Dairy Council of California, a leader in nutrition education and advocacy, announced that it is receiving $20,000 in project funding from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for the development of culturally responsive resources to support infant and toddler nutrition for Latino and African American families. This funding is provided by NACCHO under the Reducing Disparities in Breastfeeding through Continuity of Care project, which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control, and Dairy Council of California is the lead consultant coordinating the development of these critical resources with key partners.

“Dairy Council of California prioritizes the unique nutrition needs of children, with a focus on the first 1,000 days of life, from birth to age 2 years, a critical growth and development period. This project provides an actionable way to better reach families with culturally tailored resources that are relevant and relatable,” stated Dairy Council of California CEO Amy DeLisio.

Dairy Council of California collaborated with University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and two of its physician training programs specific to communities of color, Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean program (LEAD-ABC); and Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC) for Latino — along with Boston-based BOND of Color, a professional organization devoted to increasing the number of African American and Afro Caribbean nutritionists and dietitians and providing nutrition education in the community. 
The LEAD-ABC program aims at producing future physicians who are committed to addressing the health needs of African, Black and Caribbean communities in California, the United States and beyond. The PRIME-LC is a five-year medical degree Master’s program that is committed to training physicians to meet the needs of under-resource Latino communities.

These dynamic partners, along with local public health agencies; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; and the Child and Adult Care Food Program are providing support to collect community input for the development of resources, recipes and social media outreach that provide actionable and relevant solutions that support children’s optimal health and well-being, and are tailored to the diverse needs of these communities. 

About Dairy Council of California
Dairy Council of California is a nutrition organization working together with champions to elevate the health of children and communities through lifelong healthy eating patterns. Focusing on education and advocacy, dairy ag literacy and collaboration, the organization advances the health benefits of milk and dairy foods as part of the solution to achieving nutrition security and sustainable food systems. Learn more at HealthyEating.org.