Join us for the R9HSA Kitchen Table, where we’ll dive into the critical role Head Start professionals play in feeding children making their first independent and important decisions about food.  Let’s explore how we can best support them in making these choices and how to offer the best quality meals to help preschoolers make their first independent food choices and develop a love for nutritious foods. These early habits will set the foundation for lifelong health and well-being, empowering children to thrive into adulthood.

Join us to unpack how creating a food culture expands the impact of your services. – Understanding and respecting diverse cultural food practices and preferences in meal planning and service within a Head Start program is essential.  The discussion will focus on expanding your creativity and drawing from the unique flavors in your service areas.  Foods can create engagement, and signal to all the value of inclusivity. Together we can better understand why this is important and what challenges might arise.

Join our community of practice to explore how to elevate your Parent and Family Engagement strategies in Nutrition Services.  During our time together we will explore how to involve parents and families in their children’s nutrition, including ideas for nutrition education workshops and take-home resources.  From educational lessons to examples of local sourced foods, COP members will be encouraged to share effective strategies that serve whole family wellness.

In our fourth session together, our topic will be Budgeting & Meal Planning Made Easy.  Our discussion will focus on how to effectively meal plan and budget for a Head Start program. Here we will draw on our collective wisdom to learn new strategies, shortcuts, supportive vendor relationships and emerging issues to meet our agencies budget planning goals.