In celebration of National Head Start Awareness Month, Child Care Associates (CCA) announced that it has been awarded $934,763 in supplemental nutrition funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). This funding aligns with the national Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative and will support enhanced nutrition services, improve child access to healthy foods, and foster healthy eating habits for children and families in Tarrant County.
“We are truly grateful for this investment in our Head Start program,” said Ashley Flowers, Director of Nutrition for Child Care Associates. “With this support, we can deepen our commitment to ensuring that each child in our program has regular access to fresh, nutritious foods and nutrition education that will set the foundation for lifelong health.”
Child Care Associates is the 6th largest grant recipient in the nation and the 2nd largest in Texas – a testament to the trust placed in the organization to deliver high-quality early childhood education and family support services across its 12 centers and home visiting services.
“Being among the top grantees underscores both our responsibility and our opportunity,” said Kara Waddell, President and CEO. “We are deeply honored to serve children, families, and communities at this level and remain committed to ensuring that every child—regardless of neighborhood or circumstance—has access to a strong start in life.”
This national investment allows CCA to make improvements in a variety of nutrition areas including:
- Kitchen Equipment Upgrades
- Home-Based Cooking Kits to bring healthy eating experiences to children who do not access on-site meals
- Family-Style Dining tools to help toddlers transition to independent eating
- Breastfeeding Resources for mothers
- Hydration Access Equipment that supports child-level direct access to filtered water both indoors and outdoors
- Nutrition Education evidence-based training for early educators & nutrition staff to support healthy eating for selective eaters
- Farm-to-School Training and child garden enhancements
These services and resources will directly benefit 899 children and families in Tarrant County in year one. Children will not just receive healthier meals; they will gain hands-on learning experiences, and families will be empowered with knowledge to make healthy and nutritious choices, even beyond the Head Start setting. This investment will continue to improve nutritional education for children in the decade ahead and beyond.
This award is part of the broader MAHA strategy announced by HHS, which recently allocated over $61 million in supplemental funding to more than 290 Head Start programs nationwide. The goal is to support nutrition services, promote healthy eating habits, and improve access to nutrient-dense foods for more than 100,000 children and families across the country.
Source: press release
