Early Childhood services can have a positive and profound influence on children’s eating behaviours and are often providing a child’s best opportunity to be physically active throughout the day.

Good for Kids, Good for Life supports the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity by children across the Hunter and New England regions. Good for Kids, Good for Life began as a demonstration project between 2006-2010. Research undertaken by the program demonstrated how to support early childhood education and care (ECEC) services to implement practices to promote better child nutrition and physical activity. Good for Kids is now funded as part of the state-wide Healthy Children’s Initiative that was modelled on the Good for Kids demonstration project and its research findings[1][2][3].

Good for Kids, Good for Life provides support for ECEC services consistent with the NSW Ministry of Health’s Munch & Move program, and in line with Get Up & Grow and the National Quality Standards. Good for Kids aims to standardise best practice for healthy eating and physical activity in care across services in our area.

[1] Bell CA, Davies L, Finch M, Wolfenden L, Francis LJ, Wiggers J.  An implementation intervention to encourage healthy eating in centre-based childcare services: impact of the Good for Kids Good for Life program. Public Health Nutrition. 2014;9:1-10

[2] Finch M, Wolfenden L, Wiggers J, Edenden D, Falkiner M, Pond N, Hardy LL, Milat A. Impact of a population based implementation intervention to increase the adoption of multiple physical activity promoting practices in centre based childcare services: a quasi experimental effectiveness study. International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2012;9:101.

[3] Wiggers J, Wolfenden L, Campbell E, Gillham K, Bell C, Sutherland R, Hardy LL, King L, Gruiseit A, Milat AJ, Orr N. Good for Kids. Good for Life: Evaluation report 2006-2010: Evaluation Report. Sydney: NSW Ministry of Health. 2013.