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NCA Joins Early Childhood Educators at TXAEYC in Frisco, TX

When two entities focus on a common mission, anything is possible. The National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) sees its mission align with the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TXAEYC) without a hint of deviation: To ensure those serving children are provided with the resources needed to help them sprout to unimaginable heights.

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Learning Disabilities and Differences

October is Learning Disability Awareness Month. Children learn many skills in life—how to listen and speak, for example, or how to read, write, and do math. Some skills may be harder to learn than others. If a child has had appropriate learning experiences and instruction, but is not able to keep up with peers, it’s important to find out why and how to help. Our partners at the American Academy of Pediatrics have a blog to help caregivers and parents understand learning disabilities and differences.

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Gardening with Children

Introducing children to gardening can be an enriching experience that fosters a love for nature and promotes an acceptance of healthy foods. The Institute of Child Nutrition’s Mealtime Memo discusses how to engage children in gardening activities to increase their knowledge and acceptance of healthy, local foods.

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Better Together Family Cafes

As a child care provider, you are dedicated to the health and well-being of children. While the care that you provide for these children is crucial, their interactions and experiences at home are just as important. Having a strong relationship with families can have a positive impact on the well-being of those in your care. Our partners at Nemours have developed Better Together Family Cafes as an effective family engagement model.

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Leveraging CACFP for Farm to ECE

When combined, the CACFP and Farm to Early Care Education (Farm to ECE) activities can have an extraordinary impact on children, child care providers, and local communities. FRAC’s report aims to support child care providers to access CACFP and utilize it for eligible Farm to ECE activities by highlighting the mutually beneficial synergy between these initiatives.

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CACFP Indicator for State-Level Obesity Prevention

The CACFP is an indicator for state-level obesity prevention. The inclusion of the CACFP as an indicator for obesity-prevention shows that the CACFP is an important, recognized factor for proper development in the earliest stages of life.

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Barriers and Facilitators of Center-Based ECE Program Participation in the CACFP

In April 2023, the Indiana University CACFP Project Team published a study on the barriers, facilitators, and potential strategies to address center-based participation in the CACFP. One of the key barriers to participation shared by study participants included the cumbersome CACFP paperwork. Facilitators to participation included supports provided by stakeholders and sponsors.

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New Factsheet for ECE Providers from the CDC

CDC created three new fact sheets for Early Care and Education (ECE) providers about Early Child Nutrition and Feeding. The fact sheets offer tips and best practices for supporting breastfeeding families, information about safe storage and handling of breastmilk, and strategies for introducing solid foods.

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First National ECE Workforce Center Launched

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the launch of the new National Early Care and Education Workforce Center. The ECE Workforce Center is the result of a $30 million investment to support research and technical assistance for states, communities, territories, and Tribal Nations to improve the recruitment and retention of a diverse and qualified workforce across early care and education programs.

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