As part of the Walmart Foundation’s $1.5 million grant in 2015, Children’s Hunger Alliance conducted a pilot program to partner with daycare centers where children from low-income homes need more access to healthy meals and snacks. Working in partnership with daycare centers will allow our organization to strategically expand access to healthy food and nutrition education for more at-risk children throughout Ohio.
As administrators of the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program, Children’s Hunger Alliance staff recruited and trained four daycare centers so that they could be reimbursed for providing healthy meals and snacks to the children in their care. More than 262 children across Ohio are now eating healthier each day, and the reimbursements enable these small business owners to reinvest in nutrition-related programs for their daycare centers.
With the help of Children’s Hunger Alliance, the daycare centers now serve healthy breakfasts, lunches and snacks with nutritious whole grains, protein, fruits and vegetables that are critical to the healthy development of young children.