Nutrition in Early Childhood: Shaping a Healthy Future
Training on nutrition basics, menu planning, dietary needs, and child-friendly cooking for early childhood programs.
Course Overview
This course applies to infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children.
Are you looking to learn how to provide balanced, nutritious meals for children? Searching for interesting and fun nutrition education ideas?
Nutrition in Early Childhood: Shaping a Healthy Future is the perfect course for you! This course looks at providing delicious and healthy meals while respecting dietary restrictions.
In it you will learn about important nutrients, infant feeding practices, nutrition education, farm-to-preschool activities, and more! You’ll have access to gardening tips, hands-on activities, recipes that children will love, plus practical advice.
See the learning outcomes and topics below for more information on what is covered in this course.
Choose a course format (online or coursebook) to get started:
Course formats
This course is offered in both our coursebook (with required online component/testing) and our fully online format. This course includes audio narration in most course sections. Click here to learn more about Care Courses’ training formats.
Acceptance information
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This course is accepted in the following states except as indicated:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada - this course is not accepted in the state of Nevada for professional development training hours.
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, DC
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
For state-specific information, see our State Training pages.
This course is not accepted in the state of Nevada for professional development training hours.
The NECPA Commission, Inc. has approved this educational program as meeting the criteria for continuing education for renewing the National Administrator Credential (NAC).
Browse more approved courses: NAC renewal training.
CACFP: CCNP Certification & CMP Certification
This course covers 6 hours in CACFP “Specialty 1. Nutrition” towards obtaining and renewing the CACFP Child Nutrition Professional (CCNP) certification and CACFP Management Professional (CMP) certification.
Learning outcomes
After completing this course you will be able to:
- Identify the building blocks of a healthy diet for children
- Identify how to support, plan, and implement healthy food choices and nutrition education for young children
- Explain the nutritional requirements for children with various dietary restrictions and needs
Topics covered
- The relationship between children’s diets and their health.
- The childcare provider’s role in helping children develop good eating habits.
- The nutrients children’s bodies need to function properly.
- The role of fluids, snacks, and breakfast in children’s diets.
- Feeding practices specific to infant care settings.
- Ways to engage children in the preparation of their own food.
- The importance of respecting children’s dietary restrictions.
What our students say about this course
How Care Courses® Training Works: Details & Support
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Course Details & Support
Prerequisites
- Language: Fluent reading and writing in the language of instruction (English or Spanish).
- Technology: Internet access and a web-enabled device (computer, smartphone, or tablet).
Access & Completion Deadline
- This training expires 12 months from the date of purchase.
- To receive a certificate of completion, you must successfully finish the course before the expiration date.
Learning Methods
- Read instructor-written material
- Watch videos
- Listen to audio segments
Assessments
- Multiple-choice quizzes
- Written assignments
Requirements for CEUs and Clock Hours
To earn CEUs and Clock Hours for a course, you must:
- Agree to and acknowledge our Honor Code & Policy
- Follow all instructions for written assignments
- Demonstrate comprehension of the course content
- Achieve the passing score specified in your course.
Quizzes and Assessments
- If your score falls below the passing mark, a trainer will review your work. If needed, you may be asked to speak with a trainer.
- You will have a second chance to retake any quiz or assessment.
- If you do not pass on your second attempt, contact us at info@carecourses.com. We will review your course and follow up directly.
- All quizzes are open book; all answers are found in the course material.
Certificates
- Official Care Courses certificates of completion record your clock hours and CEUs.
- Certificates are available in the My Courses area of your account.
- Please note: All course and certificate dates and times are on Eastern Time.
Getting Started
- See how our training works on the training process page.
- Watch our course navigation video for a quick tour of the online portal.
- Free Unlimited Assistance
- We’re here to help with training, billing, and technical support questions.
- Phone: 1-800-685-7610 (Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Eastern)
- Email: info@CareCourses.com or techsupport@CareCourses.com (days, evenings, and weekends)
About Care Courses
- Care Courses offers over 50 professional development courses and one non-credit training tutorial on the CDA process.
- All professional development courses include clock hours, CEUs, and an official online certificate of completion.
- (The free CDA tutorial does not offer clock hours or a certificate.)
Tuition & Bundles
- Course tuition entitles one person to receive the clock hours and CEUs granted upon successful completion.
- Bundle pricing covers tuition for all courses included in the bundle.
Policies & Requirements
