The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Community Nutrition Team provides guidance for programs participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, Non-School Special Milk Program, and Summer Food Service Program.

Wellness in Early Care and Education (website) – provides links to resources on nutrition, physical activity, curriculum ideas, family outreach, and wellness policy promotion.

Active Early & Healthy Bites  (website) – Active Early & Healthy Bites are companion guides designed to support healthier environments for children in the early care and education setting by improving physical activity and nutrition in the program. Active Early focuses on physical activity while Healthy Bites focuses on healthy eating, nutrition environments, and supporting the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal patterns. The guides are based on current science, public health research, and national recommendations. Also available in Spanish

Wisconsin’s Physical Activity and Nutrition Road Map  (pdf) – Serves as a starting point to understand key data, community needs, evidence-based strategies, and the infrastructure needed to implement physical activity and nutrition initiatives statewide.

Healthy Early (website) – Statewide collaborative focused on promoting, supporting, and creating equitable eating and physical activity opportunities for every kid and family through policy, systems, and environmental changes.

I Am Moving, I Am Learning (IMIL) (website) – Head Start initiative helps educators add activities to their daily routine that increase quality physical movement and teach children about healthy food choices.

Garden-Based Nutrition Initiatives

• Growing Healthy Children (pdf) – A toolkit for garden-based nutrition education featuring activity cards with nutrition lessons & resources for school or ECE classrooms, cafeterias, or gardens.
• Rooted  (website) – Organization devoted to increasing equitable access to land, fresh food, and learning opportunities. This site houses resources for the Wisconsin School Garden Network and Farm to Early Care and Education.
• Cultivating Childhood Wellness Through Gardening (website) – Free online video training for teachers, ECE professionals, & community educators covering garden planning, activities, and curricula. CEU’s are available.
• Got Dirt? (website) – This toolkit is designed to provide simple, step-by-step plans for starting a garden, whether in a school, childcare site, or community. It also offers tips from garden experts and success stories from around Wisconsin. Available in English and Spanish.
• Got Veggies? (website) – A garden-based nutrition education curriculum created with the goal of getting children to eat more fruits & vegetables. Available in English and Spanish.
• Got Veggies? ECE Edition (website) – Based on Got Veggies?, this garden-based nutrition education curriculum version builds on lessons & activities by adapting them to meet best practices for the early care & education (ECE) setting. Alignment with the WMELS is also included.
• Teaching in Nature’s Classroom (website) – Author Nathan Larson shares a philosophy of teaching in the garden through 15 guiding principles of garden-based education. Free book downloads and online courses are also available in Spanish.
• Kids Gardening (website) – Resources for educators to support garden-based learning

FoodWIse (website) – FoodWIse advances healthy eating habits, active lifestyles, and healthy community environments for families with limited incomes through nutrition education at the individual, community, and systems levels. You can find recipes, and tips for feeding children and learn how to eat healthy on a budget on their family resources page.

Wisconsin Breastfeeding Coalition (website) – WBC strives to improve health by working collaboratively to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. Looking for a coalition near you?  Here are the local breastfeeding coalitions in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care Initiative (website) – Provides training, assistance, and recognition to child care programs committed to improving support for families providing human milk. Based on the 10 Steps to Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care Centers Resource Kit (pdf), the initiative includes a self-appraisal tool & resources for planning & implementing action plans. Childcare staff can earn CEU’s.

WIC (website) – The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC) serves to safeguard the health of low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding people, infants, and children up to age 5. The mission of WIC is to assure healthy pregnancies, healthy birth outcomes, and healthy growth and development, by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information and education on healthy eating, and referrals to health care and critical social services.

MyPlate (website) – Nutrition information with breakdowns by food group and life stages. Find guidance and resources specific to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

US Department of Agriculture, Nutrition Resource for Schools (website) – Team Nutrition supports PreK through High School meal programs, including those participating in federal child nutrition programs, by providing training for school food service and nutrition education for children and families.

We have the moves! (pdf) – A physical activity resource for educators featuring Sesame Street characters.

 AAP Healthy Children (website) – Nutrition and physical activity resources for parents from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Updated 8/15/2023