Every Kid Healthy Week (April 20–24) is a national celebration created by Action for Healthy Kids that highlights the connection between nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and learning. Each day of the week shines a spotlight on the actions that programs and families are taking to improve the health and wellness of their kids.
And if you’re a childcare provider participating in CACFP, you’re already doing this work every single day.
This week is your chance to spotlight those efforts — and have a little extra fun with the kids in your care. Here are five simple ways to celebrate.
Pick two or three spring fruits or vegetables the children haven’t tried before — think snap peas, strawberries, or jicama. Let them touch, smell, and taste each one, then vote on their favorite with stickers or hand-raises.
The CACFP connection: Use this as an opportunity to introduce a new creditable fruit or vegetable into your meal rotation. The USDA’s Crediting Handbook for CACFP can help you confirm which items are creditable. If the kids love it, add it to next month’s menu in KidKare.
Need recipe ideas? The National CACFP Association has a full library of kid-friendly CACFP recipes you can browse by ingredient or meal type. The USDA’s Food Buying Guide is also a great tool for checking yields and portion sizes when introducing new foods.
Split this into two parts for a fun (and clean) experience. First, get the kids moving with a dance party, animal walks, or a relay race outside. Then, once everyone has washed their hands, move to the table for a simple cooking activity — assembling fruit kabobs, tearing lettuce for a salad, or stirring ingredients for a dip. Keeping movement and food prep as separate steps means kids burn energy and stay safe in the kitchen.
The CACFP connection: Children who help prepare food are more likely to eat it — so even a small hands-on step like choosing which fruit goes on their kabob makes a difference at mealtime. For more ideas on pairing movement with nutrition education, Action for Healthy Kids has a free nutrition activity toolkit with games and resources you can adapt for younger children.
Bonus idea: Download AFHK’s Every Kid Healthy Week Toolkit for printable flyers, activity ideas for each themed day, and social media templates to share your celebration.
You don’t need a backyard. A few cups of soil, some herb seeds (basil, parsley, cilantro), and a sunny windowsill are all it takes. Let each child plant their own and watch it grow over the coming weeks.
The CACFP connection: Fresh herbs can be added to CACFP-creditable meals as flavor boosters — and kids love eating what they’ve grown themselves. This also connects to the USDA’s Farm to CACFP initiative, which encourages incorporating locally-grown foods into childcare programs. Even a small herb garden counts as a farm-to-table experience for young learners.
Take it further: The National CACFP Association’s Farm to CACFP resources include activity pages, planting guides, and ideas for connecting food education to your daily routine.
Pick a picture book that celebrates healthy eating or explores where food comes from. Some favorites:
The CACFP connection: Pair the book with a related snack. If you read about carrots, serve carrots at afternoon snack. If the story features a garden, tie it into your windowsill planting activity from earlier in the week. It’s a simple way to turn storytime into a full nutrition learning experience. The Sesame Street in Communities resources from the National CACFP Association are another great source for nutrition-themed activities and printables that pair well with reading time.
For more classroom ideas: Check out the National CACFP Association’s Activity Pages — free downloadable coloring sheets and educational activities that teach children about healthy eating in fun, age-appropriate ways.
Create a simple coloring sheet or printable where families draw or glue pictures of a balanced meal. Invite parents to share a photo of their family’s healthiest dinner that week.
The CACFP connection: This extends the CACFP mission beyond your program and into the home — building nutrition awareness for the whole family. The USDA’s MyPlate resources include free printable activities and tip sheets for families that you can include in take-home packets.
Make it social: Share your classroom’s Healthy Plate creations on social media and tag @act4healthykids on Instagram and @ActionforHealthyKids on Facebook using #EKHW26. Encourage families to join in and post their own.
Already planning your menus in KidKare? Use this week as a reason to refresh your spring menus. Schedule your meals in advance, swap in seasonal produce, and let KidKare handle the tracking so you can focus on the fun.
KidKare’s meal plan templates already have the latest CACFP meal pattern requirements built in — so the software catches missing components and flags errors before you submit your claim. With over 350 creditable food items in the dropdown lists, building a compliant spring menu takes minutes, not hours.
Not in the food program yet? Find a sponsor today and start using KidKare for free.
