Eleven youth groups, with 198 children total, at Dawson Orman Headstart were taught by a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Educator (SNAP-Ed) through the Nutrition Education Program in Jefferson County. Children around the preschool age should be introduced the most basic information about food groups, so the SNAP-Ed Assistant focused solely on each of the five food groups throughout each of the six lessons, which is known as MyPlate.

                Lessons were presented by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Educator (SNAP-Ed) with the Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Service using a combination of the “Discover MyPlate” curriculum and the Literacy, Eating and Activity for Preschool/Primary (LEAP) curriculum. Each of the curriculums focused on all five of the food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy (along with physical activity). During one of the lessons, the book “D.W. the Picky Eater” was read by the assistant. While reading, the assistant passed a spinach leaf around the classroom to relate food to the book. The children were able to use senses, such as touch, smell, and vision to become more familiar with a food that might not have originally been consumed by preschoolers. After the story was completed, the assistant encouraged the preschoolers to try a spinach salad recipe, which included spinach, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, and raspberry vinaigrette.

                After the six lessons with the youth groups, the teachers stated the children were more likely to consider and choose to try new foods that had been sampled in class. The assistant also noticed the children were more likely to ask for seconds. The children also practiced categorizing each of the five food groups, and they showed improvement in being able to identify and recognize which foods fell under which food groups. The teachers loved the program so much, they invited the assistant to come back and teach for the next year!