School-based nutrition intervention for families of pre-k through first grade

Objective: In this paper, we describe the implementation of a novel nutrition education intervention “¡Buen Provecho! – Eat Well” that aims to improve nutrition education, reduce food insecurity, increase healthy eating, and foster school engagement for families of pre-kindergarten through first grade students in 5 public schools in a low-income New York City neighborhood over 3 years. Methods: The intervention included free, weekly parent breakfasts with nutrition discussions, complemented by a common core-integrated classroom nutrition curriculum. A process evaluation assessed program uptake and feasibility of implementation, characterized participants, and identified lessons learned. Data sources included parent breakfast attendance records, parent surveys, and teacher interviews. Results: In the program’s first year, 24% (169/717) of eligible children’s parents attended at least one of the 130 breakfasts held. Parents redeemed 46% of the produce vouchers. We had 173 parents complete surveys. According to survey results, one-third of parents and children ate fruit daily, and 33% of children and 27% of parents ate vegetables daily. Nine of 36 teachers who had received the classroom curriculum were interviewed, and taught an average of 19% of the lessons from the curriculum. Conclusion: ¡Buen Provecho! – Eat Well has promising uptake and implementation.