About the Initiative

Healthy Keiki, Healthy Future:

A Statewide Initiative Sowing Healthier Habits in Hawai‘i’s Early Childhood System

Research suggests that many disparities in overall health and well-being are rooted in early childhood. Interventions that support healthy development in early childhood reduce these disparities, have lifelong positive impacts, and support high quality care. Addressing health disparities through evidence-based physical activity and nutrition practices effectively offers opportunities to advance equity and improve the lives of young children and those that care for them.

Healthy Keiki, Healthy Future (HKHF) is a statewide public-private initiative that provides technical assistance (TA), tools/resources, and financial support to embed healthy eating and physical activity standards into Hawai‘i’s early childhood care and education (ECE) systems and settings.    

Guided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Spectrum of Opportunities framework, Hawai‘i stakeholders positively impacted systems change in the following opportunity areas:

• Child and Adult Care Food Program,

• Pre-Service and Professional Development Systems,

• Statewide Technical Assistance Networks,

• Statewide Access Initiatives (Farm2ECE), and

• Statewide Recognition and Intervention Programs.

From February 2022 - July 2023, through partnership with Nemours Children's Health Healthy Kids, Healthy Future Technical Assistance Program (HKHF TAP), Hawai‘i ECE stakeholders from across the state implemented key initiatives that increased food access for vulnerable populations, created positive systems change, and strengthened partnerships amongst ECE stakeholders to continue to help our youngest keiki build lifelong healthy habits. 

Healthy Keiki, Healthy Future was made possible through a subaward agreement with Nemours Children’s Health using funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under a five-year Cooperative Agreement (6NU38OT000304-04-02) to support statewide early care and education (ECE) organizations to integrate best practices and standards for healthy eating, physical activity, breastfeeding support, and reducing screen time in ECE systems and settings.

HKHF Reach and Impact

4

Providers, trainers and TA specialists in four major counties reached
(Virtual and in person)

100+

ECE programs reached
(Virtual and in person)

5000+

Children ages 0-5 in ECE settings impacted

$200,000

Federal dollars infused into local economy for physical activity and nutrition in ECE

HKHF Projects

The Hawai‘i Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) GIS Mapping Project

University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Center on the Family

Hawai‘i Child Nutrition Programs

Garden to Grindz: Kauaʻi Farm to ECE Local Food Incentive Program

Mālama Kaua'i

Planting the Profession Community of Practice (CoP)

Chaminade University Montessori Laboratory School

Executive Office on Early Learning

Farm to Keiki 101: Asynchronous Online Training

Farm to Keiki: A Project of Olapono

Certification Programs: “Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments” and “Gardening with Young Children”

Natural Learning Initiative

Hawai‘i Farm to ECE Coalition

Hawai‘i Physical Activity Learning Sessions (PALS) Professional Learning Community (PLC)

Nemours Children’s Health Healthy Kids, Healthy Future PALS

Developing a Healthy Keiki Healthy Future ECE Recognition Program 

People Attentive to Children (PATCH)

Healthy Keiki, Healthy Future: Physical Activity and Nutrition in ECE Settings Stakeholder Convening

Huliau Aloha

Feature

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

Early childhood is a critical time of physical, social, and emotional development. Research shows that limited or unstable access to nutritious food can disrupt this healthy development. Despite facing higher levels of food insecurity, families with young children often have access to fewer supports and services to access nutritious food.

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is an important federally funded program that increases access to nutritious, well-balanced meals for keiki in child care settings. ECE providers are essential partners in increasing food access and nutrition security and ensuring that our youngest keiki and their families can thrive. 

CACFP has many wide-ranging benefits that underscore why participation in the program is a critical support. In addition to reducing food insecurity and offering assurance to families that their children will receive high-quality, nutritious meals each day, CACFP also strengthens the quality and financial stability of child care providers.

Beyond its findings, the story map is a testament to how ECE stakeholders can work together to share data, identify shared goals, and raise awareness of federally funded food programs like CACFP and NSLP within Hawai‘i. As integral partners in CACFP expansion, we hope to use this story map to inform decision-making on the continued strengthening of child care regulations and systems of support for ECE providers that promote equity, incentivize participation, and reduce the administrative burden of participation in CACFP.

 HKHF Resource Library

Want to learn more?

Contact Vivian Eto