“Learning Healthier Lifestyles at an Early Age”

Children learn what they live, is a statement we may hear quite often; this can stand true for many things, and especially nutrition.  If children are only given junk food, then that’s what they will eat and want to eat.  But introducing children to good healthy fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy, and whole grains at an early age can help shape them and their health for the remainder of their lives. 

Recently the Nutrition Education Program Senior Assistant in Grayson County, KY taught Nutrition Education to 68 kindergartens at a local elementary school.  The curriculum that was used was Learning, Eating and Activities for Preschoolers (LEAP).  Each student was given an age-appropriate survey to learn the extent of their knowledge about exercise and nutrition. Once the series of six classes was completed, the survey was given again to determine how much of the information the students retained.

72% of students reported being more active; 68% were able to recognize fruits and vegetables as a healthy snack, and 99% of the students were able to recognize dairy foods and reported eating more of them. 

As you can see, the Nutrition Education Program has made a great impact on the kindergarten students in Grayson County, KY.