Preschool: 3-5 Years
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: PreschoolThe following illustrates connections between ECERS-3 and CLASS Pre-K quality measures and ways to promote healthy mealtimes inearly learning settings.Preschool: 3-5 yearsQuality CategoryExample of Mealtime ActivitySubscale: Space and FurnishingsECERS-3 Item 2:Have child-sized tables and chairs for mealtimes.Furnishings for care, While seated back in a chair, children’s feet should beplay, and learningable to touch the floor. They should be able to rest theirelbows on the table and fit their knees comfortablyunder the table.Subscale: Personal Care RoutinesECERS-3 Item 8: Sit with children during meals and group snacks.Meals/snacks Encourage a pleasant social atmosphere andconversation time. Encourage children to eat independently with childsized eating utensils. Encourage/support for children to help set the table,serve themselves with child-sized serving utensils,clean up spills, and offer hand and verbal assist whenneeded.ECERS-3 Item 8:Adults and children wash hands before and after preparing orMeals/snackseating food. Children are taught proper hand-washing techniques.ECERS-3 Item 10:Health practicesECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime ActivitiesRationale Having appropriately sized table and chairsensure safety and allow children to becomfortable, engaged, and successful duringmealtimes. This helps children be able to servethemselves and pass food, engage in socialinteractions, and limits distractions duringmealtimes. Adults sitting with children during meals is key tomodeling appropriate eating and socialinteractions. When at the same table, staff canalso quickly intervene and help with self-service,choking hazards, or spills.When children are able to serve themselves, theyimprove fine motor skills, learn how to eat inresponse to hunger and satiety, and gainconfidence and independence.Adequate hand washing before and after eatinghelps prevent the spread of germs and disease.Handwashing is an important self-care skill.Handwashing includes a number of steps whichhelps children with sequential learning (a mathskill) 1
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: PreschoolQuality CategoryExample of Mealtime ActivitySubscale: Language and LiteracyCLASS Pre-K:Use specific comments to help define foods using descriptiveLanguage Modelingwords.Examples of Specific Comments:ECERS-3 The carrot is crunchy and orange.Item 12: Helping The melon is soft and tastes sweet.children expand You can spread the hummus on the bread just like peanutvocabularybutter. This mango reminds me of a peach.ECERS-3 Item 13:Use open-ended questions such as “what do you like about theEncouraging childrenburrito?” to help children experience the food.to use language Repeating or extending children’s comments such as“Yes, the strawberry is juicy. It is sweet and juicybecause it is a fruit. What other fruits do you like?”ECERS-3Make connections about what children are eating to a relatedItem 12: Helpinglesson or classroom activity they have done.children expandFor example:vocabulary Earlier in the day children learned to compare texturesusing the sensory table smooth, rough, wrinkly, hard,CLASS Pre-K:soft etc. During mealtime, identify foods with differentConcepttextures.DevelopmentThis also applies well to some activities such as Science/Nature and Math/Number.ECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime ActivitiesRationale How you talk to young children during mealtimescan help them develop reasoning skills.Mealtimes lend themselves towards usinglanguage to learn and communicate.Taste and smell are important senses, and areprevalent during mealtimes. Use language aboutthese senses to help children learn and remembernew things.Repetition of concepts strengthens workingmemory and the ability to use learned informationin various ways and contexts.2
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: PreschoolQuality CategoryExample of Mealtime ActivitySubscale: Language and Literacy (page 2)ECERS-3 Item 12:Promote staff-child conversations during meals or snack time.Helping children Ask children questions about the food they are eatingexpand vocabularyand what they like to eat as well as other topics, likewhat they did over the weekend and what activitiesECERS-3 Item 13:they like to do. Listen to their responses.Encouraging children Hold turn-taking conversations with children “What areto use languageyou putting on your plate today? (Pause to give thechild time to respond) Yes! You chose three crackers. ICLASS Pre-K:took some crackers too”Concept Encourage children to describe how they are feelingDevelopmentregarding hunger and fullness as they are servingthemselves food. Make connections with children’s actions and how theymight be feeling: “I see you are playing with your forkor getting up and down; etc. You must be getting full.”