Make a Very Berry Smoothie to Celebrate CACFP Week
Small Bites Adventure Club is teaming up with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Early Learning to provide CACFP providers with free resources to lead hands-on cooking with their youngest learners!
Starting today, teachers can sign up to receive free digital resources to celebrate CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) Week by making Very Berry Smoothie Recipe. (The platform opens on February 29.) The digital resource kit includes step-by-step PDF instructions, videos, family engagement activities, and more!
Georgia childcare providers to receive a free resource kit mailed to their school.
The activity is linked to standards and is a simple, fun way to engage kids in trying new things.
”One of the most important things we can do for young children is give them early and positive experiences with veggies and fruits. Childcare providers are on the front lines every day, and they form a special connection with their students. Our goal is to give these teachers easy, high-quality resources to lead impactful food education” shares Erin Croom, CEO and founder of Small Bites Adventure Club.
Carolyn Pleasant, owner of Pleasant Family Childcare in Decatur, GA, registered for the activity last month, and is looking forward to getting her students cooking healthy foods. She states, “Hands-on cooking opens up the opportunity for exposure to new foods for the kids as well as teaching other skills like colors, kitchen safety, and how the body works!”
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults who are enrolled for care at participating child care centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers, as well as afterschool programming. In FY2023, CACFP operators across Georgia served over 64,883,038 meals to children and adults.
This project is funded in part by the USDA Farm to School Grant via Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL). USDA's Farm to School grants are an important way to help state, regional, and local organizations as they initiate, expand, and institutionalize farm to school efforts.
Children across age groups should consume, at minimum, two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables daily. The 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health found that 1 in 3 children do not eat fruit daily and 1 in 2 children do not eat vegetables daily (CDC, 2023).
Educators can sign up at smallbites.club/cacfp
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Small Bites Adventure Club is a social impact venture based in Atlanta, GA with a mission to help children discover, eat and love fruits and vegetables. Small Bites Adventure Club creates turnkey food education resources for childcare, after school program and PreK- 5th grade educators. To date, Small Bites Adventure Club has reached over 330 schools, child care and afterschool programs and served over 128,400 bites of fruits and veggies to children. Connect with us on Instagram!
Bright from the Start/Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Nutrition Services Division The Nutrition Services Division of Bright from the Start administers the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and Happy Helpings, Georgia’s Summer Food Service Program. These federal nutrition programs, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), ensure eligible children and adults have access to nutritious meals and snacks.
National CACFP Week is a national education and information campaign sponsored annually the third week of March by the National CACFP Sponsors Association. It is designed to raise awareness of how the USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) works to combat hunger.
The CACFP is a federally funded program that provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks to children and adults in a day care environment. Providers include child care centers, day care homes, after school care programs, adult day care centers, and emergency shelters. CACFP contributes to the wellness, healthy growth, and development of young children and adults across the U.S.