SCOTTDALE, Ga. — A new report shows that more than half of young children in Georgia are missing out on important nutrition critical for their development.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a state-by-state breakdown showing kids choose sugary drinks over fruits and vegetables. But there are efforts to reverse that trend already underway in metro Atlanta.
"Meal time is fun. It's engaging," Morgan Birch, Director of Programs and Operations at Scottdale Early Learning, said. "Teachers are asking questions. Talking about the taste of the food, the texture, the smells.'
Scottdale is one of the beneficiaries of the Child Care Food Program, a partnership between Quality Care for Children and the USDA. Participants receive monthly reimbursements to help cover the cost of healthy meals and snack expenses.
"Inflation has taken over the world," Birch said. "So they do provide us with financial support and show us what quality looks like."
A recent report from the CDC points to such programs as critical support amid new numbers showing kids under five are missing out on crucial nutrients.
According to the data, Georgia parents report that 52% of kids did not eat a vegetable every day, and 62% missed a daily dose of fruit. Yet, nearly 63% of kids are drinking sugary drinks.
Quality Care for Children provides not only financial support but also additional resources to help expose kids to healthy eating at an early age.
"Nutrition is a big piece of quality and healthy development," Ellyn Cochran, President and CEO of Quality Care for Children, said. "We come in to provide reimbursement for those meals, but we also come in to provide training and resources to make sure kids not only have access but choose those foods."
According to experts, it can take ten times for a child to try a new food before they like it. Just last month, Scottdale's staff introduced 20 varieties of fruit and vegetables supporting that effort.
"Not many families are able to offer that type of variety every month," Cochran said. "So this is an opportunity for children to be introduced early."
The hope is kids will build an appetite for fresh, healthy foods while centers are helped with the cost.
"The cost of childcare is high," Cochran said. "Providing quality care is expensive, and anything we can do to make sure children are receiving healthy nutritious meals and that sites can afford to pay for them is now more important than ever."
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