1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,880 Welcome to the Forgotten ECE, the show where before and after school educators 2 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:36,120 summer camp and PD staff and CYWs have a place where they are seen, heard and valued. 3 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:51,800 I'm your host, Jamie Wakeler, and I'm so excited you're here. 4 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:56,600 Welcome you beautiful people to the next episode of the Forgotten ECE. 5 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,600 I'm so incredibly happy that you tuned in. 6 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,320 How is everyone doing on this glorious day? 7 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,800 And by glorious day, I obviously mean whatever glorious day that you're listening to this 8 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:07,800 on. 9 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:10,880 I hope it's spectacular for you. 10 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:14,520 The Wakelers over here are getting over the plague. 11 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:15,520 The third maybe. 12 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:16,520 I don't even know. 13 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:18,520 The days are all blurring together. 14 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,400 The nights are longer than they have to be. 15 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:23,760 And I feel kind of like crap. 16 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:30,400 On the positive side, I mean, I think I'm at the end of it, but oh, it's been rough 17 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,640 and the kids, ugh, gross. 18 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:35,520 I hope everyone else is staying super healthy. 19 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:42,560 And if you're not super sorry, shout out to Emergen C because a friend and coworker of 20 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,200 mine told me to try it and it's actually been working. 21 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:48,000 Find it at your local Walmart. 22 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:49,000 This is not a plug. 23 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,000 It's just we got to stick together. 24 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,600 Okay, we got to know what works. 25 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:58,480 Being sick has actually reminded me a lot of the pre-COVID days. 26 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,720 Let's take a walk in history. 27 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,600 Do do do do do. 28 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:05,600 Four years prior. 29 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:06,600 Isn't it crazy? 30 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:10,200 It's been four years and actually almost to the day. 31 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,000 Anyways, pre-COVID days, when we felt like this, we would go to work. 32 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,120 I mean, you could feel like you were hit by a truck and so that'll work. 33 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,000 It was pretty bad. 34 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:23,320 And when you tried to call in, you'd get that wonderful phone message. 35 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:25,720 How sick are you? 36 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:27,240 Okay, okay, okay. 37 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:31,760 So if I cover you to lunch, can you come in? 38 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:33,120 Bless their souls. 39 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:37,600 I understand now what it's like to be short staffed from an administrative role. 40 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:43,200 I mean, I know I knew back then what it was like to be short staffed as another educator 41 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:48,720 in the center, but from an administrative role, it also sucks. 42 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:50,040 And neither is going to work sick. 43 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,240 So really it's a loser situation. 44 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:57,560 Anyways, enough of the chitter-chatter. 45 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,640 Let's get into why we're here today. 46 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:05,920 I thought we could talk about nutrition in our school age program, mostly because I just 47 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:08,600 started eating, so let's get into it today. 48 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,120 Also because it's super important. 49 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:12,440 So why is it important though? 50 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,080 Thinking about nutrition in your before and after school programs. 51 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,800 It kind of looks different depending on what your program is. 52 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:23,720 It could be that you provide the snacks for before school or you provide the snacks for 53 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,240 after school or in your full day programs. 54 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:32,580 Or what's also super common is that it's a big lunch and that you have a big lunch policy 55 00:03:32,580 --> 00:03:33,580 to go along with that. 56 00:03:33,580 --> 00:03:37,520 So families have to provide snacks for before and after school. 57 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:41,520 And that looks a lot different now because a lot of factors, which we'll get into. 58 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:46,240 But why is nutrition important within before and after school programs? 59 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,200 A huge nutritional support. 60 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:54,760 Children need adequate nutrition to fuel their growing bodies and brains. 61 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:59,720 Healthy snacks help ensure that children receive essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, 62 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:02,880 which are necessary for growth, development, and overall health. 63 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:04,440 You know this stuff. 64 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:06,080 I know you know it. 65 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,600 Also energy levels. 