Celebrate Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Month: Growing Healthy Habits - post

June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month—a great opportunity to introduce children to colorful foods and build positive eating habits through meals, snacks, gardening, taste tests, and hands-on cooking activities. Early childhood programs play an important role in helping children explore nutritious foods in a safe, encouraging environment. ChildCareEd’s self-paced Nutrition Essentials for Child Care Providers Buy Now $16.00 course helps educators understand children’s nutritional needs and make informed decisions that support healthy growth. This article explores practical ways to make fruits and vegetables appealing, involve children in food experiences, and partner with families to encourage healthy habits. 

What are the health risks associated with childhood obesity?

• Children with obesity are at a higher risk of having other chronic health conditions and diseases which influence physical health such as asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, type 2 diabetes, and increased risk factors for heart disease.
• Children with obesity are more likely to suffer from social isolation, depression, and have lower self-esteem.
• A child with obesity is more likely to have obesity as an adult. As an adult with obesity, they have a higher risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syn- drome, and many types of cancer. 

How can child care programs promote fruit, vegetable intake and physical activity?

To help combat childhood obesity, programs should adopt written policies and daily practices that make healthy choices the easy choices. Recommendations include offering fruits and vegetables at every meal and snack, planning at least 60 minutes of varied physical activity across the day, and limiting sugary drinks and high‑fat foods. Practical implementation and the 'fill half your plate' guidance are summarized by extension specialists. See K‑State Extension for concise guidance and tips: June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month — K‑State Extension.

Teachers and caregivers can help encourage healthy eating habits by offering healthy snacks and food choices during mealtimes; having the children help prepare the snacks; or by providing a healthy dip (such as low-fat salad dressing, ketchup, salsa, yogurt, or hummus) to encourage trying and experimenting with new foods.

What practical classroom strategies encourage children to try new fruits and vegetables without pressure?

Avoid pressure, bribery, or negotiating during meals; these approaches decrease children's self-regulation and increase mealtime stress. Instead, use repeated neutral exposure (small servings offered consistently), role modeling by staff, and sensory exploration (smelling, touching, and small tasting). Classroom activities that work include a 'taste tray' with tiny samples, simple cooking projects where children assemble fruit skewers or yogurt parfaits, and story-based food explorations that connect produce to culture and seasonality. For classroom recipes and age‑appropriate cooking ideas, see our articles Healthy Cooking for Picky Kids and How can preschool programs build healthy eating habits for young children?. Consider the short, practical course Nutrition Essentials for Child Care Providers Buy Now $16.00 for menu planning and safe food handling tips. Patience and consistent, calm exposure support acceptance over time.

How can programs engage families and communities to support fruit and vegetable intake?

Sustained change in children’s diets depends on aligning program practices with family routines and community resources. Begin by cultivating two-way communication: send home simple, multilingual 'taste-at-home' cards that describe the classroom activity and suggest an easy family extension (for example, roasting a colorful vegetable or trying a single-slice taste). Host periodic family tasting nights or portable produce demonstrations where caregivers can sample menu items and receive recipes. Offer take-home activity packs—picture recipes, seasonal shopping tips, and sensory prompts—that caregivers can use to practice low-pressure exposure at home.

Partner with local community resources to reduce cost and increase access: invite a farmers market vendor to bring a seasonal box, establish a farm-to-program pickup day, or collaborate with food banks to obtain low-cost produce. These partnerships reinforce availability and normalize fresh produce as part of family meals. For practical ideas on family engagement and program-to-family communication, see our article How can child care programs promote nutrition and healthy eating habits?. To reinforce variety messaging, encourage caregivers to 'eat the rainbow'—select items across color groups to boost nutrient density and exposure (Celebrate National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables month).

How can programs use procurement, menu planning, and CACFP to increase access to fresh produce?

Operational decisions—procurement, menu cycle design, and participation in reimbursement programs—drive what children actually eat. Prioritize seasonal produce when possible (lower cost, higher flavor), and establish a simple procurement checklist for staff: estimate weekly quantities, identify reliable local vendors, and plan storage and rotation to minimize waste. When fresh produce is limited, use frozen or canned options that retain nutrients; K-State Extension notes frozen and canned produce are nutritious choices if sodium and added sugar are limited (June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month | K-State).

If your program participates in CACFP or other child nutrition programs, align menus to maximize reimbursements for fruit and vegetable servings and to cover costs of produce procurement; see program-specific guidance such as our article about summer meals and CACFP models for best-practice implementation How can Michigan child care programs use CACFP and Summer Meals to keep children nourished when school is out?. Build simple written policies for purchasing (seasonal-first, low-sodium canned as backup), storing (first-in, first-out), and offering (fruit or vegetable at every service). These steps help programs translate policy into reliable daily practice and reduce disparities in access to produce.

Which ChildCareEd trainings and articles help me implement these practices?

ChildCareEd offers brief, practical courses and companion articles to help staff plan menus, design taste activities, and engage families. Recommended courses: On My Plate: Children’s Nutrition Buy Now $24.00, The First Year: Feeding Infants Buy Now $16.00, and Nutrition Essentials for Child Care Providers Buy Now $16.00. Related articles with activity ideas and policies include How can child care programs teach great nutrition and healthy eating habits?, How can child care programs promote nutrition and healthy eating habits?, and How Can Early Childhood Programs Encourage Healthy Habits?.

ChildCareEd Courses grant .2 CEUs or more as well as awarding state-approved clock hours of 2 or more for many childcare centers and family childcare providers. Check with your licensing agency for additional requirements and approvals in your state. Visit childcareed.com to learn more and schedule a class.

What are the key takeaways for child care providers?

1. Offer fruit and vegetables at every meal and snack; aim to fill half the plate with produce when service and age allow. Use small repeated servings so children experience variety without pressure.

2. Integrate low-pressure exposure tactics—neutral repeated offers, sensory exploration, role modeling, and brief cooking projects—into the daily routine so acceptance grows over time.

3. Schedule at least 60 minutes of varied physical activity distributed across the day (structured and unstructured movement) and document the routine in your program’s daily schedule and policies.

4. Create concise written policies for procurement, menu planning, service, and family engagement that specify produce targets, procurement sources, and communication strategies; review these quarterly and adjust for seasonality and budget.

5. Use training and partnerships: enroll staff in focused courses, partner with local markets or food banks, and leverage CACFP or summer meal models to sustain supply and reduce costs. For seasonal planning and activity ideas, see Kickstart a Healthy Routine for Kids That Actually Sticks Past January and related ChildCareEd resources.

Implementing these steps consistently builds healthy habits, reduces risk factors associated with childhood obesity, and aligns daily practice with evidence-backed guidance (see K-State Extension for plate and preservation guidance: June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month | K-State). #nutrition #healthyhabits #fruits #vegetables #physicalactivity