Nutrition 101 for Early Childhood Educators

Early childhood educators have the opportunity to not only teach nutrition concepts and healthy behaviors in the classroom, but they are often eating with young children 2-3 times a day. This gives them the chance to model healthy behaviors and teach mini impactful lessons with each meal. This training equips early childhood educators with foundational nutrition knowledge to help them incorporate healthy eating behaviors into their own lives and become role models to the children they care for.

This training will detail:

  • the six classes of nutrients we need to be healthy (carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water),
  • the five food groups we need to eat to obtain all of those nutrients (fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein),
  • common barriers to healthy eating and how we can overcome them,
  • and we will dispute common nutrition myths that impact how we eat.

By the end of this training, successful participants should be able to:

  • Detail which nutrients are needed to obtain or maintain a healthy lifestyle.
  • List the five food groups and describe 2-3 healthy options for each group.
  • Describe two common barriers to healthy eating and list possible solutions for each.
  • List at least 3 popular nutrition myths and explain why they are false.

Educators who complete this course will receive 2.0 clock hours of professional development.


Your Instructor


Jessica Barnes, PhD, RDN, LD
Jessica Barnes, PhD, RDN, LD

Dr. Jessica Barnes received her PhD in nutrition from Texas Woman's University. Her research focused on food preference development and creating materials to help preschoolers become familiar with healthy foods. She has worked with families and communities as a clinical and community Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.


Course Curriculum


  Course Introduction
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  Part 1: Energy & Nutrient Needs
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  Part 2: Food Groups
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  Part 3: Making Healthy Choices as We Shop
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  Part 4: Making Healthy Choices on a Busy Schedule
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  Course Conclusion & Assessment
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Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
This course is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
You will have unlimited access to this course for one year starting from the purchase date.

Get started now!