Webinars: Why Won’t They Eat? Supporting Sensory & Autistic Kids at
Mealtimes Hard
Practical support for Educators, Health Teams, Program Staff, and anyone working with young children at mealtimes
July 29 - 1:30 pm ET (FREE)
When Food Feels Hard - a webinar hosted by Georgetown University’s Thrive Center
Join Natalia Stasenko in this engaging webinar with Georgetown University's Thrive Center, where we'll explore effective strategies for Head Start Programs to support sensory and autistic kids at mealtimes and to get families on board.
Aug 27 - 12 pm ET ($20)
Why won’t they eat?
Some kids are genuinely, deeply hard to feed — and the usual advice doesn't work for them. This webinar explains why and what actually does work.
Aug 20 - 11 am ET
Neurodiversity and Feeding Challenges in Early Years Settings - Hosted by CACFP as part of the CACFP Virtual Summit
Many young children in early childhood settings have neurodevelopmental differences that significantly affect how they experience eating. This session explores the neurodevelopmental roots of feeding difficulties, including the often-overlooked intersection of food insecurity and neurodivergence, and equips early years professionals with practical strategies to create supportive, inclusive mealtime environments.
Sept 4 - 11 am - 12:15 ET (FREE)
Transforming Mealtimes: Supporting Autistic & Sensory Kids in Head Start
Join Natalia Stasenko, Pediatric RD, for a 1.25-hour webinar where we’ll explore complex feeding challenges in children, unpack key drivers behind avoidant eating, and equip you with actionable strategies to ease mealtime distress. Hosted by the Illinois Head Start Association.
Sept 18 - 11 am - 12:15 ET (FREE)
Food Substitutions for CACFP Compliance and Meeting Families' Needs
Join Natalia Stasenko, Pediatric RD, for a 1.25-hour webinar exploring CACFP food substitutions. Learn strategies to meet families’ needs while ensuring audit success and supporting children's wellbeing. Hosted by the Illinois Head Start Association.
Oct 2 - 11 am - 12:15 ET (FREE)
Building a Village: A Responsive Feeding System for Head Start Programs
Join Natalia Stasenko for a 1.25 hr webinar. This session shows what a joined-up responsive feeding system looks like across a whole program, from the classroom to the health office to the family's kitchen table. Hosted by the Illinois Head Start Association.
What you’ll walk away with
A clear explanation of why some children eat the way they do, including how sensory processing, anxiety, and neurodevelopment shape food behavior in ways that have nothing to do with pickiness or bad habits
A new way to talk about selective eating that reduces family blame and opens the door to real support
Practical, concrete language shifts you can use in the classroom, at mealtimes, and in conversations with families, starting the next day
Confidence to recognize when a child's eating challenges go beyond what typical guidance can address, and what to do next
Meet your speaker
Natalia Stasenko
Founder, Pediatric Registered Dietitian, and mom of three
Natalia, Georgetown Thrive Center Innovation Fellow, specializes in responsive feeding, picky eating, and feeding children with sensory differences and neurodivergence. Natalia’s work is grounded in the latest feeding research, and her experience working with families and early childhood programs.
A Deep Dive into Understanding Kids' Mealtime Challenges
You know the child. The one who gags at the sight of certain foods. Who eats the same four things, every single day, without exception. Who shuts down completely at the table, or melts down before the meal even starts. You've tried encouragement. You've tried food play. You've tried everything the handouts suggest.
It didn't work because those strategies weren't built for this child.
Many of the kids educators find hardest to feed are wired differently. They may be autistic, sensory-sensitive, anxious, or still undiagnosed, but their relationship with food is real, it's complex, and it requires a different kind of understanding.
These webinars are about Understanding & Strategies
For early childhood educators, Head Start and Early Head Start staff, program directors, family support workers, and anyone who eats lunch with kids and wonders why on earth won't they just try it.
No nutrition background required.