66 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:13,640 These snacks that we can provide for them or that they get provided from their house, 67 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:19,920 especially, are high nutrient rich snacks and can help stabilize blood sugar levels, 68 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,920 provide a steady source of energy throughout the day. 69 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:28,680 Oh my gosh, have you ever, you know, not ate and felt that energy drain? 70 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:29,840 It sucks for adults. 71 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:32,140 So obviously it sucks for children too. 72 00:04:32,140 --> 00:04:35,000 And all you can think about is how hungry you are. 73 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:36,000 Oy. 74 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:42,400 A huge one that should be talked about more than it is is addressing food insecurities. 75 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:48,360 Children in school age before and after school programs start feeling those insecurities 76 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:53,240 on whether or not they can eat healthy, whether or not their family is going to afford healthy 77 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,400 food, or whether or not they are eating the proper food. 78 00:04:56,400 --> 00:05:00,000 Or worse, this is when eating disorders can start. 79 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,240 I mean, God forbid, but it does. 80 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:03,240 It happens. 81 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:09,600 Okay, seriously though, research suggests that children as young as six or seven years 82 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,960 old can develop an eating disorder. 83 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:14,440 How disgusting is that? 84 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:18,720 According to the Ontario Child Health Study, which surveyed children and adolescents aged 85 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:24,560 four to 16 in Ontario, approximately 1.5% of children reported symptoms consistent with 86 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:26,100 an eating disorder. 87 00:05:26,100 --> 00:05:28,840 That is insane and so disheartening. 88 00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:30,320 These children, they're so young. 89 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,440 They should be met with this crap already. 90 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:39,000 And this leads into creating a positive environment for food and healthy eating by providing healthy 91 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,080 snacks in your programs. 92 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:46,760 You create a supportive environment that prioritize children's health and wellbeing, fostering 93 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:51,560 a positive learning experience for all participants and providing those healthy snacks within 94 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,560 these programs play a crucial role in supporting the children's health. 95 00:05:55,560 --> 00:06:01,680 It also reinforces the importance of nutrition as a foundational component of comprehensive 96 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:04,000 out of school time education. 97 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:05,280 Honestly. 98 00:06:05,280 --> 00:06:07,680 Can you just think with me for a second? 99 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,120 How hard life is now for children. 100 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:11,780 Let's just sit with that. 101 00:06:11,780 --> 00:06:15,080 Not only do they have to deal with bullying like we did, they also have to deal with it 102 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,000 on the phones and constantly 24 seven. 103 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:24,320 Now I mean, I know, I know that eating disorders were around when I was a kid. 104 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:28,960 I understand that it's not like it's a new factor, but they're happening so much earlier 105 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:31,020 now and why? 106 00:06:31,020 --> 00:06:33,040 Why is this happening? 107 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:34,520 Lots of factors. 108 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:36,840 Media, more use of... 109 00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:42,320 God, TikTok and YouTube for children who are so freaking young. 110 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,240 I mean, we'll have an episode on technology in the classroom. 111 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:50,640 I think there's a spot for it, but oh my gosh, children are just getting eaten alive by these 112 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:56,040 ads and advertising and each other, the worst each other about what is perfect and what 113 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:57,880 is right and how their body should look. 114 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:00,160 Oh my gosh, I'm going off another tendon. 115 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:01,160 Okay. 116 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,100 Let me get back to where I was. 117 00:07:04,100 --> 00:07:08,400 So nutrition itself is also crucial during, before and after school hours because it increases 118 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:12,960 energy levels in children, which will help them get through the rest of the program. 119 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:14,760 It also increases their mood. 120 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:20,400 Well, it can impact their mood significantly and emotional wellbeing. 121 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:21,400 Trust me. 122 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:25,280 I know when I'm angry, I am angry. 123 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:27,520 You can't deny it either. 124 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:30,560 I understand what that's like. 125 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:35,640 Did you know that research has shown that nutrient imbalances can contribute to mood 126 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:38,840 swings, irritability and behavior problems? 127 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:40,520 No way. 128 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:45,040 But on the other end of the spectrum, consuming a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, 129 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:49,120 whole grains and lean proteins can support emotional stability and mental health. 130 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:50,120 Oh my goodness. 