“Everyone is quietly eating. You all must be hungry.”ECERS-3 Item 13:Encouraging childrento use languageCLASS Pre-K:ConceptDevelopmentEncourage children to try foods but do not force them to eatsomething they do not want to. Use positive language to remind them that we all canlearn to like foods, even if you do not like it today.This connection also applies to InteractionsECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime ActivitiesRationale It is natural and easy to have staff-childconversations while eating together. Meals lend themselves to frequent opportunitiesto ask children what they are eating or describewhat they are learning about food, taste, and theirbodies. When children learn to relate feelings abouthunger and satiety to specific behaviors, they arelearning how to self-regulate. Hesitation to try new foods, or foods they havenot liked, is common among young children. Itcan take offering and trying a new food up to 20times before a child decides that they like it.Seeing other children and adults try the food canbe helpful, as well as being given the chance tosay “no thank you” and to try again on anotherday.3
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: PreschoolQuality Category Example of Mealtime ActivitySubscale: Language and Literacy (page 3)ECERS-3 Item 14: Provide a selection of books about food and eating related topics, such asStaff use of bookswhere food comes from, taste and smells, and foods eaten by peoplewith childrenaround the world. Harvest for Healthy Kids curriculum provides some ideas forECERS-3 Item 15:books:Encouragingo The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbonschildren’s use ofo Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevensbookso Up Down and Around by Katherine AyresECERS-3 Item 16: Readerstoeaters.com is another resourceBecoming familiarwith printUse pictures in the classroom and electronic media materials to helpchildren understand where food comes from and how food can lookECERS-3 Item 21: differently than when it is on our plates.Dramatic play Bread is made from flour, which comes from wheat and grains.(Learning Mashed potatoes vs a potato vs a potato plant. Apple seed, appleActivities)tree/blossom, apple etc.ECERS-3 Item 27:Appropriate use oftechnology(LearningActivities)Rationale Promote children’s interest in booksthrough connecting stories with foodand mealtime experiences. Thistechnique can help promote children’scomprehension and interest in food.Learning about a new food from a bookor story can help children easier acceptor try it when it is offered during a meal.Books are also a great way to learnabout foods in different cultures aroundthe world.This connection also applies to Learning ActivitiesECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime Activities4
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: PreschoolQuality Category Example of Mealtime ActivitySubscale: Learning ActivitiesECERS-3 Item 22: Maintain or visit a garden or farm to help children learn about nature andNature/sciencewhere food comes from. Have children plant seeds, care for them, and watch them grow. Have children help pick vegetables from a garden that are laterused in a meal. Let children explore a piece of fruit or vegetable from a garden inclass. Touch, feel, smell, describe, etc.Rationale Helpful resources: Farm to ECE Harvest for Healthy KidsECERS-3 Item 22:Nature/scienceCooking and tasting can be used as a simple science experiment andcreate great hands-on learning experiences. Children can help make smoothies and can learn about how solidfood can be made into a liquid food or how adding foods togethercan change flavor. Taste test fresh herbs (could be from the garden!) that are thenadded to foods children eat, i.e. taste a mint leave and add freshmint to mango salsa or yogurt dip; taste an oregano leave and addfresh oregano to spaghetti sauce Taste test fresh and dried versions of dill, oregano, parsley Show how herbs can be dried and stored (water is removed asherbs are hung up to dry etc.)Provide sand and water play with a variety of cups, containers, tools, andpitchers to promote fine motor development and practice skills that can beused during meals. Encourage children to practice passing heavy bowls or containersof sand, pour water into a small cup, and scoop sand onto a dish orsurface.ECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime Activities Hands-on and engaging experiencesabout science and nature are abundantwith food and eating related topics.Harvest for Healthy Kids providesmaterials and curriculum for learningabout fruits and vegetables.Young children often have a hard timetrying and accepting new foods,especially vegetables. Hands-onexperiences and learning more about thefood before it is on the table increasesthe likelihood a child will try the food.Teaching about how herbs can be usedin fresh and dried form to flavor otherfoods shows children how plant formschange and how versatile they can be incooking/eatingTo be successful at serving themselvesfood during a meal, children need topractice these fine motor skills outsideof mealtimes. Sand and water playstations provide a great opportunity topractices these skills, such as passing,pouring, scooping, etc.5
