The Role of Nutrition and Healthy Eating Habits in Promoting the Well-Being of Young Children in Ece Setting

Early childhood Education is the first phase of education where the foundation for lifelong learning and development is laid. It focus on the development and education of children from birth to age eight. This study set to examine the role of nutrition and healthy eating habits in promoting the wellbeing and academic performance of young children in ECE setting. To guide this study, five questions were raised and helped with the designing of the research instrument used. The researcher employed the descriptive survey research design and about 100 respondents were selected as a sample size. The instrument (questionnaire) used was titled "the role of nutrition and healthy eating habits in promoting the wellbeing and academic performance of young children in ECE setting". The reliability of the instrument was achieved using cronbach alpha which yielded 0.84. The findings revealed and gathered were analysed using frequency and simple percentage. The findings revealed that children in ECE setting have needs for the improvement of their eating habits as well as their diet and nutrition. It showed that children indeed need proper nutrition because it contribute to this academic success. The lack of nutrition in children can negatively influence their physical growth, which can also lead to some health challenges. These health challenges could see the children stay away from school and this action will affect their academic performance. Their cognitive strength will also require certain amount of nutrient to build them, therefore parents and teachers should make sure not to ignore these aspect of a child's growth and life as it lays a foundation for their academic success and lifelong progress. It was recommended that teachers should work hand-in-hand with parents to ensure that the right thing is done for the children and for the ones who out of ignorance or negligence have been affected, will be corrected before more damages is done. Also recommended was that there should be awareness programs that will educate the public on the need for proper nutrition and healthy eating habits of the children as it inter-relates with their growth and academic performance.