Sponsor Spotlight: Enrique Viejon Jr. with Educare of Washington DC
Sponsor and Operator of Head Start
June 1, 2026
Enrique Viejon Jr. is the Comprehensive Services Manager at Educare of Washington DC (Educare DC). Educare DC is a research-based, high-quality early childhood education program that serves children and families in Ward 7 and 8 of the District of Columbia. The organization was founded with the goal of eliminating the opportunity gap for children living in poverty. Educare DC runs two centers in DC that participate in the Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
Enrique has been with Educare DC for four years and oversees the health and nutrition services, including the CACFP, for their two sites. He also oversees four other child care sites in DC for the CACFP. In total, these six sites serve nutritious meals to 375 children through the CACFP each day.
The four sites that Educare DC sponsors have their own kitchen and prepare meals on site each day. In addition to their monitoring responsibilities, Enrique and his team support their kitchen staff with food allergy training and ensure meals comply with the CACFP, as well as providing health and nutrition education for the sites.
At their two affiliated locations, Educare DC purchases meals from a vendor for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. Educare DC provides the equipment and tools needed for all of their classrooms to practice family-style dining. Enrique sees the benefits that family-style dining has on children’s engagement with nutrition and recognizes the important role teachers play in encouraging and modeling healthy eating.
“We try to get the children more involved in the nutrition program. I’ve seen some classrooms giving assignments to the kids to prepare the table or putting them in charge of milk or water. They are being given responsibility to help them become independent, to share with their peers and to be a community.”
Educare DC also provides a lot of nutrition education inside and outside of the classroom. Through Fresh Farm’s Food Prints Program, Educare DC provides nutrition education in the classroom to teach children about the food they eat and how to prepare it. Educare DC’s flagship location also has an on-site garden where children learn how food grows. This allows them to be actively involved in planting, watering, gathering and tasting the foods in the garden.
After getting inspired by a Family Engagement presentation at the 2026 National Child Nutrition Conference, Enrique has made it his goal this year to get parents and families more involved in nutrition. As a first step, Educare DC has kicked off a program for families to help out in the garden and get their hands dirty. Through this program, Enrique hopes to build a community where parents and children can bond and turn healthy eating into a fun family adventure.
Families have also been able to see the benefits of the CACFP through the evolution of their children’s eating habits. To Enrique, this positive change is a team effort that requires healthy modeling in the classroom and at home.
“What we try to do is to get a lot of education involving parents. Sometimes they come to the classroom and participate in demonstrations. We also try to encourage families to get their children involved in preparing food at home, even just having the children watch their parents prepare dinner. Involving children in food preparation is something that is worthwhile, because they learn, and whatever they see is what they practice.”
The benefits of proper nutrition and nutrition education are clear and is why Enrique continues to be passionate about the CACFP and would encourage other child care programs to participate.
“Joining the CACFP is one of the most rewarding investments you can make because it fuels every part of a child’s day. When children have access to consistent, high-quality meals, you will see a remarkable shift. They will become focused and attentive in the classroom, turning meal times into a foundation for learning, sharing, and being responsible. The CACFP provides steady nutrition for children’s physical and cognitive growth. With the CACFP, you are giving them the energy to explore, to play, and to hit those critical development milestones. By participating in the CACFP, you aren’t just feeding kids, you’re nourishing their potential, ensuring that every child that walks through your center is ready to thrive.”
With proper nutrition, children are healthier, more energized, and ready to learn. Enrique believes their effort is worth it to see the positive outcomes the CACFP has on the children that they serve. For that reason, Enrique is motivated to continue to expand their gardening initiatives and get more families involved in their children’s nutrition education to make sure healthy eating also translates to the child’s home.
Enrique has been with Educare of Washington DC since 2022.