As caregivers at the Children Crisis Center, caretakers are responsible for supporting the growth and development of children. One key aspect of supporting their growth and development is paying attention to their nutrition and health. This indicates that caregivers must have a basic understanding of child nutrition and health. To assist the caregivers, the UGM nutrition intern team conducted several activities with the caregivers regarding child nutrition and health.
The educational activities were divided into three main focuses: child nutrition status, food hygiene and sanitation, and menu planning. These activities were conducted through lectures and discussions with the caregivers to help them address the existing issues at the Children Crisis Center and enhance their knowledge of child nutrition and health. The media used for the educational activities included modules, videos, and leaflets.
The first educational session was about kitchen hygiene and sanitation (27/03/2023). Caregivers were educated about food safety standards, such as proper storage, processing, and serving of food. This activity aimed to help caregivers better understand cleanliness standards when preparing, processing, and serving food to the children.
During the nutrition status education session (03/04/2023), caregivers were educated about the importance of monitoring a child’s nutrition status and how to determine it. Additionally, caregivers were trained to measure a child’s nutrition status, enabling them to regularly monitor the children’s nutrition status on a monthly basis.
The final educational session focused on menu planning for children (06/04/2023). The education provided guidance on creating menus that meet the nutritional needs of children and determining appropriate portion sizes for them. The goal of this activity was to assist caregivers in providing food that meets the nutritional needs of the children.
Through these educational activities, caregivers have been equipped with basic knowledge of nutrition and health, and it is expected that they will gradually apply the provided information to the children. With this knowledge about child nutrition and health, caregivers can provide facilities and support the growth and development process of the children at the Children Crisis Center.