skip to main contentskip to footer

Quick links

  • Athletics
  • Make a gift
  • Student portal
  • Job openings
  • Employee directory
  • Explore
  • Costs
  • Admissions
Explore U of I
  • Visit and virtual tour
  • Student life
  • Find your degree
  • Get around campus
  • Meet Moscow
  • Join our email list
  • Events
  • ZeeMee
  • Athletics
Academics
  • Academic calendar
  • Find a major
  • Academic support
  • Undergrad research opportunities
  • Meet the colleges
  • Online learning
  • Explore in-demand careers
Admissions
  • Meet your counselor
  • Deadlines
  • First-year students
  • Graduate students
  • Law students
  • Online students
  • Transfer students
  • International students
  • Admitted students
Financial aid
  • Cost of attendance
  • Steps for financial aid
  • FAFSA information
  • Financial aid FAQs
  • In-state scholarships
  • Out-of-state and international scholarships
  • Connect with financial aid
More
  • Student life
  • Research
  • Recreational offerings
  • Student resources
  • Alumni
  • Parents
  • Newsroom
  • Events
  • Sustainability initiatives
Find your passion - Explore majors Become a Vandal - Start an application
  • Student portal
  • Make a gift
  • Directory
  • Athletics
Events
Join the Boise Vandal Block Party
RSVP to join alumni, students and friends at the fourth annual event Aug. 26.
Uncover AsiaPOP! Dark
Explore the frightening side of Asian pop culture at AsiaPOP! Dark, with speakers, exhibits and film screenings through Sept. 11.
Join the Auditorium Chamber Music Series
Hear internationally acclaimed violinist Rachel Barton Pine and pianist Matthew Hagle Sept. 17.
Events
News
Two individuals stand outdoors under palm trees, smiling and gesturing towards the camera, with greenery and clear blue sky in the background.
Vandals upgrade the internship model
A person is leaning over a field of golden wheat with a cloud-streaked sky and distant mountains in the background.
U of I hires nematologist
News
Support a Vandal - Give to U of I
  • Explore
  • Costs
  • Admissions
  • Explore
  • Academics
  • Admissions
  • Financial Aid
  • Student life
  • Research
  • Recreational offerings
  • Student resources
  • Alumni
  • Parents
  • Newsroom
  • Events
  • Sustainability initiatives
  1. Home/
  2. Extension/
  3. Publications/
  4. BUL-1056

Healthy Mealtimes in Early Childcare

BUL-1056

A publication cover

BY Annie Roe, Kathryn Hickok, Shelly Johnson, Kali Gardiner, Becky Woodhouse, Kristin Hansen, Heather Whitehead

December 1, 2025

Proper nutrition for children younger than five years old is vitally important to establish for their growth and development. It’s a critical life stage, during which they develop their relationship to food, a connection that lays the foundation for lifelong dietary patterns. Learn how to instill healthy mealtime habits as a childcare provider (day care, preschool, or prekindergarten) in this dynamic, eleven-page bulletin. Strategies include menu planning that highlights whole foods, setting the best mealtime atmosphere, integrating nutrition education, and more. A handy scorecard helps you to apply these techniques consistently; five pages of resources provide examples of all the strategies, including hyperlinks to even more resources, including those from the United States Department of Agriculture and University Extension.Proper nutrition for children younger than five years old is vitally important to establish for their growth and development. It’s a critical life stage, during which they develop their relationship to food, a connection that lays the foundation for lifelong dietary patterns. Learn how to instill healthy mealtime habits as a childcare provider (day care, preschool, or prekindergarten) in this dynamic, eleven-page bulletin. Strategies include menu planning that highlights whole foods, setting the best mealtime atmosphere, integrating nutrition education, and more. A handy scorecard helps you to apply these techniques consistently; five pages of resources provide examples of all the strategies, including hyperlinks to even more resources, including those from the United States Department of Agriculture and University Extension.Proper nutrition for children younger than five years old is vitally important to establish for their growth and development. It’s a critical life stage, during which they develop their relationship to food, a connection that lays the foundation for lifelong dietary patterns. Learn how to instill healthy mealtime habits as a childcare provider (day care, preschool, or prekindergarten) in this dynamic, eleven-page bulletin. Strategies include menu planning that highlights whole foods, setting the best mealtime atmosphere, integrating nutrition education, and more. A handy scorecard helps you to apply these techniques consistently; five pages of resources provide examples of all the strategies, including hyperlinks to even more resources, including those from the United States Department of Agriculture and University Extension.

Related Topics

Food preparationHealth and wellbeing

Publication links

  • BUL1056 - Healthy Mealtimes in Early Childcare

Related stories

Explore all stories

Footer

Extension publications

Start your application
Joe Vandal graphic

Footer Navigation

Resources

  • Jobs
  • Privacy statement
  • Web accessibility
  • Title IX

Campus

  • Directory
  • Map
  • Safety
  • Events

Information For

  • Prospective students
  • Current students
  • Parents
  • Employees
Logo

University of Idaho

875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844

208-885-6111

info@uidaho.edu

Engage with U of I on Facebook. Get the latest U of I updates on X. Catch up with U of I on Instagram. Grow your professional network by connecting with U of I on LinkedIn. Interact with University of Idaho's video content on YouTube. Connect with current University of Idaho students on ZeeMee and learn more about campus life.
Support a Vandal - Give to U of I
  • Athletics
  • News
  • Policies

© 2026 University of Idaho