<![CDATA[General Background Nutritional deficiencies during early childhood development pose severe challenges to optimal physical, cognitive, and emotional growth. Specific Background Ngancar Village in Kediri Regency records a concerning prevalence of childhood developmental delays, primarily driven by inadequate parental knowledge regarding proper dietary habits and routine growth monitoring at local health posts. Knowledge Gap While grassroots medical centers provide routine evaluations, the integration of academic community service programs to optimize administrative duties and deliver interactive dietary education remains underutilized. Aims This study investigates a participatory intervention involving university scholars and local medical volunteers to mitigate malnutrition through comprehensive socialization. Results A mixed-methods analysis reveals that the intervention successfully shifted parental dietary practices, particularly emphasizing the first thousand days of life and exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to six months. Furthermore, routine anthropometric monitoring and the distribution of supplementary foods facilitated early detection of malnutrition and stimulated physical progress in vulnerable toddlers. Administrative assistance from the academic team also motivated local volunteers to execute their duties efficiently. Novelty This research highlights the functional collaboration between academic community service and grassroots medical workers in accelerating rural developmental interventions and health data management. Implications Sustaining these developmental improvements requires continuous training for local volunteers and committed support from regional medical centers and village governments beyond the limited duration of academic field programs. Highlights: Educating pregnant women on the first thousand days of life transforms parental dietary habits and local childcare practices. Distributing supplementary meals based on local ingredients accelerates physical growth for toddlers experiencing severe malnutrition. Community service programs optimize rural developmental monitoring and administrative tasks at grassroots medical posts. Keywords: Childhood Development, Community Empowerment, Dietary Education, Supplementary Feeding, Growth Monitoring]]>
