BettyAnne White, Small Steps Great Expectations
March 14, 2023
What we do makes a difference and HOW we do it, makes a bigger difference.
I wanted to share this story with all of you because in 20+ years that I have been a part of CACFP, I have received this phone call only once. You may not have received any phone calls, however, this phone really belongs to ALL OF US! What we do in serving quality foods to our most vulnerable people in society goes way beyond the moment we sit down at the table with them. We are often the primary, if not the only example, children and families receive in the “how to” aspect of healthy eating. The work we do matters, this story exemplifies what is happening in each of our programs. It is not “my” story, it is OUR story.
Recently, I received a phone call from a former day care child who is now a 26 year old man. He called me to let me know that his diet is primarily vegetables, along with fish and chicken, BECAUSE OF the foods I served while he was in my childcare program. He just wanted to thank me for changing the trajectory of his life, and his mother’s life.
Recently, I received a phone call from a former day care child who is now a 26 year old man. He called me to let me know that his diet is primarily vegetables, along with fish and chicken, BECAUSE OF the foods I served while he was in my childcare program. He just wanted to thank me for changing the trajectory of his life, and his mother’s life.
When his family first came to my program, they ate ZERO fruits & veggies, their boast of vegetables were tater tots with ketchup…maybe some corn on the side. This is no exaggeration, they didn’t eat bananas, or even canned peaches. The “Special Sunday Morning Breakfast” was microwaved pancakes with pre-cooked breakfast sausage. On top of their lack of exposure, the children were on medication that significantly oppresses their natural hunger response. So I really had to get creative. I started with making protein shakes with tofu & frozen fruits. I would add homemade sugar-free whipped cream, and a light dusting of sprinkles with a straw cut to their size, to make it fun. Then I added spinach on St Patrick’s day. I used various tricks to get them to eat healthier foods, such as using extra butter, salt, and healthy packaged foods such as 100% fruit/veggies bars. I would cut the bars to bite size pieces (for some reason cutting them into bite size pieces made the difference). I offered smaller servings, better presentations, and individual baggie snacks (not sure why this makes a difference, but it does!) As they began to eat more foods, I would wean back on the butter & salt.
The mother of this family and I have remained friends through the years. She now cooks with absolute delight a wide variety of foods for her still growing family. She is adamant against processed foods, and she now has more kitchen gadgets than a chef at a 5-star restaurant!
Quite literally, the food we serve becomes the building blocks for their brains, immune systems, nervous systems, muscles, and the list could go on. Even how the children behave while they are in our care can be directly connected to the food we serve.
We all know that it takes a lot of money to feed the children in our care, which is why the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) wants to see all qualified caregivers to be part of this program. We know this does not cover all our costs to feed children, rather it supplements our food budget to equip us to serve healthier foods to young growing bodies.
The ripple effect of our high standards, can impact both the children who become adults, as well as, the children they will have. I know that my family and my own children’s eating improved after we had joined CACFP. There were so many things I didn’t realize when I was a parent! CACFP, particularly my area coordinator, gave me encouragement and support to stretch the variety of foods I served instead of just sticking to “kid’s food.”
