TRAINERS

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future is an initiative to promote five key healthy practices in early education and family child care settings: food, beverages, physical activity, screen time and infant feeding. I am Moving, I am Learning (IMIL) is an intervention program, originally designed for Head Start grantees, that includes in-person training opportunities and a packaged set of resources designed to increase physical activity, structure movement experiences and improve healthy nutrition choices for children every day. These resources complement each other and share a common goal of reducing childhood obesity. IMIL resources can be used to help providers achieve their action items, especially for physical activity.

This childhood obesity prevention initiative is for all child care settings–family child care as well as center-based programs.

We strongly encourage that all early education programs, including Head Start and military child care programs, incorporate the five Healthy Kids, Healthy Future goals into existing healthy practices and nutrition-related curricula.

Penn State University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have partnered to create six Healthy Kids, Healthy Future (formerly Let’s Move! Child Care — LMCC) training modules. The free online training modules provide practical strategies for implementing best practices in early care and education (ECE) settings for promoting healthy weight in young children. The modules are also an opportunity for ECE providers to obtain CEUs from Penn State and professional development credits from many states’ licensing and/or quality improvement systems. The training series includes six lessons that cover background information for childhood obesity prevention and the five best practice goals: nurturing healthy eaters, offering healthy beverages, increasing physical activity, limiting screen time and supporting breastfeeding.

To access: Go to: http://extension.psu.edu/youth/betterkidcare

Select “On Demand Web Lessons” button on the left menu bar

Create an account and sign in

Select the title of the lesson:

Childhood Obesity Prevention: LMCC

Childhood Obesity Prevention: LMCC — Serve Healthy Food

Childhood Obesity Prevention: LMCC — Serve Healthy Beverages

Childhood Obesity Prevention: LMCC — Increase Physical Activity

Childhood Obesity Prevention: LMCC — Limit Screen Time

Childhood Obesity Prevention: LMCC — Support Infant Feeding

Note: All of Better Kid Care’s On Demand lessons are available at no cost to the participant. To receive professional development credit and obtain a certificate of completion there is a small fee of $5.

Better Kid Care also has many research-to-practice resources and more than 150 online modules for early care and education and school-age professionals in the areas of child growth and development, curriculum, family engagement and communication, nutrition, health and safety, and professionalism.

Healthy Kids, Healthy Future is a web-based interactive initiative. However, (no-cost) print resource materials are available for Healthy Kids, Healthy Future trainers to download and distribute to local child care providers who do not have internet access.

There are no lead trainers in a state. Any entity that provides training to child care providers can support and train on the goals and implementation of this childhood obesity prevention initiative. This is an excellent opportunity for CCR&Rs to partner with CACFP sponsors, health consultants, extension offices, community colleges and others.

There are no grants directly associated with the Healthy Kids, Healthy Future initiative. Several states and communities receive federal and private grants for obesity prevention work and some offer grants to providers. Trainers are encouraged to explore who is doing obesity prevention work in their state and community to determine whether these efforts include initiatives for the child care and early education setting. Additionally, trainers can seek funders interested in obesity prevention and request those funds be targeted to this work.

The first step is to ensure that state health department staff is aware of the Healthy Kids, Healthy Future initiative and which organizations within the state are participating. Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCR&Rs) or Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) sponsors can take a leadership role in working with the state’s health department and facilitating communication between states and grantees about potential funding opportunities.

If they‘re doing NAP SACC they should also participate in Healthy Kids, Healthy Future because other resources will be offered that aren’t available in NAP SACC. Screen time and breastfeeding support are also included in Healthy Kids, Healthy Future and not in NAP SACC (or at least not in-depth). NAP SACC does not focus on babies and toddlers whereas Healthy Kids, Healthy Future focuses on babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

At the end, the provider is able to download and print a PDF copy of the checklist answers and the Action Plan. Encourage providers to print the PDF so you can review their answers with them to better help them achieve their action items successfully.