Alisha Rone, Executive Director of the Child Development Center, considers all of the children in the program to be kinda-sorta hers. She loves them like her own and she, along with the rest of the CDC team, strive to take care of those children in the best ways possible on a daily basis.
One of the newest ways CDC is trying to help the growth and development of Casper’s kids is by the services provided through CDC+. This includes speech, occupational and physical therapy and Audiology services. And now CDC+ has added a Registered Dietician to their team.
Abby Roich joined CDC + as its Registered Dietitian because now, more than ever, we realize just how important proper nutrition is for children.
For Alisha, this idea hits especially close to home. Her son was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which has certainly altered the way she and her family eat. Solidified by his diagnosis, Rone understands how vital nutrition is to children of all ages.
“CDC is big on being present with our families and really listening to what their needs are,” Rone recently stated. “Children with or without special needs, we recognize that nutrition is a huge component of their development.”
While CDC has always offered various ‘snack times’ to children throughout their days , Rone and the rest of the team at the Child Development Center believe that proper nutrition is a lot more complicated than ‘3 meals a day.’
“We were hearing the frustrations of parents who are trying to get their kids to eat and eat healthy when they have a number of other things going on in their development,” Rone continued. “We felt that adding a nutrition component to our program would just be an added bonus for families. We understand how difficult it can be getting children to eat healthy, supporting children with feeding tubes, children that are born failure to thrive, or babies that have a hard time breastfeeding- we see all those kiddos and want to provide support to parents.”
“We just felt like this would be a great addition for families,” she added.
Abby will see children and families who are a part of the CDC Early Intervention Program, and who are referred to CDC+. She is dedicated to helping resolve the challenges associated with feeding a family and can provide personalized nutrition counseling services for nutrition-related issues such as breastfeeding support, weight management, disordered eating, failure to thrive, food texture and sensitivity concerns as well as eating to support ideal health and wellness.
“We’ve seen how nutrition plays a major role in the lives of children we serve,” Rone said. “Supporting healthy growth and development also includes supporting healthy nutrition and active lifestyles.”
As Alisha’s family alters their eating habits to support her son’s needs, so too will CDC continue to evolve in the ways they serve the community. For more information or to schedule an appointment with Abby Roich, Registered Dietitian, visit cdccasper.org/nutrition or call 307-237-4477.