Guest Author: Christina Hecht, PhD at Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI)
Water, not sugar! We all want to give the little ones in our care their best start in life and one way to do that is to help them develop the habit of drinking water and plain milk, not sugary drinks such as juice drinks, punches, flavored milks, sweetened teas or soft drinks and sodas.
The University of California is providing a free online course, Healthy Beverages in Early Care & Education, in English and Spanish for child care providers in California. This 30- minute online class is a fun and an interactive way to learn about the latest recommendations for healthy beverages for children and help child care providers meet the requirements of the California Healthy Beverages in Child Care Act (AB 2084).
The class includes videos, short quizzes, activities, and covers topics such as milk, types of fruit juice, and reading nutrition label. A professional development certificate will be provided upon completion.
To sign up, visit http://bit.ly/NPIccbevE and create an account. To take the training in Spanish, visit http://bit.ly/NPIccbevS and create an account.
All young children, regardless of licensing or Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) requirements, can benefit from consuming healthy beverages.
The course is free for California providers.
NPI envisions a world in which healthy food, beverages and opportunities for physical activity are accessible, affordable, equitable and sustainable for everyone. NPI's mission is to conduct and translate policy-relevant research to transform environments for healthy children, families and communities.