2023 Research & Resources

Learn about the significance of nutrition in early childhood brain development and its relationship to learning and behavior. Identify nutrients for healthy brain development and beneficial properties for growth in early childhood.

Access to child care is critical for families’ well-being, but child care providers have experienced increased financial hardship during the pandemic. This takes a toll on their emotional well-being, which has the potential to impact the care they provide to children adversely.

Are you interested in Farm to ECE but unsure of where to begin? Discover how we assisted child care programs in two counties in North Carolina to implement Farm to ECE at their sites. Get our best practices for how to guide programs with attainable and sustainable strategies that have proven successful.

Discover how free lunch affects nutrition and how effective compostable utensils are at reducing food waste based on survey results of BSD students.

We hear “avoid processed food” (PF) often. Is that sound nutrition advice even if the basis of some PF categorizations is neither processing nor nutritional quality, but the presence of ≥6 ingredients or additives including nutrients? Wise PF choices build nutritious diets and optimize scarce resources including time and money.

Wondering how to introduce children to STEM in the kitchen? Learn basic principles with fun hands-on experiments designed to introduce children to the scientific process. Get resources to implement STEM concepts using household tools and age-appropriate tasks to make connections to a young child’s real world.

Explore a nature-based program that teaches children how to be grateful and respectful of every living thing in our environment. Get ideas to infuse nature into your program to create an enriching environment that invites children to connect with their natural world.

Ready to grow? Explore the many benefits of gardening with the children in your care. Learn about indoor and outdoor gardening activities to try in your classrooms. A love of gardening and dirt are not required.

Mindful movements can be done at any time during the day, not only providing relaxation and peace to children, but also to your staff. Learn about the benefits of physical activity and mindfulness, how to bring these into child care settings, and how to use mindful movements in our daily lives.

Meal programs are an important outreach tool, but what if your meal program also connected kids with others in their community and had business leaders helping out? Find out the potential with us. Bonus – all the ideas involved are cost-free!