This week we are delighted to offer you an article by PhD student Ruth Wallace who has developed a unique online resource for early childhood educators and carers interested in learning about promoting excellent nutrition in early childhood settings.
The SNACWA website is available to services across the country and you simply need to fill in a quick registration form to access the resources.
Supporting Nutrition for Australian Childcare
by Ruth Wallace
Early childhood is an important time for growth, and nutrition in particular plays an essential role in a child's physical, social and emotional development, contributing significantly to good health as an adult. As more than 1 million children now attend some form of early years service, this sector is an important setting, not only for the provision of nutritious foods, but also for the child to learn healthy food habits which will remain with them through to adulthood.
However, research has shown that, for a number of reasons, providing nutritious food and promoting a healthy eating environment is not always an easy task for early years educators. WA research from the mid-1990s established a need for more training and support for the early years industry and from this, the Start Right Eat Right accreditation scheme was implemented. However, whilst running successfully for a number of years in WA and then SA, the scheme lost government funding after the introduction of the National Quality Standards, and is no longer operational.
|