131 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:51,280 So how can we solve it? 132 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:57,320 By offering healthy snacks within these programs and caregivers can also help too by providing 133 00:07:57,320 --> 00:07:58,880 snacks for their children. 134 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:04,240 But that brings me onto the very important next topic of this, grocery prices. 135 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:08,080 Not every center, actually probably a lot of centers and I'd be interested to hear who 136 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:13,120 does and who doesn't, provide before and after school programs with snack. 137 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:14,360 My center does. 138 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,720 The children who are in before and after school programs get snack. 139 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:19,040 They don't have to bring it themselves. 140 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:21,120 We provide it, which is great. 141 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:25,440 And I think honestly it's how it should be, but I'll get into why. 142 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:26,440 Hold on. 143 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:27,440 Hold your horses. 144 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:28,440 I know it costs money. 145 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:29,440 Hold on. 146 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,920 Grocery prices are insane and I'm preaching. 147 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:33,920 I know I'm preaching. 148 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:36,160 Grocery prices are through the freaking roof. 149 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:37,880 How are they so much money? 150 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:38,880 How is a head of lettuce? 151 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:41,840 Let's be honest, a head of lettuce, so much money. 152 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:47,040 Anyways, families are experiencing poverty more than they have before. 153 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:53,440 And we know collectively that the healthy food is not always the cheapest. 154 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:54,440 Unfortunately. 155 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:56,360 So I don't know how that's still backwards, but it is. 156 00:08:56,360 --> 00:09:02,160 So we can go ahead and teach families and send families home these big lunch requirements 157 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:08,160 of how they should be sending healthy food to preschool or to, sorry, to school age. 158 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:11,680 How they can be sending health, how they should be sending healthy food to before and after 159 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:12,680 school programs. 160 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:14,360 But it's not always going to happen. 161 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:15,680 After lunches, it's hard. 162 00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:19,080 It's so hard to afford this. 163 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:21,960 And children are always hungry. 164 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,640 It's not a bad thing, but they are. 165 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:30,360 So if you cannot provide them a healthy snack at your center, it is important that you have 166 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:35,640 a snack cupboard or a snack bowl that they can grab from with some fresh fruits or some 167 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:40,920 grains and something sustainable that they can have at the end of the day. 168 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:46,800 Not only is food getting more expensive, but families also are busy. 169 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:54,240 I understand that we live in a busy, fast paced world, but we are in the prime of convenience. 170 00:09:54,240 --> 00:10:01,600 I was just listening to, it was an older video, the class I teach about how fast food is on 171 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:07,760 the rise and obesity is on the rise and now places are trying to be all walk friendly. 172 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:09,280 And I get it, but that was 2008. 173 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:10,600 And where are we now? 174 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:11,600 Has this happened? 175 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:13,880 No, instead, grocery prices are skyrocketing. 176 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:19,380 People are driving everywhere and we're still in the middle of a climate change crisis. 177 00:10:19,380 --> 00:10:20,440 Something has got to give. 178 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:25,380 But the point was that children need to be taught how to make healthy choices and children 179 00:10:25,380 --> 00:10:28,640 need to be taught how they can be independent in that factor. 180 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:34,420 So looking at how you can implement that in your program is cook with them. 181 00:10:34,420 --> 00:10:40,200 Do cooking experiences, have them measuring out the ingredients, crack the eggs. 182 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:41,560 I mean, they are school-agers. 183 00:10:41,560 --> 00:10:42,560 They can definitely do this. 184 00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:47,280 They can pick the recipes, make snacks together. 185 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:48,280 That's huge. 186 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:50,080 What if you did it once a week? 187 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:51,740 That's not too consuming. 188 00:10:51,740 --> 00:10:55,640 And then children get to eat something super yummy that day that they have the satisfaction. 189 00:10:55,640 --> 00:11:01,900 Also what if you put some effort into how to educate the families? 190 00:11:01,900 --> 00:11:02,900 And that was not a step. 191 00:11:02,900 --> 00:11:04,200 I don't think you're not putting effort in. 192 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:09,240 I'm just saying, I know how tiring it is to put effort in always, but there's some, I 193 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:15,400 have some really cool ideas that would be kind of interesting if you try just saying, 194 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:20,240 for example, what if you provided a family cook night for the children? 195 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:25,840 What if you invited their families to the center and you cooked together as a whole? 