Nutrition and Menu Planning

Infant Meal Pattern Requirements and Guidance

• Meal Pattern – English | Spanish | Haitian
• USDA Feeding Infants Guide
• USDA Feeding Infants Trainer’s Tools
• Creditable Infant Formulas
• Foreign-Made Infant Formulas

Infant Feeding Forms

• Infant Feeding Form – English | Spanish | Haitian

Creditable Foods

• USDA Crediting Handbook
• WIC Cereal List – English | Spanish | Haitian
• Feeding Infants Using Ounce Equivalents for Grains

Menu Planning Tools

• Worksheets for Infants – 5 day | 7 day
• Standard Infant Menu – English | Spanish

Breastfeeding Support

Both mothers and children who are breastfed experience lasting health benefits. Providing a breastfeeding-friendly atmosphere at your child care center or home can encourage moms to continue breastfeeding after returning to work or school.

Complete the child care facility self-assessment to find out if your child care facility qualifies. If your facility meets all six standards and has a breastfeeding policy, you may qualify to receive Florida’s Child Care Food Program’s Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Facility designation.

• Creating a Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Facility
• Application for Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Facility designation – English | Spanish

Parent Education Materials

Child Meal Pattern Requirements and Guidance

• Meal Pattern – English | Spanish | Haitian
• USDA Meal Pattern Tools
• Mealtimes with Toddlers Resources

Creditable Foods and Food Purchasing

• Food Buying Guide
• USDA Crediting Handbook

Grains

• Exhibit A – Grains/Breads Requirement – English
• Common Grain Ingredients
• Creditable Grains
• Identifying Whole Grain-Rich Foods
• Identifying Whole Grain-Rich
• Using Ounce Equivalents for Grains
• USDA Grains Ounce Equivalents Resources
• Grain Based-Dessert Guidance
• WIC Foods and Lists by Age and Type
• Cereal Shapes and Oz Equivalent

Menu Planning

• Introducing New Foods to Young Children
• Menu Planning and Record Book for Day Care Homes
• Menu Planning Worksheets for Children – 5 day | 7 day
• Menu Review Checklist – English | Spanish
• Sample Menus for Child Care
• Tips for Feeding a Vegetarian
• Cereal fact sheet – English | Spanish
• Yogurt fact sheet – English | Spanish
• USDA Meal Pattern

Standardized Recipes

• Child Nutrition Recipe Box
• Lunch/Supper Recipes
• Snack Recipes

USDA Recipes for Healthy Kids

• Cookbook for Centers
• Cookbook for Homes
• Step-by-Step Recipe Standardization Guide

Farm to Preschool (F2PS) encompasses efforts to serve local or regionally produced foods in early child care and education settings; provide hands-on learning activities such as gardening, farm visits, and culinary activities; and integrate food-related education into curriculum.

• Getting Started – Florida Farm to Preschool Guide
• USDA Resources
• Farm to Early Care and Education
• Farm to ECE: Getting Started
• Farm to ECE Fact Sheet
• National Farm to School Network

Florida Farm to Preschool for Early Care and Education Providers
Created by the Florida Department of Health, Children and Families, and Agriculture and Consumer Services, this guide brings the farm to preschool with quick tips on outside play, school gardens and locally-produced foods.

Benefits of Joining

• Opportunity to increase access to healthy environments for improved early eating habits and obesity prevention
• Young children learn where their food comes from
• Increases children’s willingness to try new foods
• Encourages lifelong healthy eating habits
• Promotes physical activity through gardening activities

• Accommodating Children with Special Dietary Needs
• Special Needs Meals: English | Spanish | Haitian
• Food Allergy Fact Sheets
• Milk Substitutes and Creditable Milks
• Tips for Feeding a Vegetarian

Fact Sheets

• Food Resources for Florida’s Families
• Food Safety in Your Home
• Fruit and Veggies: More Matters
• Make Mealtime Family Time

• Introduction: A Dozen Ways to Be Healthy
• Lesson 1: Choose MyPlate
• Lesson 2: Heart Healthy
• Lesson 3: Whole Grain Choo-Choo Train
• Lesson 4: I Have a Healthy Body
• Lesson 5: A is for Apple
• Lesson 6: Moove to Lowfat Dairy
• Lesson 7: Let’s Take a Trip to the Grocery Store
• Lesson 8: Snacking Smart, Moving More!
• Lesson 9: It’s Fun to Eat Fruits and Veggies
• Lesson 10: Healthy Smiles
• Lesson 11: Be Wise About Your Portion Size
• Lesson 12: Why We Wash Our Hands

Children’s Books

• Do you know the Lub-Dub Song?
• Carlos and Clarice Mooove to Lowfat Milk – English and Spanish
• Give Me 5 a Day – English | Spanish
• Whole Grain Choo-Choo Train – English | Spanish