Family Nutrition Program

Virginia Family Nutrition Program: Eat Smart Move MoreThe risk factors for poor nutrition and physical inactivity begin early in life. The Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Family Nutrition Program would like to partner with you to lower these risk factors by offering a variety of free youth and parent education resources.

Primary Curriculum-LEAP

(Literacy, Eating and Activity for Preschoolers) -- This curriculum was designed to be used with children aged 3 to 5 years and was developed through a collaborative partnership with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension, Kentucky Cardiovascular Coalition, and School and Community Nutrition Department of Education.

In Virginia, we provide the curriculum training, ongoing support, and a curriculum kit containing the facilitator guide, 10 storybooks and a music CD that encourages physical activity. In addition, we provide parent newsletters that correspond with the children’s lessons. These colorful newsletters share nutrition, food safety and physical activity tips as well as easy, delicious and economical recipes.

Parent Outreach

Virginia Head Start parents have the opportunity to learn to make healthy choices for themselves and their children through a series of workshops offered by local Family Nutrition Program Assistants. These workshops are free and can be conducted at Head Start parent meetings or at other convenient times and locations.

Web Resources

The Family Nutrition Program has a variety of nutrition and healthy lifestyle content available for use in electronic formats. A series of nutrition messages targeted towards families with young children can be incorporated into local Head Start websites’ Parent Portals. Additionally, we are developing a series of fact sheets on common nutritional topics for families with young children that reinforce the nutrition message series, such as dealing with picky eating, providing relaxing meal times and advice on healthy weights for young children. Visit the website.

For a more interactive component to local Head Start websites, the Family Nutrition Program has video podcasts targeting healthy lifestyle behaviors. These videos can be embedded into your own website or linked to from the Family Nutrition Program’s website.

If your Head Start organization has entered into social media, the Family Nutrition Program has a very active Facebook (www.facebook.com/vafnp) and Twitter (@vafnp) presence and encourages you to connect to and share our nutrition and physical activity content. Please keep a lookout for our upcoming expansion of social media efforts to include a new blog, weight control video series and more in the near future.

For more information on how to utilize the Family Nutrition Program’s resources in your organization, please contact [email protected].