Illinois Head Start Association - Event Information
Event Name:
Building a Village: A Responsive Feeding System Your Whole Head Start Program Can Use (1.25)
Event Type(s):
Education, Disabilities, & Coaching Early Head Start & Home Visiting Health, Safety & Nutrition Family Service Specialists, Workers & Advocates
Description:
Feeding support in Head Start shouldn't depend on whether a dietitian happens to be on site that day. But for most programs, operating somewhere between stretched thin and no specialist at all, that is exactly what happens. This session shows what a joined-up responsive feeding system looks like across a whole program, from the classroom to the health office to the family's kitchen table. Participants will:
Describe the three program archetypes for nutrition support in Head Start and identify where their program currently sits — from no specialist at all to fully staffed.
Identify the elements of home-school consistency that amplify responsive feeding outcomes, and at least two concrete strategies for building alignment with families.
Walk away with a framework for evaluating what a structured pilot of a responsive feeding platform would require from their program, including staff time, data considerations, and success metrics.
