Family Daycare Homes Has Gone Paperless!

As of October 1st, Family Daycare Homes' sponsors have gone paperless! These sponsors attended annual training,conducted by Mr. Ben Guthrie, where they received instructions for entering their institution, facilites, budget,and management plan applications. Although this was a lengthy and, perhaps exhaustive endeavor,only annual updating will be needed in the future! This online version will make monthly claims and ammendments to applications much easier. Since everything is done electronically, sponsors will be able to see their potential reimbursements instantly! Adding new sponsors will be much easier for the sponsor and the state without an endless paper chain and the cost of mailing. We hope that this new application process will improve documentation and efficiency in Family Daycare Homes. Now that all information has been entered, what do you think?
Do you think that filing monthly claims electronically will be much easier? Let us hear from you!

The National Food Service Management Institute and Team Nutrition have developed an online calculator to be used with the USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG). The interactive and simple to use calculator allows child nutrition professionals to build shopping lists of foods from the FBG and determine how much of each item to purchase to provide enough servings for the children in their program.

You can find the online calculator by visiting: http://fbg.nfsmi.org/.


For more information about the Food Buying Guide or to download your free copy, visit the Team Nutrition Website at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/resources/foodbuyingguide.html.

Provide Free Meals to Hungry Children in Your Community!

We have completed another successful year with our Summer Food Program! As summer, 2011 draws to a close, it is not too early for potential sponsors to think about next summer. The Summer Food Service Program is designed to fill the nutrition gap when school is not is session, making available nutritious meals that children need. Your organization may qualify to serve free meals to children in your community if it is a:

• Public or private nonprofit school
• Unit of local, municipal, county, tribal, or State government
• Private nonprofit organization
• Public or private nonprofit camp
• Public or private nonprofit university or college

Find out more about the program and required training: http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/Sponsor.htm

New Forms

If you are using the new computerized forms for the Child and Adult Child Food Program, let us know how they're working for you! Is there any way that we can be of assistance? Have you found some shortcuts that you think might help someone else? Let us hear from you!

Interactive Website on Fruits and Vegetables

On this website children will learn the value of fruits and vegetables while having loads of fun! This interactive website is certainly a great alternative to television or movies! You assign yourself a screen name and participate in Fun & Games, Activity Pages, and Coloring Sheets. There are kid-friendly recipes too! Watch out - you might get hooked!
http://www.foodchamps.org/

                                     Now it's YOUR turn! 

What tips do you have for other daycare sponsors?  What have you discovered to make nutritious meals easier, more economical, tastier?  What are some products or cooking tips that make healthy meals appealing to children?

Let us hear from you!  This is your blog - your forum for posting ideas, comments, and opinions.  We want to hear it from the experts!

Everyone who cares for infants and toddlers needs to know more about              Nutrition for Infants and Toddlers!

This helpful article discusses:
* Breast Feeding and Formula Basics
* Introducing Solid Foods
* Coping with Picky Feeding Phases

Visit this website for happy, healthy babies!
http://www.eatright.org/public/content.aspx?id=5529

This article entitled, Recipes for Kids: Hands-on Teaching About Healthy Eating caught my attention because it has   R E C I P E S ! ! !   There are recipes for breakfast (Breakfast Burritos and Blueberry French Toast!), Recipes for lunch or dinner, and recipes for healthy snacks or desserts. Even better, these recipes are designed for children and adults to make together!  Check it out, grab a child, and start cooking your way to healthier eating!


http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/recipes-for-kids/MY01341

Tip of the Day!

Active Alternatives to TV

While exercise should be a part of everyone's daily routine, research shows physical activity drops when kids hit the teenage years. A busy schedule doesn't always translate into an active lifestyle. Help your children be active and stay fit this summer. (And consider adopting these ideas yourself!)
 •Get off the phone. Walk and talk with friends in person.


•Turn off the TV. Play tennis, go in-line skating, hiking or dancing.


•Turn off the computer. Sign up for a community summer sports team.


•Volunteer for community service — for example at a community garden, home-building project, community clean-up or summer camp.


•Baby-sit and take the kids to a park or on a bike ride.


Being active now also helps reduces their risk of chronic health problems later in life. Encourage your children to engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week.


Produced by ADA's Public Relations Team.

This is a great article entitled healthy Weight for Healthy Kids but you can click on teens, men, women and older adults, which is found on the right side of the page, to find information specifically for the age group that interests you!
                                       http://www.eatright.org/public/content.aspx?id=10929

Hey!
Look what I found! This website has a nutrition curriculum for grades K - 2.
                 http://www.energybalance101.com/teachers/?grade=k-2

This curriculum is perfect for summertime when school is out and little minds are still HUNGRY for new information!  There are four modules with 14 worksheets related to exercise that contribute to an ENERGY BALANCE for good health. Copy and paste it in your web browser to create an energy balance in your center today!

Watch Your Weight!

This is a neat website that analyzes the food groups and calories in any food you enter!   http://www.myfoodapedia.gov/


This website is a little more complex, yet also more helpful if you are truly trying to make changes.  It tracks your daily food intake AND your daily physical activity!   This website seems comparable to those that require a monthly fee to monitor your weight.  You can log in for long term help or just "Check It Out" without registering.  I plan to use this for a long term assessment of my eating and exercise habits! How about you?                                  http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/Default.aspx?Module=14

Welcome to our Nutrition Blog!

In our annual training, I discussed the prevalence of childhood obesity. In staying with this theme, this blog will continue to provide you with exciting recipes, ideas for menu planning, research related to the prevention of childhood obesity, and more!  Please check for daily posts and "follow"  this blog to enable you to provide tasty and nutritious meals that are practical to prepare and appealing to children and adults!