Working with ‘Picky Eating’ in Pre-School and Childcare Settings

Tired of enforcing “one-bite" rules? Has food play or “eat growing foods first” led to battles? Do you have a 'healthy eating' curriculum but it doesn't seem to make a difference at the table? Are you struggling with picky eaters and the impact on snack and mealtimes? We can help.


Course Description:

This two-part webinar series is a unique opportunity for daycare and pre-school staff to learn from two internationally acclaimed child feeding specialists with specific expertise in supporting young children’s eating in educational and childcare settings. 

Wherever you are in the world, you will have had children in your care who are ‘picky eaters’. In fact, research tells us that a quarter of young children are perceived as ‘picky’ by their parent. Despite feeding challenges being extremely common, this topic is rarely covered in any depth in training for early childhood professionals. There is a wealth of resources on nutrition – the WHAT of feeding children – but very little on the HOW. You could not have two more knowledgeable presenters taking you through how to identify and respond to ‘picky eating’ in the children in your care.

Attend the live sessions to participate in the Q&A.

Part 1:

Responsive Feeding

Webinar 1 will provide you with an introduction to Responsive Feeding; the recognized gold standard in feeding children from infancy and beyond. This will support your practice in relation to feeding all the children in your care.

DURATION: 1.5 hours
DATE: April 20, 2023
TIME: 1:00 pm ET, 18:00 UK

Part 2: 

Picky Eating

Webinar 2 is a deeper dive into ‘picky eating’, including:

  • How to distinguish typical eating from feeding differences requiring specialist help
  • What causes ‘picky eating’
  • 7 steps to helping ‘picky eaters’
  • Accommodations for ‘picky eaters’
  • Tips for teaching about food
  • Considerations for food provision

DURATION: 2.5 hours
DATE: April 24, 2023
TIME: 1:00 pm ET, 18:00 UK


Live and On-demand!

Register now and get access to both live sessions. If you miss a live session, or if you want to re-watch the sessions later, you'll be able to watch the recordings here.

We offer discounts for certain groups:

  • Group rate is 15% off for three or more. Please email [email protected] for a coupon code.
  • Equity rate is $10. If you consider yourself to be part of a marginalized community or are struggling financially, please email [email protected] for a coupon code.
  • Student rate is $10.  Please email [email protected] for a coupon code, and please indicate the institution and program where you are currently enrolled.

You will enter discount codes during the checkout process.


Heidi Liefer Moreland MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CLC

Heidi is a speech therapist and feeding specialist with Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics. Heidi has 25 years of experience of working with children who have feeding challenges, supporting families virtually and in-person through family mealtime coaching, remote responsive feeding therapy, and the Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics Feeding Tube Weaning Program. With her history as a qualified preschool teacher, Heidi has a unique understanding of how early educators can support children’s relationship with food in their setting. Heidi has an international reputation for her expertise in feeding challenges, ranging from typical ‘picky eating’ through to tube weaning. 


Jo Cormack PhD MBACP

Jo is a researcher and clinician specialising in avoidant (‘picky’) eating. She is a co-founder of Responsive Feeding Pro. Her background as a therapist enables her to support the relational and emotional aspects of feeding children. Jo’s PhD in psychology focused on ‘picky eating’ in the context of children aged between two and five years. She is the author of Helping Children Develop a Positive Relationship with Food: a guide for Early Years practitioners (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) which was a winner of the UK Teach Early Years awards in 2018. As well as providing clinical supervision, Jo also trains feeding professionals all over the world, both through her speaking engagements and her small-group training in her model, Emotionally Aware Feeding (EAF) which comes under the Responsive Feeding Therapy umbrella.

Learning Objectives:

Learners will be able to:

  1. Explain the values of responsive feeding.
  2. Describe the impact that non-responsive feeding can have on children's eating and relationship with food.
  3. Distinguish typical eating from feeding differences requiring a specialist’s help.
  4. Identify the most common causes of picky eating .
  5. Obtain ideas for teaching about food that can be implemented in their own setting.

CEU information:

Certificates of attendance verify 3.5 hours of continuing education for SLPs and OTs. Check with your professional organization’s licensing bodies to determine exactly what may be accepted for you:

This course counts towards ASHA professional development hour requirements, and does not require pre-approval. Please keep your certificate as proof of attendance as it is not submitted to ASHA’s CEU registry. Please check with your state certification board for any additional requirements for state licensure, as they all differ. ASHA professional development information

This course counts towards AOTA professional development hour requirements and does not require pre-approval.  Please check your state’s and national certifying body guidelines for specific information to determine if it may apply to your state’s licensure requirements. Please keep your certificate as proof of attendance as it is not submitted to any CEU registries.  NBCOT certificate and certification , NBCOT certification activities chart

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