Cultivating Healthy Eating Behaviors: Nutrition Education in Early Childhood

Early childhood education (ECE) is increasingly recognized as a critical setting for delivering nutrition education (NE) that helps cultivate healthy eating behaviors in young children. However, significant concerns remain regarding both the preparation of ECE teachers and the integration of NE into ECE curricula. This practice review highlights developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive NE practices that emphasize the importance of ECE teacher competencies, the use of nonjudgmental, food-neutral language, the integration of NE into the ECE curriculum through engaging activities, and the inclusion of family and culturally relevant foods.