CHILDREN

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CHILDREN FEEDING TIME
Gold Sneaker Policy 1.6

• Why Does it Matter?

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Policy 1.6

• Ensure appropriate infant and child feeding
  patterns, including adequate time for meal
  consumption. Adequate time for meals and snacks
  will be allowed for all children, and will be
  included in classroom lesson plans.

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Further Information

• Ensure that children are allowed at least 20
  minutes to eat a meal breakfast, lunch or
  dinner.
• That time amount, 20 minutes, should consist of
  the actual time the child is sitting down with
  food in front of them.
• This 20 minutes DOES NOT include the time to wash
  hands, assemble try or plate, or collect other
  items needed for the dining experience.

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Why is this Important?

• Establishes healthy eating habits
• Students need time to eat adequate amounts of
  food to meet their nutritional needs, which is
  essential for optimal student health and
  behavior.
• Children will enjoy their food more and may try
  more healthy options if they can relax, eat, and
  socialize without feeling rushed.
• Takes time for your stomach to realize it is full!

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Implement It!

• Implementation Packet Review
• Change policy
• Follow up staff training, monitoring
• Documentation

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CHILDREN FOOD PORTION SIZE
Gold Sneaker Policy 1.7

• Why Does it Matter?

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Policy 1.7

• Ensure appropriate infant and child feeding
  patterns, including appropriate portion sizes.
  Appropriate portion sizes will be assured through
  staff training and will be monitored by random
  spot checks for each age group on a monthly
  basis.

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DID YOU KNOW

• In very young children, food intake appears to be
  relatively unaffected by portion size.
• Rather than responding to portion size, they are
  able to self-regulate their intake by responding
  to physiologic cues for hunger and fullness.

BECAUSE
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However

• As children age, internal cues have less effect
  on food intake. External factors become a
  stronger influence.

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IN ONE STUDY

• Different portions of macaroni cheese were
  served to 5 year old children, they ate
  significantly more food as the portion size was
  increased. This increased occurred although
  their hunger did not differ at the start of the
  meals.

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ANOTHER STUDY FOUND

• Four year old children ate 25 more when they
  were served an entrée that was twice the size of
  an age-appropriate portion.
• Four year old children who were rewarded for
  cleaning their plate increased their food intake.

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BUT (AND THIS IS BIG)

• Children who were taught to focus on internal
  cues, indicated by fullness in their stomachs,
  ate an appropriate amount of food.

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UNFORTUNATELY

• The response to portion size by children could be
  a learned behavior that leads to a shift of
  attention away from internal hunger cues toward
  food cues in the external environment.
• A lack of response to fullness signals may lead
  children to overeat in an environment in which
  large portions of tasty foods are readily
  available.

SO
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Get this

• The influence of large portions on intake has
  been shown to be moderated simply by allowing
  children to serve themselves.

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And yet another study

• Showed that children ate 25 less of a large
  entrée when they decided for themselves how much
  food to put on their plates compared with when
  they were served the large portion by an adult.

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To help kids eat appropriate portions

• 1) Provide children with a variety of nutritious
  foods and, whenever possible, allow them to
  decide how much they will eat by serving
  themselves.
• 2) Encourage children to recognize hunger and
  fullness cues and to rely on these cues for the
  start and finish of eating.
• 3) Children should not be required to clean their
  plates nor be rewarded for doing so.

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Implement It!

• Implementation Packet Review
• Change policy
• Follow up staff training, monitoring
• Documentation see next slide

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Serving Sizes Documentation

• Reference Child and Adult Care Food Program Meal
  Pattern for Children
• Reprinted in implementation packet
• Random Spot Checks
• Monthly
• Each age group after age 1
• Document, keep on file and available if needed
  for Gold Sneaker monitoring
• Spot Check
• Measuring cups should be used for monthly spot
  checks