopracticethesefourstepswithashortactivity.I’mgoingtosplityouintosmallgroupsandgiveyoueachashortscenariodescribingachallengetothenutri-tionpolicy.Yourtaskasasmallgroupistoprepareyourfourpartresponse,writeitdownonthesheetIprovideyouandthenshareyourresponsewiththelargegroup.(Splitintosmallgroupsof2-4people.GiveeachgroupadifferentnutritionpolicychallengescenariofromtheW3Four-PartResponsehandout.Afterabout5minutes,askthesmallgroupstosharetheirresponseswiththelargegroup.Thankeveryoneforsharingresponses.)


3-24

Summary ~ 1 Minute• TELL:Insummary,policiesarepowerfuldocumentsthatinasenseshouldevolveasyour

childcaresettinggrowsandchanges.Ihopethatyouareabletotakethesepolicytipsandexamplesandapplythemtoyourprogram’snutritionpolicy.

• DO:HandoutcopiesofW3Evaluation.• TELL:I’mhandingoutworkshopevaluationforms.Pleasetakeamomenttofillthisout.

Remembertherearenowronganswerstothesequestions,wejustwanttoknowwhatyouthink.Youranswershelpuscontinuetoimprovethisworkshop.

• DO:Collectevaluationformsastheyarecompleted.


3-25

Acknowledgement• DO:Haveslidevisibletoparticipants.

Documents

Workshop Cupcakes for 3 · Rehkin utrtio Workshop 3 3-4 Workshop Description ~ 1 Minute • TELL: Today’s workshop is shown in orange and is the third in a series about nutrition