Page 7 - PRI New Provider Manual

What’s Important About Good Nutrition?
Adequate nutrition is more important than many people realize. Children who are malnourished or merely hungry due to missed meals are listless, nervous, and inattentive. They are not ready to learn and they may disrupt the learning of others. Poor nutritional well-being increases the chances of contracting low-grade infections that leads to increased school absenteeism.
Encouraging children to improve their nutritional well-being is a preventive health measure which saves many tax dollars and increases national productivity.
Today’s most prevalent nutritional problems are obesity and ill-advised food choices. Poor nutritional habits have also been linked to the ten “killer diseases”, including heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. Although symptoms do not usually appear until later in life, these diseases may begin while children are still in school. Good nutritional health in a child’s early years can have long-lasting physical and emotional benefits. Good nutrition, or lack of it, knows no social or economic boundaries. All children can suffer from the ill effects of poor feeding. Good nutrition is for all children.
Does the Nutrition Program in Child Care Homes Make a Difference?
Yes. Many children of working parents do not eat breakfast before leaving home, mainly because of “lack of time”. They do not eat an adequate lunch and some skip supper. Some children do not receive the recommended amounts of milk during the 24-hour period; some lack meat or meat equivalent foods; and others lack fruits and vegetables. Quite a few are eating three or more servings of concentrated sweets each day. Meals that follow the required guidelines correct many of the nutritional deficiencies found in today’s fast-paced society.
Studies show that children in CACFP receive meals that are nutritionally superior to those served to children in child care settings without CACFP. Children in participating institutions have higher intakes of key nutrients, fewer servings of fats and sweets, than children in non-participating care. Research cites participation in CACFP as one of the major factors influencing quality care – 87 percent of the family child care homes considered to be providing quality child care participated in CACFP. CACFP also makes child care and afterschool programs more affordable for low-income parents, who rely on these programs to provide a safe and healthy place for their children.
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