Meaningful Mealtimes

Practical Strategies for All Young Eaters

Authors: Yev Veverka, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Susan A. Ramage, RN, M.N., Christy Baker, B.S., OTR/L, CLE, Kelsey Milne, M.S., CCC-SLP, Emilie Dupont, M.Ed.

Mealtimes in early learning settings present rich opportunities for connection, learning, and positive food experiences. Make the most of mealtimes—and prevent and address common feeding challenges—with this user-friendly planning guide, the first of its kind for early childhood educators and care providers.

Overview

Written by a cross-disciplinary team of professionals, this book empowers you to make meaningful changes to mealtime routines that benefit children of all ability levels and cultural backgrounds. Through a tiered approach based on MTSS, you'll deliver mealtime supports that respond to each child's needs and foster safety, autonomy, connection, nourishment, interest, and inclusion for all. How-to guidance, helpful examples, and practical tools make the strategies easy to implement, and the focus on equity and cultural responsiveness will help you consider how to shape mealtimes that welcome children with diverse experiences and backgrounds.

With the flexible, practical, and inclusive approach in this book, you’ll use best practices to make mealtimes fulfilling and meaningful experiences for all young children.

LEARN HOW TO:

• Identify and address feeding challenges in proactive and culturally responsive ways
• Develop a vision for mealtimes and set clear goals to improve the mealtime experience
• Apply five core practices that can enhance your current mealtime routines
• Encourage children to explore and build comfort with a variety of foods
• Incorporate literacy, math, and other skills into mealtime to make it a powerful learning experience
• Use mealtime conversations to increase children’s social connections, autonomy, and awareness of food origins and food justice
• Use ongoing assessment to make decisions and track progress toward your goals
• Strengthen the connection between your program and home by cultivating collaborative relationships with families

Reviews

• Sharon Feucht, M.A., RDN, Retired pediatric registered dietitian and nutritionist
  "A welcome addition for early childhood settings to ensure all children, even those who may have difficulties at mealtimes, approach meals with eagerness for not only nourishment, but to learn about themselves and others."

• Deborah Bruns, Ph.D., Professor, Special Education program, Southern Illinois University
  "The authors provide a collaborative and intentional approach to mealtimes spanning developmental domains. The menu of options addresses the complexity of this critical aspect of development in young children. Definitely worth a read for early childhood professionals!"

• Ilene Schwartz, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Professor, University of Washington; Director, Haring Center for Inclusive Education
  "Provides a multi-disciplinary, strength-based approach to address mealtimes.

The book will help prevent many concerns from turning into challenging behaviors and provide practical advice to professionals and parents."

• Lynn Kern Koegel, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Clinical Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine; Editor in Chief, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
  "An excellent resource for parents, teachers, and service providers interested in making mealtime nutritious, stress-free, educational, and enjoyable. The book provides support in tracking progress, implementing individualized and culturally appropriate programs, and guidance for creating more intensive programs when needed."