Children’s Healthy Development Book Making Its Debut at National Child Nutrition Conference

Moorpark, CA, October 11, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Commitment by Clinton Foundation, Too Small to Fail, Scholastic, National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), Barbershop Books, Spotify and Gerber Products Company have joined together to bring “Meal Time is Talk Time: Promoting Children’s Early Health & Language Development” to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) community at the 25th Annual Child Care Food Program Roundtable (CCFP) Conference on October 18, 2016.

The initiative includes the Scholastic book, “At the Farmer’s Market,” which will be distributed to attendees of the CCFP conference. “At the Farmer’s Market” exposes children to growing a variety of fresh and nutritious foods as well as healthy recipes for young children. The book and tip sheet, in Spanish and English, include ideas for engaging in literacy and developmental activities around the table pulling together essential components of a child’s healthy development.

“CACFP is the perfect distribution partner for this initiative,” says Chris Clark, CCFP Roundtable Conference Chairperson, “because our community serves over 115,000 children nationwide by providing the child care providers with in facility support and nutrition education.”

“We are happy to partner with the Child Care Food Program Roundtable for the Meal Time is Talk Time initiative to reach providers participating on the CACFP,” says Patti Miller, Director of Too Small to Fail. Launching Meal Time is Talk Time to the CACFP community at the CCFP Roundtable conference enables all attendees the opportunity to discuss how best to use and distribute these materials and educational opportunities to child care providers and those servicing them.

Too Small to Fail, a joint initiative of the Clinton Foundation and The Opportunity Institute, is leading a public awareness and action campaign to promote the importance of early brain and language development and to empower parents with tools to talk, read, and sing with their young children from birth. Today, almost 60 percent of children in the United States start kindergarten unprepared, lagging behind their peers in critical language, math, and social-emotional skills. Through partnerships with pediatricians, hospitals, faith-based leaders, community based organizations, businesses, entertainment industry leaders, and others, Too Small to Fail is meeting parents where they are to help them prepare their children for success in school and beyond. Whether at the pediatrician's office or the playground, Too Small to Fail aims to make small moments big by creating opportunities for meaningful interactions anytime, anywhere.

Learn more at www.toosmall.org. Find resources for parents and caregivers at www.talkingisteaching.org or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/2smalltofail), Twitter (@2SmalltoFail), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/2smalltofail).

The Child Care Food Program Roundtable was established in 1977 to give California sponsors a voice. Since then the Roundtable has become an influential voice nationally for the Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Working collaboratively with the California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division (NSD), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National CACFP Forum, the California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA), the Child Care Resource and Referral (R & R) Network and other regional and national program and children’s advocates, the Roundtable constantly seeks to improve program integrity and quality, as well as provide a voice for program sponsors, providers, parents and, most importantly, the children.