Working With Special

COURSE: Early Childhood Education II UNIT C Groups of Children and

Child Care Issues

ESSENTIAL Understand issues affecting development of

7.00 B2 10%
STANDARD: children.

Understand nutrition issues that affect

OBJECTIVE: 7.01 B2 5%
development of children.

Essential Questions:
∙ What nutrition issues affect the development of children?
∙ How can children’s special nutritional needs and other food-related issues be managed?
∙ How can appropriate menus for children be planned and provided?
UNPACKED CONTENT
Balanced nutrition for children
∙ Nutrition resources

▪ Reliability of sources
▪ My Pyramid for Preschoolers/My Pyramid for Kids
° Need a variety of foods from five food groups
➢ Grain group
➢ Vegetable group
➢ Fruit group
➢ Milk group
➢ Meat and beans group
° Oils not a food group, but need some for good health
° Each child’s age, gender, and physical activity level are used to develop individual
eating plans and determine calories needed
▪ NC Child Care Handbook
° Suggestions for Encouraging Favorable Food Attitudes & Good Eating Habits
° Meal Patterns for Children in Child Care Programs
° Menu Planning Form
Special nutritional needs---types, causes and effects, prevention and treatment
∙ Under nutrition and malnutrition
∙ Overeating and obesity
∙ Diabetes
∙ Food allergies
∙ Food Restrictions Form
Other food-related issues
∙ Other dietary restrictions
∙ Food preferences
 ∙ Appreciation for multicultural foods

Special Prevention and

Nutritional Needs Meaning Typical Causes Typical Results Treatment
1. undernutrition Not eating ∙ Poverty ∙ Growth is slowed or ∙ Support programs to
enough food ∙ Food likes and stopped reduce poverty
to maintain a dislikes ∙ Nutrient deficiencies ∙ Use appealing variety of
healthy body ∙ Unbalanced diet lead to: foods and food textures,
and normal ∙ Poor food choices -Irritability flavors, colors, forms,
-Bowed legs and temperatures
activities ∙ Body’s inability to
use nutrients
-Sunken eyes ∙ Honor children’s
-Teeth decay preferences if possible
-Fatigue ∙ Teach healthy food
choices

2. malnutrition Long-term
lack of proper
nutrients

3. overeating Eating more ∙ Large supply of food ∙ Emotional problems ∙ Scale serving sizes to
than body ∙ Trend toward ∙ Obesity children’s appetites
needs to snacking ∙ Other health problems ∙ Provide small servings
function

4. obesity Body is more ∙ Overeating ∙ Lack of self-esteem ∙ Change behaviors of

than 20% ∙ Poor food choices ∙ Poor treatment by peers parents and children
overweight ∙ Inherited tendency to ∙ Hypertension ∙ Help with food choices
be overweight; a ∙ Diabetes ∙ Teach foods low in fat
family disorder ∙ Heart disease and calories
∙ Family stress ∙ Hardening of the ∙ Teach portion control
∙ Physical inactivity arteries ∙ Provide exercise
∙ Overweight adults ∙ Build self-esteem
∙ Serve healthy. low-fat
foods

5. diabetes Body does not ∙ Obesity ∙ Feel sick when sugar is ∙ Varied diet with fruits,
produce high or low vegetables, and grains
insulin and is ∙ Minimize saturated fat
unable to and cholesterol
manage blood ∙ Moderate sugars, salt
sugar ∙ Balanced foods and
portion sizes
∙ Eat at regular intervals
∙ Ask parents for
personalized meal plan
6. food allergy Body reacts ∙ Wheat, soy, fish, ∙ Sniffles, pain, diarrhea, ∙ Provide restricted diet
negatively to peanuts, tree nuts, nausea, swelling, ∙ Offer safe substitutes
some foods shellfish, eggs, and rashes, congestion ∙ Eliminate food and
milk cause 90% of ∙ Anaphylactic shock smells from classroom
food allergies (can be fatal) ∙ Obtain information from
parents
∙ Read product labels