Nutrition and Physical Activity: Early Care and Education Initiatives
Why early education matters
Early childhood is a critical time for building the skills and knowledge children need to support their well-being. Learning early helps children understand nutrition, physical activity, and how to care for their bodies as they grow.
Children learn best through hands-on experiences. Games, movement, and simple activities help children practice positive behaviors and begin forming habits that can last a lifetime—such as nutritious eating, daily routines, and regular physical activity.
Supporting these behaviors early can help lower the risk of chronic diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, later in life. When children have regular opportunities to move, play and learn, positive choices become part of everyday life.
Healthy habits are shaped not only by individual choices, but also by the environments where children live, learn, and play. Homes and early childhood education settings play an important role, along with parents, caregivers, early care and education providers, and health professionals.
Our resources support families and providers in creating supportive environments that make healthy choices easier for all children, now and in the future.
Farm to early care and education (ECE) partners: Building healthy environments for learning
Quality farm to early care and education (ECE) programs provide more than safe spaces—they give children opportunities to build positive eating and movement habits. Support for breastfeeding and infant feeding, hands-on food experiences, farm to ECE activities, and daily movement can help children enjoy nutritious foods and stay active. These routines support children's growth, learning, and overall well-being.
These practical tools and guides help ECE providers to strengthen positive habits in young children and create environments that make nutritious eating and active play easier for all.
WECA, through the Wisconsin Early Education Share Services Network (WEESSN), provides tools and resources on healthy eating and farm to ECE activities. The WECA team regularly holds “farm to ECE office hours” where ECE providers can ask nutrition or garden related questions. Registry credit is available for ECE providers who join. Sign up for WECA’s newsletter to learn more.
Healthy Early is a coalition of community members and professionals dedicated to supporting healthy eating and activities for children and their families.
They provide evidence-based guides designed to help ECE programs improve the physical activity and nutrition for the children in their care.
- Healthy Bites (PDF) (English)
- Healthy Bites (PDF) (Spanish)
- Active Early (PDF) (English)
- Active Early (PDF) (Spanish)
- Active Out-of-School Time (PDF) (English)
- Improving Physical Activity and Healthy Eating During Out of School (PDF) (English)
Healthy Early hosts quarterly meetings for individuals interested in advancing quality early care and education. Contact the Chronic Disease Prevention Program to join.
Rooted is a Wisconsin-based non-profit dedicated to increasing access to local, nutritious foods for communities through garden-based education. Their farm to ECE resources include Got Veggies (PDF), a nutrition curriculum for young children, and Roots in the Ground, a garden-based curriculum for early care and education providers. Registry credit is available.
Rooted also publishes Celebrating Seasonality a recipe guide available in English and Spanish features child-friendly recipes that use local produce and align with the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) guidelines.
Students taste, explore, and learn about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables as part of the UW Extension Harvest of the Month campaign. The Harvest of the Month Resource Library with materials available in both English and Spanish, encourages families to eat more fruits and vegetables by featuring a seasonal, Wisconsin-grown fruit or vegetable each month. Specific resources for early childhood ages are available.
The Farm to ECE movement, gaining momentum nationwide, helps increase access to local, fresh foods. The National Farm to School Network provides resources, webinars, and other materials for early care and education providers and support organizations.
The Wisconsin Local Foods Database helps ECE providers and schools connect with local farmers. It makes it easy to find and build partnerships that bring fresh, local foods into meals for children.
YoungStar, Wisconsin’s child care quality rating and improvement system, gives parents and caregivers tools and information to give their kids a great start and find quality child care that fits their needs. Additionally, YoungStar offers resources, training, and technical assistance to help Wisconsin’s child care providers enhance their quality of care.
Recognizing the importance of engaging the child care community, Go NAPSACC works with child care providers to help children establish good habits around food, physical activity, and other health behaviors in their early years. Through supportive practices, policies, and environments, these efforts lay a foundation for lifelong health and well-being.
Child care providers play a vital role in supporting breastfeeding families as parents return to work or school. Early care and education (ECE) programs are key partners in helping babies continue receiving human milk.
Explore a range of breastfeeding resources for tools and best practices.
Families and caregivers: Healthy habits begin at home
Good nutrition and regular physical activity start at home. Parents and caregivers are children's first and most important role models. Young children learn by watching and imitating the adults in their lives, so how we eat, move, and play can have a lasting impact.
There are many fun ways to help children develop healthy habits—from exploring colorful fruits and vegetables at a local farmers market to planting a garden together. Simple daily routines, like sharing family meals or playing outside, can make nutritious eating and active play enjoyable for the whole family.
Healthy Early at Home (PDF) is a helpful resource for families and caregivers looking to build healthy habits at home. It offers practical information on supporting nutritious eating, active living, and mental health for young children. This material is presented by Healthy Early, a Wisconsin early childhood coalition dedicated to improving the health of children, families, and communities.
Family Resource Centers (FRCs) offer no cost or low-cost activities, resources, referrals and services that are available for and strengthen all families. They reflect and are responsive to the specific needs, cultures, and interests of the communities they are in. Learn more and find an FRC.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) helps increase access to nutritious food for many Wisconsin families. WIC serves people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or post-partum, as well as infants and children up to age 5. Families enrolled in WIC may also qualify for the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program which provides additional benefits to spend at local farmers markets.