CHC5721 NUTRITION AND HEALTH IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
3 Credit Hour
Student Level:
This course is open to students on the college level in either freshman or sophomore year.
Catalog Description:
CHC5721 - Nutrition and Health in Early Childhood (3 hrs)
This class is designed for students who will be working with children ages birth through eight. Students will learn the policies regarding nutrition in early child care facilities. Students will look carefully at regulations, elements which compromise a healthy nutrition program, menu planning, sanitation, teaching healthy choices to children, and early learning standards regarding nutrition and food preparation.
Course Classification:
Lecture
Prerequisites:
None
Controlling Purpose:
This course is designed for students who will be working with children ages birth through eight. Students will learn the policies regarding nutrition in early child care facilities. We will look carefully at regulations, elements which compromise a healthy nutrition program, menu planning, sanitation, teaching healthy choices to children, and early learning standards regarding nutrition and food preparation.
Learner Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:
- Outline policies and regulations regarding nutrition in early child care facilities.
- Identify and utilize proper sanitation procedures in food handling practices, and maintaining a sanitary environment, and evaluate appropriateness of the kitchen/eating area.
- Compile a collection of appropriate, healthy recipes to use with children and plan and evaluate menus according to regulations.
- Monitor eating habits of children to ensure a healthy diet, including the need of children to eat frequently, and communicate with families about the dietary needs of the children as well as the foods they prefer.
- Plan activities in which children learn to make healthy food, exercise, and other life choices and habits.
- Include foods from diverse cultures and coordinate food activities with cultural calendar.
- Articulate, analyze, evaluate, and apply current theory, research, and policy on nutrition and health throughout the course.
- Collaborate with the local community to provide nutrition education for young children.
Unit Outcomes for Criterion Based Evaluation:
The following outline defines the minimum core content not including the final examination period. Instructors may add other material as time allows.
UNIT 1: Policies and Regulations
Outcomes: Upon Completion of this unit, students will successfully outline policies and regulations regarding nutrition in early child care facilities.
- Outline policies and regulations regarding nutrition and health in early child care facilities.
- Determine the affects these regulations have on early child care facilities, i.e. building requirements, foods served, employee training, etc.
- Articulate, analyze, evaluate, current theory, research, and policy on nutrition and health.
- Apply current theory, research, and policy on nutrition (continues throughout all units).
UNIT 2: Environment and Sanitation
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will successfully identify and utilize proper sanitation procedures in food handling practices, and maintaining a sanitary environment, and evaluate appropriateness of the kitchen/eating area, as well as plan for education children on healthy sanitation practices.
- Identify and utilize proper sanitation procedures in food handling.
- Identify and utilize proper sanitation procedures in maintaining a sanitary environment.
- Plan lessons and activities to teach proper sanitation procedures in maintaining a sanitary environment.
- Identify regulations regarding the usage and storage of cleaning supplies and chemicals in the kitchen and eating areas.
- Evaluate food preparation and eating environments according to regulations and policies.
UNIT 3: Planning Healthy Menus
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will successfully compile a collection of appropriate, healthy recipes to use with children and plan and evaluate menus according to regulations.
- Find several resources for child friendly, healthy recipe ideas.
- Compile a usable, diverse collection of appropriate, healthy recipes which include breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and beverages.
- Plan menus which comply with early child care regulations and policies.
- Evaluate nutritional values of planned menus and modify where needed.
UNIT 4: Monitoring Nutritional Intake
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will successfully prepare to monitor eating habits of children to ensure a healthy diet, including the need of children to eat frequently, and communicate with families about the dietary needs of the children as well as the foods they prefer.
- Create and evaluate a means of documenting all food served in an early child care facility.
- Create and evaluate a means of monitoring and documenting healthy and unhealthy eating habits of children.
- Create and evaluate means of communicating with families about the dietary needs of children, as well as the foods they prefer.
- Create and evaluate a means of documenting food allergies.
- Create and evaluate a plan for food preparation for a child with food allergies.
UNIT 5: Teaching Nutrition in Early Childhood
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will successfully plan activities in which children learn to make healthy food, exercise, and other life choices and habits.
- Evaluate the need for young children to learn the nutritional value of foods and exercise/movement, and make healthy nutritional decision for themselves.
- Plan activities in which children learn to make healthy food and exercise/movement choices.
- Evaluate the need to familiarize young children with a wide variety of foods, including fruits and vegetables, and where those foods come from.
- Plan lessons and activities which are connected to the Early Learning Standards.
- Evaluate the benefit of involving children in growing their own fruits and vegetables in a garden.
UNIT 6: Diversity
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will successfully include foods from diverse cultures and coordinate food activities with cultural calendar.
Identify the benefits of introducing young children to culturally diverse foods.
- Include foods from diverse cultures and coordinate age appropriate food activities with cultural calendar.
UNIT 7: Collaboration
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will successfully prepare to collaborate with the local community to provide nutrition and health education for young children.
- Identify community groups with which to collaborate on nutritional and general health education.
- Identify local issues or concerns regarding health and nutrition.
- Create a plan to collaborate with various community members or groups in order to educate young children about nutrition.
Projects Required:
- Compile a collection of appropriate, healthy recipes to be used in an early child care facility.
- Plan and evaluate menus which comply with early child care regulations and policies.
- Create and evaluate means of documenting various issues regarding nutrition.
- Plan lessons and activities which are connected to the Early Learning Standards.
- Create a plan to collaborate with various community members or groups in order to educate young children about nutrition.
Textbook:
Contact Bookstore for current textbook.
Materials/Equipment Required:
Attendance Policy:
Students should adhere to the attendance policy outlined by the instructor in the course syllabus.
Grading Policy:
The grading policy will be outlined by the instructor in the course syllabus.
Maximum class size:
Based on classroom occupancy
Course Time Frame:
The U.S. Department of Education, Higher Learning Commission, and the Kansas Board of Regents define credit hour and have specific regulations that the college must follow when developing, teaching, and assessing the educational aspects of the college. A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally-established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester hour of credit or an equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time. The number of semester hours of credit allowed for each distance education or blended hybrid courses shall be assigned by the college based on the amount of time needed to achieve the same course outcomes in a purely face-to-face format.
Refer to the following policies:
402.00 Academic Code of Conduct
263.00 Student Appeal of Course Grades
403.00 Student Code of Conduct
Disability Services Program:
Cowley College, in recognition of state and federal laws, will accommodate a student with a documented disability. If a student has a disability which may impact work in this class which requires accommodations, contact the Disability Services Coordinator.
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