Denver approves up to $749,695 for early-childhood nutrition programs
The three-year agreement supports classroom nutrition lessons, family food-access programs and cooking classes at Denver Great Kids Head Start and four Denver Public Schools early-childhood hubs.
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Denver City Council approved an agreement with the Regents of the University of Colorado authorizing up to $749,694.78 for nutrition education and food-access programs through Denver Great Kids Head Start and four Denver Public Schools early-childhood hubs. Payments are subject to annual City Council appropriations. City Council Bill 26-1380 passed Oct. 13, and Mayor Mike Johnston signed it Oct. 15.
The program plans hands-on classroom nutrition lessons, with teachers leading monthly activities that include food for tasting or preparation and lesson materials. The agreement targets six lessons per school year in 94 classrooms, reaching an estimated 1,880 children annually. The participating hubs are Escalante-Biggs Academy, Pascual LeDoux Academy, Sandra Todd-Williams Academy and Stephen Knight Center for Early Education.
Families are also slated to receive food-access supports, including pantry tables with shelf-stable foods, culturally responsive farmers markets and multilingual nutrition materials. The plan calls for virtual cooking and nutrition classes in multiple languages, with ingredients or kitchen tools provided to families in some cases.
The agreement runs from Aug. 1, 2026, through July 31, 2029. Its scope and payment terms outline planned work and targets.