We are excited to share this big news for Head Start Programs, especially those wanting to invest in improvements in nutrition and take students on Dr. Yum's Food Adventure!

On July 29, 2025, the Office of Head Start (OHS) issued a Program Instruction announcing a one-time supplemental funding opportunity. These funds are intended to help Head Start programs invest in nutrition services enhancements for children and families. We have even partnered with the National Head Start Association to create an exciting "Level Up Nutrition" package and an "easy button" to make applying for this funding simple and seamless.

Click Here » to fill out a form so that NSHA can help you you apply for funding for the Level Up Package, a collaboration between the National Head Start Association and The Dr. Yum Project.

Click Here » Click here to get more information from our Dr. Yum Project Team to answer your questions on Dr. Yum's Food Adventure and apply for funding.

The DEADLINE is August 22.

What Is Dr. Yum’s Food Adventure

The Academy at NHSA (National Head Start Association), in partnership with the Dr. Yum Project, is rolling out "Level Up Head Start Nutrition", an innovative, comprehensive nutrition program tailored exclusively for Head Start programs. It includes comprehensive digital nutrition courses for teachers and parents, as well as access to an evidence-based nutrition curriculum supplement from the Dr. Yum Project. The Dr. Yum Food Adventure is designed to present a joyful, engaging learning journey—cultivating healthier, happier classrooms and communities through evidence-based and developmentally-informed nutrition education.

Dr. Yum’s Food Adventure is a nationally recognized, evidence-based curriculum supplement that empowers Head Start and Early Head Start staff and families to joyfully build healthy eating habits through hands-on, developmentally appropriate experiences. The program has published data showing a meaningful BMI normalization among Head Start students: 33.8% of children with high BMI moved to a healthy range, and 57.4% of children with low BMI reached a healthy weight. The research also shows increased food enjoyment and reduced food fussiness. This initiative strengthens Head Start programs’ ability to promote lifelong wellness for children, their families, and the educators who serve them—while aligning with all requirements of this one-time funding opportunity.

Dr. Yum’s Food Adventure was crafted by a team of experts—including a pediatrician (Dr. Nimali Fernando, “Dr. Yum”), a pediatric feeding specialist (Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP, “Coach Mel”), a registered dietitian, and early education specialists. Designed for ages 2–8, including children with special needs, it is a program from the Dr. Yum Project, a pediatrician-founded nonprofit on a mission to help families and communities overcome barriers to eating well—especially in the earliest, most critical years of development.

Aligned with the goals of this OHS funding opportunity, Dr. Yum’s Food Adventure offers a responsive and comprehensive approach to advancing child health. The program will help us:

  • Promote healthy eating habits from the start
  • Provide inclusive, hands-on nutrition education that engages children, teachers, and their families
  • Address feeding development challenges—including those tied to trauma, disability, or food insecurity
  • Provide and support staff training and consistency in language, approach, and mealtime routines
  • Integrate healthy eating and food exploration into daily classroom experiences, not just one-time lessons
  • Reinforce family engagement by giving parents tools to support healthy habits at home—reducing the burden on caregivers to repeatedly offer new foods alone
  • Reduce childhood obesity and support healthy growth trajectories
  • Advance school readiness through alignment with 85% of the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF)

This is a high-impact, sustainable intervention—one that builds skills for healthier living, strengthens families, and transforms classrooms into hubs for long-term well-being.