Are you up for the challenge? Join Iowa State University Extension and Outreach staff for the Food Safety Escape Challenge on Wednesday evening, April 2.
This hands-on training for child care providers will help you make smart choices to protect children in your care. Attendees will explore topics like potentially hazardous foods, cross contamination, cleaning, and temperature to help your team solve the food safety puzzle! All training has been approved by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, and is designed to help providers identify, recognize and implement best practices relative to nutrition, physical activity, health and safety for children under their care.
Research has shown that only half of Iowa youth meet current physical activity recommendation levels and less than 10 percent of youth meet recommendations for fat, fruit and vegetable intake. These trends demonstrate the need to foster healthier nutrition and physical activity behaviors among our youth. Ideally, these behaviors need to begin early during their preschool years. Some health behaviors can be established before the child begins school and the child care setting can play an important and influential role, research suggests.
Leah Brooke, ISU specialist in Health and Human Sciences will be hosting the Food Safety Escape Challenge on Wednesday, April 2 at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Child care providers will learn practical strategies and skills to provide a healthy environment for the children in their care. The cost for the training is $10 per person. Due to partial funding provided by Thriving Families Alliance Early Childhood Iowa, each provider will receive a FREE food safety kit for attending! Providers will also receive two hours credit for childcare license renewal approved by Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
Registration is available online with a deadline of Monday March 31 for guaranteed acceptance to the class. Providers can sign up through the online registration link at https://go.iastate.edu/QDET8V and should also register in I-Power to ensure full credit for the class. With questions contact instructor Leah Brooke by email at lbrooke@iastate.edu or by phone at (712) 623-2592. You can also call the Cass County Extension office for details at (712) 243-1132 or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.