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: PreschoolQuality Category Example of Mealtime ActivitySubscale: Learning Activities (page 2)ECERS-3 Item 23: Make connections between math materials/activities and mealMath materials andtimes. For instance, make a chart to quantify what children ate foractivitiesbreakfast or lunch. Incorporate math concepts, like counting and fractions, into mealECERS-3 Item 24:times. For instance, have children count how many carrots orMath in dailyapple slices they have served themselves, or show how portioneventssizes (such as half an apple) relate to fractions. Challenge older children (e.g. aged 4 ) with more complex mathrelated tasks during meals or snacks, such as counting how manynapkins or plates are needed at the tableECERS-3 Item 26: Actively promote acceptance of children with varying skill levelsPromotingand abilities to feed themselves during mealtimes.Acceptance of Modify the environment and assist as needed to enable childrenDiversitywith disabilities to participate in mealtimes with self-serving andconversations with their typical peers. Serve foods that are common to the ethnic groups of children inthe classroom; i.e. hummus and pita bread; corn tortillas andsalsa/bean dip; soba noodles and tofu. Ask family members to visitand explain how these foods are eaten in their culture.Rationale Mealtimes are natural opportunities forchildren to practice counting and learnmath skills. Practicing these conceptsduring a meal adds an element of fun –eating!Connecting eating with math skills alsohelps to reinforce working memory.Including children with disabilities inmealtimes with their typicallydeveloping peers sends the importantmessage that children of differingabilities can all enjoy a meal together.When parents make presentations to theclass about culture, children learn to beaccepting of the different backgroundsand lifestyle habits of their classmateNote here: parents cannot prepare meals out ofthe child care and bring them in. Also, unlessthey are staff and have a food workers’ permit,they cannot prepare meals or foods in the childcare. They CAN bring in a recipe for the cookto make and visit/participate in the mealtime.ECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime Activities6
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: PreschoolQuality Category Example of Mealtime ActivitySubscale: InteractionCLASS: RegardPractice family style dining where adults decide what food isfor studentavailable and how it is presented, and children decide what andperspectiveshow much to eat by serving themselves and following theirinternal cues.ECERS-3 Item 29:IndividualizedHere are some tips that can be helpful when having children serveteaching andthemselves:learning Select a variety of foods to serve to children Present foods in a way that is easy for children to serve,ECERS-3 Item 30:based on their current skill levelStaff-child Sit and eat with children during mealtimes, model how tointeractionsserve and eat foods Provide hand-over-hand and verbal assistance as necessary Use child-size serving utensils, bowls, tables, and chairsCLASS Pre-K:Make process centered comments about children’s behaviors andRegard for studentinternal feelings of hunger and fullness:perspectivesProcess Centered:ECERS-3 Item 30: “You asked for more peaches and now you want moreStaff-childcereal. You must be hungry for breakfast this morning.”interactions “You picked up your carrot. You smelled it. You tasted it.You took a bite and chewed it all up. Then you said youliked it. You are learning to try new foods.” You are getting out of your chair and have put your forkdown. Your tummy must be getting full. You must be doneeating.Rationale When children are allowed to serve themselvesand choose how much to eat, they developindependence, feel safe, and learn how to eatthe right amount for them on any given day. Italso shows them that you value and listen totheir perspective and voice, which providesemotional support.Adults sitting with children during meals is keyto modeling appropriate eating and socialinteractions. When at the same table, providerscan also quickly intervene and help with selfservice, choking hazards, or spills.Reference internal hunger and fullness cuesduring meals to help teach children how tolisten to their body and develop healthy habits.Prompting children to consider their internalhunger and fullness cues helps them to thinkabout and talk about reasons behind theiractions. It also shows them that you value andrespect their perspective and feelings.Process centered comments helps childrenacquire words and language that reflect theirown behaviors and internal feelings of hungerand fullness. Children are then better able todescribe their needs and wants around eating,decreasing conflicts and struggles at the table.This connection also applies to Language and LiteracyECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime Activities7
