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What's New, February 2012
(latest update: February 2012)		  
February is Heart Health Month

Girls on slideIt’s never too early to promote healthy hearts. Here are some general tips from the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NRC)’s resource Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, 3rd edition:

  • Give children many opportunities to move and engage in physical activity every day
  • Have children play outdoors every day--weather and air quality conditions permitting
  • Caregivers/teachers should limit screen time (such as TV, video, and DVD viewing) of children
  • Children should be offered plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables each day
  • Children should be encouraged to drink water during and between meals
  • Foods high in nutrients and low in additives should be served frequently
  • Caregivers/teachers should model good health habits

For additional details and more healthy tips, check Caring for Our Children’s chapter on nutrition and food service, which gives child care providers’ ideas for nutritious meal plans and ways parents/guardians can support caregivers/teachers in their efforts to promote healthy habits. For example, parents/guardians can help children learn about appropriate food portion sizes.

Information can be printed out to share with other caregivers/teachers and parents/guardians. Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, 3rd edition  was published in 2011 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association and the NRC. Caring for Our Children, 3rd Ed. is the primary resource for national health and safety standards for child care and early education.

New/revised state child care regulations during the month of February now posted. Click here to see the updated regulations.


What's New
Key Resource Links:
NEW:Caring
for Our Children, Third Edition
   NEW: HTML version now
    available
   NEW: Frequently Asked     Questions-CFOC3
(Updated 12/15/2011)
    Achieving a State
    of Healthy Weight:
    A National Assessment
    of Obesity Prevention
    Terminology in Child Care     Regulations 2010
    Preventing Childhood
    Obesity in Early Care
    and Education Programs
    (English)   (Spanish)
    State Licensing and
    Regulation Information
    A–Z Child Care
    Information Links
For Child Care Providers
    Motion Moments
For Parents
    Nutrition Checklist
    (English)   (Spanish)
    Physical Activity Checklist
    (English)   (Spanish)
For Health Consultants
For Regulators
Achieving a State
of Healthy Weight:
A National Assessment
of Obesity Prevention
Terminology in Child Care Regulations 2010
NEW: Licensing Toolkit
For Early Childhood Systems Leaders
Contact Information
Help and FAQ
National Resource Center for Health and Safety
in Child Care and Early Education
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