STARKVILLE, Miss.--Two Mississippi State University units and the state's top health office are working together on a new program to help child care centers adopt a series of simple steps that can prevent food-related illnesses.
"TummySafe" is the title of a food-safety certification effort being coordinated by the MSU Extension Service, the university's Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems and the state Department of Health. Using computer delivery and a software platform developed by CAVS research scientists, it offers self-paced instruction in an interactive format.
"The current curriculum for child care providers was developed by the National Restaurant Association and is industrially oriented," said extension food scientist Jenna Schilling, the project's co-director. The current "ServSafe" certification course sometimes requires extensive travel for in-person classroom instruction and costs $125 per person, she explained.
Developed with a $280,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the new TummySafe curriculum now is as close as a personal computer and the local extension office, Schilling said. TummySafe also will cost users nothing during the first two years of the project, she added.
"Child care providers without personal computer access will be able to use computers in MSU Extension offices around the state or opt for traditional in-person training," she said. "Travel will be minimal, and they can work at their own pace on individual modules that are as short as 15 minutes."
The project was tested in recent pilot sessions on the MSU campus and will be rolled out statewide in the spring, said registered extension dietitian Carol Ball, the other co-director.
"We're working with MSU's Early Childhood Institute and the Extension Service's Nurturing Homes Initiative to reach as many childcare providers in the state as possible," Ball said, noting that the team's ultimate goal is "to launch TummySafe as a national education model."
Using software designed by CAVS research associates Scott Calhoun and Debbie Brown, Schilling and Ball have the capability of adjusting content, audio and illustrations.
Persons participating in the TummySafe certification will navigate interactive modules that include explanations of food safety and food hazards; the importance and correct methods of hand-washing; correct ways to purchase and store foods; ways to cook food properly; and food topics for infants and babies.
"Participants begin with a pre-test and must successfully complete a post-test for certification," Schilling said, adding that throughout each module, caregivers must successfully answer questions before progressing.
In the MSU pilot test, materials were offered using two teaching methods--self-directed, computer-based learning or training led by an instructor.
"Both groups were presented the same information that allowed them to interact with a number of activities and explore the module's additional resources," Schilling said. "We believe TummySafe will be a cost-effective, efficient way to ensure that child care providers understand the importance of food safety."
(TummySafe material is based upon work supported by the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service under special project number 2002-5111-01530.)
For more information on the TummySafe program, contact Jenna Schilling at (662) 325-8930. Carol Ball may be reached at 325-8930.