Karen Schneider

Karen joined CACFP because of the resources and support to teach nutrition to children and parents. At mealtimes, they discuss questions like “what makes a healthy breakfast” and “what do you know about vegetables?” At the end of the day, parents might arrive to a pick-up time picnic or a tea party where they see all of the healthy foods their children will eat when given the opportunity.

Weaving a pre-K curriculum together with nutrition is not difficult for Karen. She takes books like Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar and discusses how sick the caterpillar felt after eating all the junk food and how that also affects our bodies. Another favorite is Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. She uses this for her picky eaters and reminds them that Sam liked it once he tried it. When children do not want to taste a recipe, she even uses the phrase "Sam I am."

Karen loves to stimulate the children’s imagination through exploration of food choices. On Pirates Day, the children create their own treasure map pizza where they use red bell peppers for an X to mark the spot and broccoli pieces as trees. When learning about rainbows, the children create their own veggie and fruit rainbow, mixing all of the colors together. Karen works to make all nutritional learning fun and creative. Her goal is to have healthy, happy kids for a lifetime, not just while they are in her care.