Nutrition-Related Family Engagement Ideas

Because food is such a universal experience, nutrition-related activities are a great way to invite families to engage with your program. Here are a few tips you can incorporate:

• Include a Nutrition Tips section in every newsletter. This section should encourage families to explore healthy snack recipes and provide substitution options for popular less-than-healthy foods.
• Social media posts. Use social media to communicate with current and potential families about the healthy habits you are helping children establish. Be sure to include a call to action in your posts so families can engage with the post.
• Quizzes with prizes. Periodically, send out a quiz question about healthy eating. Pull a winner from all the families who submit the correct answer.  Highlight the winners (with permission) on social media or other program communication.
• Inexpensive snack to-go bags can be provided to families. This could be something that children prepare on a Friday for consumption over the weekend. The snack bags could also be put together by staff members and set out in baskets during pick-up time.
• Collect healthy recipes for a program-wide cookbook. Ask families (and staff) to include pictures of the food items and of them preparing the recipe with their children.
• Host family cooking events. Brainstorm easy, healthy recipes that families and children could prepare together during an open house event. Invite the community to draw new families or encourage families to bring their friends and relatives.
• Invite speakers to share their knowledge and ideas with families during family events. Again, invite the community to participate in the event to spread the word about your program.
• Create a healthy food committee. Ask families to sit on a healthy living committee. These individuals could be responsible for advising on menu changes and substitutions, contributing to the Nutrition Tips section of the newsletter, and sharing social media posts.
• Promote or host health-related community events. Let families know when healthy living expos and events are planned in your community. If this is not something that regularly happens in your community, you may want to take on organizing one yourself, hosted at the child care facility.
• Share resources with families. When you come across reputable resources, pass them along to families.

For the main article Exploring Healthy Foods, CLICK HERE

For the article Nutrition-Related Early Learning Standards, CLICK HERE

For the article Nutrition-Related Activity Ideas for Children, CLICK HERE

For the article Build a Nutrition Resource Library, CLICK HERE