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MSU seeks childcare providers for community-based nutrition program

Jianan Liu for NPR

Michigan State University is recruiting childcare providers across the state to participate in a nutrition awareness initiative.

The Growing Healthy Eaters program wants to find 100 childcare providers from some of Michigan’s most economically distressed areas and provide them with free nutrition education. The goal is to give the children they serve more access to locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables.

Dawn Earnesty with MSU Extension in Saginaw said the program is also meant to build relationships.

“We also really want to create this replicable and sustainable model which then connects the childcare provider to a farmer," he said.

The program will cover 19 counties, including Genesee, Gratiot and Washtenaw. The recruitment program will continue through December.

Kevin Lavery has been news director at WKAR since September 2006.