Resources for Higher Education Providers in Child Development and Early Childhood Education Programs

Early childhood provides one of the best opportunities to promote healthy eating and active living among children. In the 2017-2018 school year, 34.1% of 5th, 7th, and 9th grade students attending public schools in San Diego County were overweight or obese. These results highlight the importance of continued efforts in academic programs and school and early childhood settings to promote and provide information on healthy options. Our goal is to ensure that higher education providers have access to quality, evidence-based supplemental curriculum and resources so that students have every opportunity to promote health in their future careers. Below you will find a selection of resources recommended by the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initative’s Early Childhood Domain Workgroup that may be useful as you work to include topics related to childhood obesity, nutrition, and physical activity into your curriculum.

Eat Play Grow – Early Childhood Health Curriculum

A variety of lessons on how to incorporate movement into the classroom through music and songs as well as healthy eating.

GoNoodle

Learn how movement can improve behavior, attention, and academic performance through its incorporation into regular lessons such as math, spelling, and vocabulary!

CDC Best Practice Standards for Early Care and Education (e.g, Screen Time)

The CDC outlines their standard for embedding obesity prevention into Early Care and Education systems including recommendations for screen time and examples of how this has been done in different states and communities.

American Academy of Pediatrics – Recommendations for Children’s Media Use

A policy statement detailing the potential harms of media use for infants, toddlers, and preschool children and recommendations for families and professionals.

A similar statement focusing on the benefits and risks of media use for children ages 5 through 18 as well as current recommendations for this age group.

Healthy Child Care – Screen-Time Reduction Toolkit for Child Care Providers

Recommendations, why excessive screen time can be unhealthy, and how child care providers can limit screen time in their homes/facilities.

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future – Limit Use of TV, Computers and Mobile Devices

Benefits of less screen time and best practices for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Farm to Preschool – Harvest of the Month

Curriculum and training manuals designed by Occidental College to implement Farm to Preschool for children ages 3-5 in any type of child care setting.

USDA – Grow It, Try It, Like It!

Garden-themed nutrition education tools for child care center staff and operators at family child care settings that focuses on introducing children to fruits and vegetables.

Nutrition education for child care center staff.

Designed for Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operators to provide nutrition education to children ages 3 to 5.

Farm to Childcare Curriculum Package

Curriculum for child care center staff designed to connect young children to fresh, healthy foods and help them learn about food, farming, healthy habits, gardening, and more!

Farm to Early Childhood Programs: A Step-By-Step Guide

A resources with steps for helping early childhood program providers purchase and use local foods for their meals and snacks.

Ellyn Satter Institute – Resources for Professionals

A variety of resources for professionals including teaching materials, articles, books, videos, and more focusing on child and adult feeding and eating.

USDA – WIC Job Aids

Several resources to help with developing feeding plans for infants.

Smile California: Partners & Providers

Resources from California’s Medi-Cal Dental Program including educational videos, webinars, presentations, and other useful materials to help incorporate dental health into any health program.

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care (NRC) – Oral Health

Resources for oral health in child care and early education including practices, training, feeding, nutrition, and more!

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry – Policy on Oral Health in Child Care Centers

A statement on practices for child care centers, early education providers, and parents to improve dental health.

National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness – Oral Health

Oral health resources including education, training, and technical assistance for the child care and Head Start community.