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Worksite Wellness in Child Care Centers Promotes Healthy Habits in Staff, Children, and Families
Happy, Healthy & Well was developed for use with child care and early childhood education staff to bring information and support for adopting healthy nutrition and physical activity behaviors in the child care work environment. Research has shown that staff is more likely promote healthy habits for the children and families they work with, if they have adopted these behaviors themselves. Because many young children spend a significant part of each day in a preschool and/or child care setting, there is rich opportunity for their caretakers and teachers to model healthy nutrition and physical activity attitudes and behaviors throughout the day. This project was funded in part by USDA's Food Stamp Nutrition Program. Core components of the year-long Happy, Healthy & Well program for child care and early childhood education staff inlcude:
Newsletters for Staff and Parents |
| Twelve print-ready newsletters packed with nutrition and physical activity information and tips, available in English and Spanish. |
| Staff Newsletters |
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Parent Newsletters |
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Paycheck Stuffers |
| Twelve simple action-oriented health tips and reminders to print and include in paycheck envelopes. |
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| Walking Challenge |
| A popular motivational activity, this pedometer-based program supports staff who wish to increase their daily physical activity, and record individual or team progress along a route through California. |
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| Health Fair Option |
| In addition to the basic program above, large multi-center child care agencies and/or child care wellness collaboratives may wish to consider offering a health fair as a kick-off event for this program. |
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Program Goals and Objectives
The overall goal of the project is to promote healthy eating patterns and regular physical activity, consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Specific project goals include:
- Fostering the adoption of positive health behaviors in child care providers to increase self-efficacy in promoting these behaviors with families, and increase the likelihood of more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains served to children in their care.
- Improving the activity level and food environment for children in the project.
- Improving the ability and frequency of child care providers to reinforce healthy eating and active living with parents.
Background Information and Suppporting Research
- Research indicates there may be a relationship between engaging in physical activity behaviors and the subsequent readiness to adopt healthy eating behaviors among adults. The Happy, Healthy & Well program uses a pedometer-based walking challenge as a backbone, with experiential, food-based nutrition education activities inserted to enhance and support staff’s active engagement with wellness at their child care sites.
- Literature suggests that the nutritional quality of meals and snacks may be poor in child care centers, and activity levels among the children who attend these centers may be inadequate. Child care providers who become more active and experienced with increasing fruits, vegetables and whole grains may be more likely to model and adopt these actions in their child care duties.
- Research reports associations between a person’s health habits and their educational practices with low-income clients. When child care providers adopt healthy eating and active lifestyle practices themselves, they tend to share nutrition and health information with families more confidently and readily
What resources are needed to implement this program?
Pick your organization’s level of involvement… Basic, Enhanced, or Premier!
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Newsletters
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Paycheck Stuffers |
Walking Challenge |
Food-based Nutrition Education |
Health Fair |
Basic |
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Enhanced |
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Premier |
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Audience |
Staff, Families |
Staff |
Staff |
Staff, Children, Families |
Staff, Children, Families |
Implementation |
Download, print, and distribute |
Download, print, and distribute in staff paycheck envelopes |
Download and print materials, introduce and facilitate program |
Print materials, set-up and facilitate food demonstrations for staff and families |
Collaborative effort with child/family services organizations |
Suggested Schedule |
Monthly (Sept-Aug) |
Monthly (Sept-Aug) |
New Year’s (Jan-Feb) |
New Year’s (Jan-Feb) |
One day (Sept or Oct) |
Staffing Needs (approximate) |
1 hour per month |
30 min per month |
1 hour per week during 8 week program |
1 hour per week during 8 week Walking Challenge |
Variable
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Contact
For more information about the project, please contact the Center for Weight & Health Research Office, (510) 642-3589
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