Optimal Nutrition enhances a young child’s ability to learn and enriches his quality of life. Cleveland County School District Head Start complies with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutritional guidelines when planning menus and implementing nutrition education.
CCSDHS requires that food is handled, stored, and prepared properly to prevent food borne illness, such as E. Coli infection or Salmonella poisoning. Head Start mandates hand washing, cleaning, and disinfecting kitchen surfaces before and after handling food; washing raw fruits and vegetables; keeping raw meat separate from the produce.
Nutritional Services:
- Nutritional and growth assessments for each Head Start Child
- Healthy meals that meet two-thirds of a child’s RDA daily requirements
- Nutrition education and training for families, children, and staff
- Monthly Nutrition Experiences consisting of food preparation and activities to expose children to new foods
- Counseling resources for families whose children are at nutritional risk
- Nutritional resources (books, pamphlets, posters, videos, and other material)
- Family style meals (adults sit with the children and engage in conversation)
Links:
Food Experience Curriculum
