Dairy Council of California, a nutrition education organization, recently announced the release of Let’s Eat Healthy K-2 Nutrition Curriculum, its newly refreshed, grade-specific resources designed to teach students about nutrition and build skills to establish healthy eating habits.

Let’s Eat Healthy K-2 Nutrition Curriculum is part of a K-12 nutrition program that provides educators with instructional resources developed using the latest in nutrition science, Common Core State Standards and behavior change theory. Engaging and flexible, the grade-specific curriculum is designed as standalone educational lessons that can be taught sequentially, helping to build and enhance student knowledge and skills in each subsequent year. The lessons cover a variety of topics, such as teaching students how to make healthier food and beverage choices, the connection between food and health, and where food comes from. Available online and in print, the age-appropriate nutrition curriculum teaches students how to make informed, nutritious food choices and build agricultural literacy.

“Nutrition education provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to build healthy eating habits for lifelong health,” said Tracy Mendez, registered dietitian nutritionist and nutrition education program director at Dairy Council of California. “When students make the connection between food and health starting at an early age, they are better supported to achieve optimal health outcomes.”

The kindergarten through second grade resources feature fun, memorable food-group characters that guide children through nutrition concepts as they learn, play and grow. Social and emotional learning, SEL, skills are also highlighted and embedded throughout the updated curriculum, helping students identify, learn and practice social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. Intentionally weaving in SEL competencies supports students for academic success as well as mental and physical health. Teaching SEL skills early and building on them each year, students learn to practice and master these competencies to build their social and emotional intelligence.

Each class set includes a food group poster, food picture cards with relevant food facts, educator guide, student workbooks, Brain Break videos to encourage physical activity, pre- and post-assessments, and access to online resources that integrate with existing platforms like SeeSaw, Google Classroom and Zoom. The curriculum also features a Going Deeper section, allowing educators to extend learning with reading suggestions, cafeteria connections and project-based learning.

“The educational landscape is changing,” continued Mendez. “Updating the K-2 nutrition curriculum is just one of the ways we are innovating and creating new resources that will enable our partners to continue to teach nutrition education with confidence, improving the health of students and families.”

Let’s Eat Healthy Nutrition Curriculum and resources are always free for California-based educators and health professionals. Explore the available resources today at HealthyEating.org/K-2.

Advocates for healthier children, families and communities through nutrition education are invited to join the movement to improve community health at HealthyEating.org/Join.

For over a century, Dairy Council of California has empowered stakeholders, including educators, health professionals and community leaders, to elevate the health of children and families through the pursuit of lifelong healthy eating habits. Funded by California’s dairy farm families and local milk processors and under the guidance of California Department of Food and Agriculture, Dairy Council of California’s free science-based nutrition education resources, Mobile Dairy Classroom assemblies, training programs and online resources educate millions of students and families in California and throughout the United States. Learn more at HealthyEating.org.