Twelve youth groups, with 224 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 the Literacy, Eating and Activity for Preschool/Primary (LEAP) curriculum. The curriculum 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 “The Smelly Ghost” was read by the assistant. This book focuses on eating healthy foods in order to be the best and feel the best. After reading, the assistant made an “All Fruit Smoothie” for the kids to try. This recipe had the following ingredients: apple, orange juice, pineapple, banana, and mango. The children were able to use their vision sense to become more familiar with a food that might not have originally been consumed by preschoolers, which would particularly be the mango.

                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 (or even thirds!). 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!