DESCRIPTION:
The Government of Prince Edward Island and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development believe the earlier healthy behaviors are established in life, the better. It is therefore critical that Healthy Living Guidelines supporting these positive behaviors be implemented in early learning and child care centres across Prince Edward Island.
The main purpose of these Healthy Living Guidelines is to provide Island early learning and child care centres with effective direction, meaningful advice, and where appropriate, specific instructions on how to create the healthiest and safest environments possible for children. Importantly, successful implementation requires that the Healthy Living Guidelines be modeled by both early childhood educators, staff and parents.
The details outlined in subsequent sections are built on the premise that as new evidence becomes available the content may change to improve the Healthy Living Guidelines. In this way, the Healthy Living Guidelines will evolve meaningfully over time to contribute, not only to the health and development of children, but also to age-appropriate education that will inform their nutritional and physical activity practices throughout their lifetime.
The Healthy Eating Guidelines attempt to encourage and support early learning and child care centres to maintain supportive environments which promote healthy food choices. The goals of the Healthy Eating Guidelines are to:
- Improve access for children to a variety of healthy, safe, and attractively presented food choices.
- Support operators in developing ways to achieve this goal in an affordable way.
- Assist early childhood educators to act as positive role models to promote healthy eating within the early Years Centre.
- Educate early childhood educators on the importance of healthy eating.
- Create a supportive and welcoming environment for mothers who breastfeed.