196 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:29,480 Or provided some nutrition education workshops for the families? 197 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:34,440 Brought in someone to talk to the families about nutrition and how to make healthy meal 198 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:38,120 planning and how to read labels and portion control. 199 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:41,560 Wouldn't that be a great idea and a great family engagement? 200 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:48,000 You can also send home nutrition resources, informational materials, and notes, newsletters, 201 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:49,000 recipes. 202 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:54,000 I had, oh, okay. 203 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:55,480 Storytime. 204 00:11:55,480 --> 00:12:00,260 Four years ago, actually, oh my gosh, almost to the date, I had planned this incredible 205 00:12:00,260 --> 00:12:05,400 March break with my coworker and shout out to you. 206 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:09,800 We had planned this incredible March break where kids were going to, it was called, it 207 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:10,800 was a food week. 208 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:11,800 Can I think of what it was called? 209 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:13,840 I don't know, but that's going to bother me. 210 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:14,840 Chef's week. 211 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:15,840 Anyways, okay. 212 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:16,840 Children gods. 213 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:18,960 Each child, when they signed up, they got an apron. 214 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:19,960 That was part of it. 215 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:23,080 And then we're going to decorate the aprons one day. 216 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,960 Each day, instead of order, we had lunch catered to us. 217 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,240 Each day, instead of having lunch catered, we were going to make our own food. 218 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:30,560 How incredible. 219 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:32,080 Prepare our own snacks. 220 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:36,800 And at the end of the week, they were to bring in their favorite family recipe and we were 221 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:39,320 going to provide them recipes of what we made all week. 222 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:44,040 And that was that, that was their whole week was this incredible cooking and goodness. 223 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:45,920 Oh, that makes me sad. 224 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:50,520 We put so much effort into it and paid so much money for groceries. 225 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:51,520 Anyways, it was incredible. 226 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:54,680 It was absolutely, it was supposed to be the most amazing thing. 227 00:12:54,680 --> 00:13:00,120 And obviously it didn't happen because COVID, but it's still a great idea on how to get 228 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:05,200 your schoolagers involved in this process and how to get them positive views on food 229 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:09,400 and nutrition and get them interested in what they're doing. 230 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:16,480 You can also offer taste tests and food experience by organizing your families to come in and 231 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:17,980 try new food. 232 00:13:17,980 --> 00:13:23,280 What if you put out new fruit or new, new meals that they might've not experienced before 233 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:25,600 and then get everyone to try a little bit. 234 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:27,520 Like that'd be super cool. 235 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:31,600 You could use these opportunities to introduce families to a variety of flavors, textures 236 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:36,000 and cultural cuisines and encourage them to incorporate their foods. 237 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,040 These foods story into their meals and snacks. 238 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:43,640 Oh, you can engage families in a gardening and food activity. 239 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:46,140 You can grow your own food at the center. 240 00:13:46,140 --> 00:13:48,760 What if you started right now a garden? 241 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:49,760 Hear me out. 242 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:50,760 It is almost spring. 243 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:55,820 This is when you start, you know, tilling the land, doing the gardening thing. 244 00:13:55,820 --> 00:13:58,960 But how cool would it be if you establish a school or community garden where families 245 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,820 can learn about growing their own fruits and vegetables and herbs. 246 00:14:01,820 --> 00:14:08,740 You can host a gardening workshop or do a harvest celebration or even on a smaller scale, 247 00:14:08,740 --> 00:14:13,240 you could just have a garden at your center that you get food from for your school ages 248 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:15,520 that they can pick themselves and then cook. 249 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:18,840 You can also reach out to your community partners. 250 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:23,520 This is also a huge one because it takes a community to raise a child. 251 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:24,520 It does. 252 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:28,160 And the more you work with your community partners, A, the better you get to know them. 253 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:30,180 B, the better relationship you have with them. 254 00:14:30,180 --> 00:14:33,840 And then C, the more you get to utilize their services. 255 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:39,120 So you can collaborate with local health organizations or food banks or even nutritional experts 256 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:42,040 to offer additional resources and support to families. 257 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:49,640 I am on a parent council at my kid's school and we hosted this most incredible event. 258 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:50,640 And I know it's not really school. 259 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:52,760 Well, it is school age because it's not a school. 