This page is for early care and education center staff participating in the Steps to Health supported Color Me Healthy for SNAP-Ed Supplemental Toolkit. If you have any questions or difficulties with the links or use of this page, please contact Sam Hoeffler at smhoeffl@ncsu.edu or 919-513-3698.

Color Me Healthy for SNAP-Ed Supplemental Toolkit

This toolkit supports the Color Me Healthy for SNAP-Ed nutrition education program by helping child care facilities improve their nutrition and physical activity environment, policies, and practices. This reinforces the healthy messages students and families receive and can lead to long-term health benefits. The toolkit utilizes the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) to help early care and education centers identify strengths and places for improvement in their nutrition and physical activity environment. The toolkit and NAP SACC were designed to be user-friendly, time and resource efficient, and easily integrated into the busy work of centers.

You can access NAP SACC at www.gonapsacc.org.

Contact Hour Credit Opportunities

Four (4) Contact Hour Credits (CHC) are available through the recorded webinars on this site (1 CHC is awarded for each webinar). You will want to have a pen or pencil and paper handy when participating in each training.

View the embedded webinar videos below or for a larger view, click on the YouTube icon in the bottom right corner of a video to view it on the SNAP-Ed Steps to Health YouTube Page. They are best viewed through Safari or Firefox web browsers. You will have the opportunity to pause or repeat sections as you need to. Throughout the presentation, there will be websites suggested for further exploration of the topic. Feel free to write them down or note that they are also listed as links with the webinar description below on this page.

Follow the directions included in the recording for receiving a certificate of completion for each webinar you view.

Nutrition: How to Build a Healthy Eater

This presentation provides information on the importance of good nutrition for young children. It also describes the role that child care plays in helping to shape children’s eating behavior. Through this presentation, staff will be equipped with practical strategies to increase good nutrition in early care and learning settings to meet best practices and make healthy eating a delightful experience for children and staff alike.

• Special Nutrition Programs – State of North Carolina, NC Division of Public Health http://www.nutritionnc.com/snp/resource.htm
• Early Childhood Nutrition Resources, GO NAP SACC (Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care) Resources, http://gonapsacc.org/resources
• Let’s Move! Child Care – The website of the Let’s Move! initiative for early care & education, http://healthykidshealthyfuture.org
• Recipes for Healthy Kids: Cookbooks for Child Care Centers and Schools Food and Nutrition Service- US Department of Agriculture (USDA) http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/recipes-healthy-kids-cookbook-child-care-centers-0

Obesity: An Introduction to the Problem

This presentation defines and describes obesity, particularly amongst children in the US and North Carolina. Participants will learn to recognize the problem of childhood obesity, understand possible contributions and consequences of being overweight as a young child, describe the role of the child care environment and child care staff in helping prevent overweight in children, and visualize some ways in which their facility can help children eat healthier and be more active.

• To learn more about BMI and maintaining a healthy weight: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/index.htm
•  For more information on overweight and obesity: http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/understanding.htm
• To learn more about the health risks of childhood obesity and what we can all do to raise a healthier generation of kids: https://letsmove.obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/

Personal Wellness

This presentation discusses the importance of personal wellness for staff. Topics covered include the components of general wellness, MyPlate and the food groups, nutrient-dense foods, fats, and physical activity types and recommendations.

• For suggestions on eating smart and moving more including virtual grocery store tours: http://www.myeatsmartmovemore.com/
• Learn more about how to make healthy food choices in each food group as well as recipes, personal goal tracking, and tips on how to eat healthy on a budget: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Physical Activity for Young Children: How to Play Every Day

This presentation provides information on the importance of physical activity for young children and the role that body movement has in proper brain development. Participants will learn what the gross motor recommendations are for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, as well as the important role early care and education programs and staff play in helping children develop active lifestyles. The following are resources to help you incorporate the movement of children in the early care and education setting:

• A summary of the physical activity standards for child care from Kids Eat Smart Move More(PDF)
• Nemours Best Practices for Physical Activity for Organizations Serving Children and Youth resource (PDF)
• Health and Nutrition Information for Preschoolers, ChooseMyPlate.gov, http://www.choosemyplate.gov/preschoolers-physical-activity
• Let’s Move! Child Care  https://healthykidshealthyfuture.org
• Go Smart, National Head Start Association, gosmart.nhsa.org
• Sesame Street Healthy Habits Toolkits, http://www.sesamestreet.org/healthyhabits
• SHAPE America http://www.shapeamerica.org
• Natural Learning Initiative, naturalearning.org