Many may recognize this verse from Proverbs. However, this message can be applied across many areas of life. Children should be taught at an early age to stop for a stop sign, never touch the stove as a burner may be hot, follow the law to stay out of trouble, etc. But what about nutrition? When it is too soon to talk about vitamins and nutrients? Nutrition.gov explains that children as young as two can begin comprehending reinforced messages and goes on to say that we should actually begin “teaching” about nutrition as soon as food consumption begins. 

Children will develop their own tastes eventually, but they will most likely mimic the habits of those around them. When parents and caregivers make healthy food decisions, their children will usually follow. We also know in today’s society that children had buying influence (either through requested purchases or actual purchases) of $18 billion dollars in 2019 per a study conducted by Packaged Facts. These facts influence the decision for SNAP-Ed to allow for nutrition education guidelines to include youth as young as two years of age in the last grant cycle. 

The SNAP-Ed Program Coordinator fostered a new relationship with Western Hills High School and through that program was able to also offer programming to the preschool classroom on their campus. This group of youngsters were visited weekly for seven weeks to discuss MyPlate with MP Saurus. The class was given a weekly taste test of new foods to try using the Two Bite Club book and reinforcements such as stickers for trying two bites of new foods with MP. The class would then take their weekly newsletters home to their parents to encourage discussion about what they’d learned that day and do their “homework” coloring sheet and return to the school to put displayed on the bulletin board. The class also grew bean plants as a visual reinforcement for how food grows and what a protein can be when it’s not meat. 

This age group does not complete entry and exits like older groups. However, by the end of the program, the students could tell you about MyPlate, name the five food groups, and share with others about the new foods they were trying at home! Beginning at an early age can encourage healthy eating habits for a lifetime. It can also influence the eating habits of a family when the youngest member wants to trade in ice cream for yogurt!