Tag Archives: Caring for Our Children

Achieving a State of Healthy Weight-National Resource Center

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5/14

Beginning in 2010, the National Resource Center NRC for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education worked within the context of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthy Weight Initiative Child Care Workgroup to support the national effort to prevent childhood obesity in child care and early education programs. One part of this work was a national assessment of the child care regulations in all fifty states and the District of Columbia relative to newly revised expert consensus-defined and evidence-based best practices encompassed in Preventing Childhood Obesity in Early Care and Education Programs: Selected Standards from Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, 3rd Edition. The following reports present the findings of the annual assessments.

Source: National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education

Available at: http://nrckids.org/index.cfm/products/achieving-a-state-of-healthy-weight1/

Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Early Care and Education (I/T)-National Resource Center

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3/2104

The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NRC) is pleased to announce the release of Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Early Care and Education (I/T).

I/T is a collection of 232 nationally recognized health and safety standards applicable to the infant and toddler population in early care and education settings. These materials and the associated 11 Appendices are a subset of materials available in Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, 3rd Edition (CFOC3). These materials have been selected for inclusion because they are of particular relevance to the care of the youngest children.

This valuable resource was developed with our collaborative partners, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Public Health Association (APHA), as well as 41 stakeholders representing 34 organizations who reviewed and validated the chosen standards. Support for this project was provided through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

The intended audiences for this document are:

  • Early care and education caregivers/teachers who can implement these strategies to provide a safe and healthy environments for infants and toddlers in early care and education settings, while simultaneously supporting and partnering with families during this critical stage of development;
  • State regulators and policy makers who can promote the adoption of these standards in this collection in their state licensing standards in an effort to promote best practices within programs that serve the infant/toddler population;
  • Health, mental health and education consultants, infant/toddler specialists, trainers and other health professionals who can promote these standards to early care and education caregivers/teachers;
  • Parents/guardians who can access and petition the use of these standards in their child’s early care and education setting; and
  • Early care and education academic degree program administrators who can enhance their infant/toddler curriculum.

Source: National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education

Available at: http://nrckids.org/index.cfm/products/caring-for-infants-and-toddlers-in-early-care-and-education-it/

Crosswalk of National Early Childhood Program Standards – Quality Rating & Improvement System Resource Guide

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The Office of Child Care’s National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement (NCCCQI) is pleased to provide this online program standards crosswalk tool that is prepopulated with national early childhood program standards (e.g., Head Start, accreditation, Caring for our Children).  This tool is designed to help States that are developing and aligning program standards for licensing, quality rating and improvement systems, and/or prekindergarten programs, to search and compare the content of several sets of national standards. NCCCQI is commencing this project on behalf of and in support of the Office of Child Care’s Pathways and Partnerships for Child Care Excellence work plan.

Program standards describe the expected structure and practices of early care and education settings and often represent definitions of quality that aim to have a positive impact on children’s learning and development. Standards are just one element of a system for continuous program quality improvement. Standards must work in concert with rigorous program assessment and monitoring processes, supports for programs seeking to improve quality (e.g., improvement plans, technical assistance, professional development, etc.), meaningful incentives for improvement, and mechanisms to inform consumers and the public about quality improvement efforts and achievements.

The early care and education field has multiple sets of program standards, and the content of those standards varies widely. States seeking to develop quality improvement systems often engage in a process to review and align the content of various program standards available in the field. Early care and education providers are better able to understand the path to high quality care when the various standards they must meet have similar categories of standards and use consistent terminology. This National Standards Crosswalk Tool was developed to help States and save them time and money by making several sets of national standards available in one online database with an easy-to-use search mechanism.

Statement of Intended Use

The National Standards Crosswalk Tool was developed for state policy makers interested in aligning state and national program standards. It is not intended as a guide for programs seeking to meet these standards or achieve accreditation. The accreditation standards included in this tool are from copyrighted materials. Users must contact the agencies and organizations that administer those standards to receive a complete set of the standards and additional guidance. Contact information is available in the About the Standards section.

Source: National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement

Available at: https://occqrisguide.icfwebservices.com/index.cfm?do=crosswalk

Stepping Stones to Caring for Our Children

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The Healthy Child Care America, Child Care Health Partnership and the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care are pleased to announce a webinar on:

Stepping Stones to Caring for Our Children

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Pacific
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Mountain
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Central
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Eastern

Registration:  https://citrix.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1021800

An overview of the structure and content of Stepping Stones to Caring for Our Children will be presented. Stepping Stones was developed to be used by multiple audiences to prevent harm and adverse outcomes in children in all early care and education settings. Learn how Stepping Stones can be used as a risk assessment tool for early education and child care programs, gap analysis tool for licensing standards, and training assessment tool for health consultants.

Presenter: Danette Glassy, MD, FAAP

Who should attend:

  • Early Education and Child Care Providers
  • Head Start Teachers and Administrators
  • Child Care Health Consultants
  • Head Start Health Managers
  • Early Childhood Comprehensive System Coordinators
  • State Administrators
  • Trainers
  • Technical Assistance Contractors

Participation in this Webinar is free. The Webinar will be recorded and posted to the Healthy Child Care America Web site, www.healthychildcare.org, for later viewing.

Participants will receive a certificate of participation with the completion of an online Webinar evaluation. A link to the evaluation will be available when the Webinar closes. Please allow 6-weeks for the certificate to be emailed to the email address you provide at registration. Please note: participants MUST complete the on-line evaluation in order to receive a certificate. Only participants who view the LIVE Webinar will be eligible for a certificate. 

After registering, participants will receive a confirmation e-mail with information on how to join the Webinar on September 11th. The Webinar will last approximately 60 minutes.

The new National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NRC) Website has Launched!

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The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education
is pleased to announce the launch of the New NRC Website!

The New NRC Website encompasses many exciting features:

  • New look
  • Easy to use navigation
  • Robust search capabilities
  • Updated  content
  • User defined content
  • Mobile device accessibility

Although the New NRC Website has been redesigned, the address is the same.

http://NRCKids.org/

Stepping Stones to Caring for Our Children, 3rd Edition (SS3)

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5/2013

The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NRC) is pleased to announce the release of Stepping Stones to Caring for Our Children, 3rd Edition (SS3). SS3 presents 138 essential standards intended to reduce the rate of morbidity and mortality in child care and early education settings.

Source: National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NRC)

Available at: http://www.nrckids.org/spinoff/steppingstones/index.htm

Compliance with Care: A Crosswalk Between the Head Start Program Performance Standards and Caring for Our Children, 3rd Edition

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May 16, 2013

This crosswalk provides programs recommendations for quality health and safety practices and policies. Head Start health managers and staff may use this easy tool to find connections between the Head Start Program Performance Standards and Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards, 3rd Edition.

Source: Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center

Available at: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/health/center/crosswalk.html