Second Edition
Christina J. Groark
Tracy Larson
Katherine Sayre Bontempo
Nina Bell
Health and Nutrition of Children explores the foundations of children’s health, nutrition, development, and well being, with attention to the interconnected systems that shape healthy development across childhood.
Designed for students and professionals in early childhood and related fields, the second edition connects research and developmental knowledge with the practical realities of supporting children and families.
Published 2026
A Systems View of Children’s Well Being
One of the ideas that has remained central throughout my work is that we cannot understand children apart from the environments and relationships around them.
Health is not simply an individual characteristic. Neither is development.
Children’s capacity is shaped by what surrounds them: caregiving relationships, learning environments, access to resources, physical and emotional safety, and the systems responsible for supporting them.
That perspective continues to influence my work in early childhood systems, regulation, consultation, and organizational capacity today.
About the Second Edition
The second edition of Health and Nutrition of Children was published in 2026 and was written by:
Christina J. Groark
Tracy Larson
Katherine Sayre Bontempo
Nina Bell
The book is available digitally through VitalSource.
From the Book to the Work
My work expands beyond children’s health and development into a broader question:
What makes capacity possible?
Across early childhood systems, organizations, leadership, relationships, and individual development, I’m interested in the conditions that allow people to regulate, adapt, learn, connect, and function well.
That question now sits at the center of The Regulation Shift and many of the tools, essays, and frameworks I’m developing.