260 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:56,300 Anyways, we can adapt it and have it at a childcare center for sure. 261 00:14:56,300 --> 00:14:58,760 It doesn't even just have to be with your before and after school community. 262 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:01,520 Everyone, but oh my gosh, your before and after school kids can help plan it. 263 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:02,520 It would be incredible. 264 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:08,480 What we did was have different foods from the different cultures with which were in 265 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:10,960 our, in the school community. 266 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:15,400 So we had local restaurants who specialize in those kinds of foods. 267 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:19,800 Give food, obviously we paid for it, but give food, we got funding for it. 268 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:24,240 Give food and we had this huge cultural night where everyone got to meet everyone and they 269 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:28,280 played bingo and they had a meet, they had to check off the boxes and bingo and the bingo 270 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:31,000 cards were something like meet someone who speaks a different language. 271 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:35,080 You meet someone who's born on South Africa or meet someone who's born in Australia or 272 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:36,080 anything like that. 273 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:40,760 And there was a whole bunch of boxes and you had to meet all these people to fill in your 274 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:44,120 squares and then once you go bingo, you get to put your name in for a prize. 275 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:47,840 But anyways, the point of this was the food was delicious. 276 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:49,560 Oh my gosh, it was so good. 277 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:55,680 We provided all the food and the families got to eat it and they enjoyed it and food 278 00:15:55,680 --> 00:16:02,000 can have such a positive comforting feeling around it, a celebration. 279 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:06,840 Food really brings people together, especially certain cultures and it could be done, it 280 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:09,280 could be done that way at your center. 281 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:14,360 You could utilize it in a way that would bring people together. 282 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:20,080 Yes, but not least you could lead by example by modeling healthy eating habits, behaviors, 283 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:22,520 attitudes within these programs. 284 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:25,880 You can show them what it's all about. 285 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,040 We know children learn by seeing and doing. 286 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:34,160 Serve the nutritious snacks and meals, prioritize water as the beverage of choice, create a 287 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:39,680 positive food environment that promotes enjoyment, variety and moderation. 288 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:43,240 Encourage your staff members or encourage your before and after school educators, your 289 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:48,120 partners to be positive role models for healthy eating and engage in open dialogue with families 290 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:52,560 about the importance of nutrition, about children's health, about well-being. 291 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:56,840 By implementing these strategies, before and after school programs can effectively promote 292 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:02,220 good nutrition to their community, to the families and empower them to make healthier 293 00:17:02,220 --> 00:17:08,680 choices to create a supportive community environment where nutritious eating habits are valued and 294 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:10,420 prioritized. 295 00:17:10,420 --> 00:17:14,200 If you're lucky enough to be one of those centers that provide food for their children 296 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:18,200 in before and after school programs, the snack, make sure that you're doing it in a family 297 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:23,720 style dining by arranging the seating around the table and have children sit together. 298 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:27,920 Not only does it promote social interaction and communication, but it also provides that 299 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:30,480 sense of community during meal times. 300 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:35,520 Don't forget to offer choices and don't be upset if children choose something that 301 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:36,660 is not everything. 302 00:17:36,660 --> 00:17:41,920 Make sure that you understand that children have preferences and that it's their job. 303 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:47,100 It's your job to empower them and it's their job to make those choices. 304 00:17:47,100 --> 00:17:48,840 Create a welcoming atmosphere. 305 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:53,280 Designate an area in the classroom for eating. 306 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:54,280 It has to be clean. 307 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:55,280 It has to be comfortable. 308 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:59,040 It has to be inviting and make sure it has an age appropriate table where make sure the 309 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:02,140 children are using plates and cutlery. 310 00:18:02,140 --> 00:18:04,640 Make sure they have cups for water. 311 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:10,480 Also it's a great time to teach mindful eating to encourage children to pay attention to 312 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:16,280 their hunger cues, to understand when they're full, to enjoy the flavors and the textures 313 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,120 of food and engage in pleasant conversations. 314 00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:21,840 They don't have to scarf down their meal. 315 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:23,920 This isn't their last meal. 316 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:26,080 There's lots of food. 317 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:29,880 Make sure in their conversations that you're having with the children while you're eating 318 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:34,800 that you're incorporating the importance of nutrition education, that you're incorporating 319 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:40,240 the importance of nutrition, that children are understanding and hearing about healthy 320 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,400 eating habits and food groups and portion sizes. 