Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** many CHILDREN in hawai'i face a…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** many CHILDREN in hawai'i face a double burden of food insecurity and overweight or obesity, with poor nutrition persisting into adolescence and adulthood. To address diet-related conditions in hawai'i youth, the tasting with keiki (CHILDREN) 4-H program provides nutrition education in early childhood through a series of interactive classroom lessons, coupled with outreach services promoting healthy food access for students' families. Led by university of hawai'i cooperative extension agents from the college of tropical agriculture and human resources (UH-CTAHR), this school-based series introduces CHILDREN in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade to new foods in classroom settings in hawai'i and kaua'i counties. The program includes cooking demonstrations, storytime, and take-home recipes focused on local crops including taro, sweet potato, and breadfruit. In partnership with the food basket (TFB), hawai'i island's food bank, student families will receive outreach and support to enroll in statewide healthy food access services. To encourage post-program activities around healthy local foods, teachers in participating classrooms receive curriculum books and cooking kit access, while student families can sign up for at-home lessons. Refining and expanding the tasting with keiki program will support wider program adoption and sustained impact for increased healthy food access and consumption in hawai'i and kaua'i counties.