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: PreschoolQuality Category Example of Mealtime ActivitySubscale: Interaction (page 2)ECERS-3 Item 32: Make meal and snack times a pleasant, shared, social activity.DisciplineDo not use food to promote good behavior or discourage badbehavior with rewards and punishments.ECERS-3 Item 30: Help children feel safe to try new foods, try servingStaff-childthemselves, help with setting the table or cleaning up, andinteractionstalking to others at the table. With young children serving themselves and eating, there willCLASS Pre-K:be messes and spills; stay positive and help children whenBehaviorthese occur.managementCLASS Pre-K:BehaviormanagementECERS-3 Item 31:Peer InteractionUse mealtimes to teach social skills. Social skills such as turn taking, passing dishes, sayingplease and thank you, working together toward a commongoal (setting or cleaning the table), social conversationnorms, and negotiating conflicts can all be practiced anddeveloped during mealtimes.ECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime ActivitiesRationale All of the aspects of a positive climate can besupported through adults and children sharingmeals and snacks together.Adult and children sharing a meal together caninvolve peer assistance, provide opportunitiesfor matching affect, and can spark socialconversations. Eating and talking togetherduring mealtime are valuable ways to buildpositive relationships.Further, a positive affect can be strengthenedthrough doing mealtime related transitionactivities before and after meals together.Adults and children can naturally smile, laugh,and show enthusiasm when doing tasks likesetting the table, washing hands, or clearing updishes.Social skills are strong predictors of success asolder children and adults. Young children needmuch assistance and practice in learning thesesocial skills. Mealtimes are wonderfulopportunities for children to practice and learnthese skills.8
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: PreschoolQuality Category Example of Mealtime ActivitySubscale: Program StructureCLASS Pre-K:Try incorporating these items into your meal and snack timeBehaviorroutine:management Clear the table of non-food items and get ready for themeal or snackECERS-3 Item 33: Help set the tableTransitions and Wash handswaiting times Sing a gratitude song, say a phrase, or do deep breathingactivities to calm and focus children before mealtimesRationale Children thrive on routines and predictablesequences of activities as they help establishbehavioral expectations and consistency.Mealtimes are great opportunities to build inroutines and develop structure.Clean-up after the meal is finished: Ask children to clear their place, take plates, and eatingutensils to a specified area, wash hands and go to specificarea.ECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime Activities9
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: PreschoolCitations:American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and EarlyEducation. Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs. 3rd ed.Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2011. http://cfoc.nrckids.org. Accessed April 2018.Harms, T., Clifford, R. M., & Cryer, D. (2015). Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Third Edition, New York: Teachers College PressPianta, R. C., La Paro, K. M., Hamre, B.K. (2008). Classroom Assessment Scoring System: Manual Pre-K. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. BrookesPérez-Escamilla R, Segura-Pérez S, Lott M, on behalf of the RWJF HER Expert Panel on Best Practices for Promoting Healthy Nutrition, FeedingPatterns, and Weight Status for Infants and Toddlers from Birth to 24 Months. Feeding Guidelines for Infants and Young Toddlers: A ResponsiveParenting Approach. Durham, NC: Healthy Eating Research, 2017. Available at http://healthyeatingresearch.orgThis ECERS-3 and CLASS Pre-K Crosswalk with Mealtime Opportunities was created by:Victoria A. Bradford, MPH, CHES, Research Coordinator, University of Washington Center for Public Health NutritionAdrienne Dorf, MPH, RD, CD, Healthiest Next Generation Program Manager, Washington State Department of Children, Youth, & FamiliesKaty Levenhagen, MS, RDN, Nutritionist, Child Care Health Outreach Program, Snohomish Health DistrictAcknowledgment:This publication was supported by funds from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The contents are solely the responsibility of theauthors, and do not necessarily represent the official position of the CDC.ADA Statement:To request this document in another format, call 1-800-525-0127. Deaf or hard of hearing customers, please call 711 (Washington Relay) or emailcivil.rights@doh.wa.gov.DOH 140-229 July 2020 EnglishECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime Activities10
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: PreschoolECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime Activities11
Mealtime Opportunities for Quality Improvements in Early Learning Settings: Preschool ECERS-3 and CLASS for Mealtime Activities 5 Quality Category Example of Mealtime Activity Rationale Subscale: Learning Activities ECERS-3 Item 22: Nature/science about Maintain or visit
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