321 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:48,320 The food guide just came out, a brand new food guide, which is incredible and it was 322 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:51,040 outdated so it's great to hear. 323 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:52,840 Maybe post that in your classroom. 324 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:55,920 Maybe have that out when you're eating or have it out before you're eating and have 325 00:18:55,920 --> 00:19:01,680 children engage in the conversation about what's for snack today or what they'd like 326 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:04,640 to see on the menu. 327 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:07,360 Celebrate food and cultural diversity. 328 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:11,920 Embrace the diversity by incorporating foods from different cultures and culinary traditions 329 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:12,920 into the menu. 330 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:17,800 Wouldn't that be incredible if you could try a new thing once a month or every couple 331 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:18,880 weeks? 332 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:19,880 Bring in a new fruit. 333 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:23,840 Like the only one that's coming to my mind is dragon fruit because I love dragon fruit, 334 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:27,560 but it's a weird looking fruit on the outside and for someone who's just walking by, maybe 335 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:28,560 they don't want it. 336 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:35,040 But there's so many foods out there you can incorporate and provide positive reinforcement. 337 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:38,400 Children should be praised for making healthy food choices. 338 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:40,520 They should be praised for trying new foods. 339 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:44,360 I'm not saying you have to punish them because do not punish them when they don't want to 340 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:48,400 try it, but it's also a big milestone when they do. 341 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:55,320 I really, really want to stress the importance of making these environments positive because 342 00:19:55,320 --> 00:20:00,360 the last thing you want is children to have negative associations with eating. 343 00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:04,160 And I'm not saying this is going to work 100% and I'm not saying all these ideas you have 344 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:09,640 to go leave this podcast right now and go do all of them, but it wouldn't hurt to try 345 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:13,960 one or two and it might surprise you. 346 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:15,960 It's our favorite time. 347 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:16,960 Question and comment. 348 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:18,960 Woo! 349 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:20,960 Applause. 350 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:21,960 Claps. 351 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:22,960 Isn't that the same as applause? 352 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:23,960 Claps, applause. 353 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:24,960 Drum roll? 354 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:25,960 I don't know. 355 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:27,440 Anyways, I'll stop. 356 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:30,680 An old friend and colleague of mine reached out. 357 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:33,840 I will call her Sherry. 358 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:39,080 And Sherry, oh I worked with Sherry a long time ago at a nice little center. 359 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:41,000 That's where I started my career. 360 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:42,480 And Sherry was there at the beginning. 361 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:44,480 Anyways, hi Sherry, shout out to you. 362 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:48,600 Sherry wrote, I'm so glad you started this. 363 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:52,160 As someone who has worked in the before and after school program for the past several 364 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:58,240 years it's just great to hear someone speak out about how important our job is and not 365 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:00,360 just the FDK program. 366 00:21:00,360 --> 00:21:04,800 She also asked to hear about the importance of documentation. 367 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:07,760 So that will definitely be a future topic for us. 368 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:09,840 Thanks so much Sherry for listening. 369 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:11,680 Thanks so much everyone for listening. 370 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:13,800 If you have questions, comments, concerns. 371 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:16,680 If you just want to chat, please hit me up. 372 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:18,800 You know where to find me. 373 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:21,560 And honestly it's been a thrill. 374 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:26,680 So thanks so much for listening and have a beautiful night. 375 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:28,240 Bye. 376 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:31,640 Thank you. 377 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:37,200 Amazing listeners for your support. 378 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:41,280 Don't forget to follow me on Instagram at miss Jamie underscore R E C E. 379 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:43,640 Give a star rating and leave a review. 380 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:47,680 Have something you want to hear about in relation to before and after school programs or full 381 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:48,680 day summer camp. 382 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:50,040 DM me or comment. 383 00:21:50,040 --> 00:22:17,080 Again thank you so much and happy learning.