A University of Nebraska-Lincoln initiative is aiming to improve rural childcare and promote healthy eating habits in young children from low-income families.
The Healthy Children, Healthy Communities initiative is a five-year professional development training program and research study funded by the National Institutes of Health, with additional support from Nebraska Extension in cooperation with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The program focuses on helping childcare providers promote healthy eating habits, shaping the environment for healthy growth among rural kids and preventing obesity and chronic diseases.
Carly Applegarth is with the program as a food nutrition and health educator.
“It really did come from our research team, noticing that a lot of research was not focusing on rural family, childcare homes, and that what research was out there was showing that they had the most limited access to resources,” Applegarth said. “We were hearing the need, that they needed more support and more training.”
Dipti Dev, Betti and Richard Robinson associate professor and extension specialist in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies at UNL, said there were various factors that led to the project for rural communities.
“So, based on our research and also reviewing research that has already been done, overall, children in rural communities are at a higher risk for obesity and chronic disease compared to their urban counterparts, so that was really important for us,” Dev said.
To participate in the program, childcare providers need to be residents of rural counties, be licensed and have at least two children between the ages of three and five attending their program.
The 16-week online training is available at no cost for those who qualify, and it continues for the next three years. The deadline to apply for this year is Sept. 20.
