Check out this blog from the nonprofit Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) for the latest happenings in child nutrition, with easy-to-digest writing about policies, research and what we can all do to help kids eat and live more healthily in and out of school.

Nonprofit programs that improve nutrition, support children and families, provide early intervention, correct problem behavior and enhance self-esteem, prevent substance abuse, prevent physical/emotional abuse, create better home environments and/or promote physical/emotional health might be eligible for grants from the Herbalife Foundation.

While most comprehensive health education programs, nutrition education efforts, and campaigns to improve school food have focused on the K-12 population, this study looks at menus from preschool day care programs. The authors found that an analysis of menus from preschool day care programs showed levels of total fat and saturated fat content of exceeding those recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The article, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, demonstrates that careful intervention aimed at preschool food service can be a safe and effective way of making sure more children consume heart-healthy meals and snacks.

This US Department of Agriculture resource provides web links to a wide variety of free and low-cost nutrition education resources that can be ordered or downloaded by educators for classroom use and professional training.

Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) is a nationwide initiative dedicated to improving the health of children through better nutrition and physical activity in schools as a response to the epidemic of overweight, sedentary, and undernourished children and adolescents in the US.

The Power of Choice program was developed for after-school program leaders working with young adolescents (ages 11-13) by the Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service. The Leaders' Guide, available on the website and in free hard copy for schools participating in USDA Child Nutrition Programs, contains everything necessary to understand and run a program. It is full of quick, simple things to do with kids and contains 10 interactive sessions. Included in the Leader's Guide are a recipe booklet, parent letter, and Nutrition Facts cards. The CD (also downloadable from the website) contains additional activities, tips for improved communication with adolescents, a training video for the adult leaders, and a song for pre-teens.

An Action for Healthy Kids special report documents how the rise in poor nutrition, inactivity and youth obesity is adversely affecting academic achievement and possibly costing schools millions of dollars each year in addition to the direct adverse health consequences.

This is a detailed and updated bibliography on youth obesity, including health consequences and prevention, developed by the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools. Many but not all of the resources are available online.

Key findings from the best research into the background and health consequences of childhood obesity, as well as information on physical activity and nutrition in schools, are summarized here by the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools.

Educators and others interested in learning more about childhood obesity, both causes and prevention, will find an extensive list of journal articles provided by the Food and Nutrition Information Center, National Agricultural Library, US Department of Agriculture. The site also includes a list of organizations to contact for further assistance.