Early Care and Education

Next to families, early care and education (ECE) settings have more influence on the health and weight of young children (birth to 5 years old) than any other environment. A healthy ECE environment can help children be healthy, ready to learn and grow up at a healthy weight. ECE providers can help young children develop healthy eating and physical activity habits that can last their lifetime.

A healthy ECE environment should:

Encourage healthy eating
Provide healthy beverages
Get kids moving
Limit screen and media time
Support breastfeeding

Resources for Alaska's ECE Providers

Breastfeeding Welcomed Here for Child Care
The Alaska Breastfeeding Welcomed Here for Child Care is a recognition program for child care sites that follow national breastfeeding and infant feeding standards. Parents can find child care sites that support their decision to breastfeed their children.
Go NAPSACC
Go NAPSACC (Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care) provides easy-to-use online tools for ECE programs to help support children’s healthy eating and physical activity. One-on-one coaching from an Alaska Go NAPSACC Consultant and resources are available to help ECE providers reach their goals. Learn more about Alaska’s Go NAPSACC program here.
Wellness Guidelines for Alaska’s Young Children: A Toolkit for Child Care Providers and Families (2017)
This toolkit provides quick and easy information on a variety of policies and practices for obesity prevention in the ECE setting. The Wellness Guidelines follow the national standards from Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards.

Wellness Tips for Alaska’s Young Children -
Parent Handouts
These parent handouts can help ECE providers educate and engage families in continuing healthy behaviors at home:

Wellness Guidelines e-Learning Modules
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development hosts web-based, interactive training courses for ECE educators. Earn free continuing education hours for these nutrition and physical activity modules:

Wellness Guidelines: Module 1 – Weight Matters
Wellness Guidelines: Module 2 – Nutrition in the Classroom
Wellness Guidelines: Module 3 – Physical Activity in the Classroom
Wellness Guidelines: Module 4 – Serving Healthy Food
Wellness Guidelines: Module 5 – Serving Local and Traditional Foods

Alaska Alliance for Healthy Kids - ECE Listserv
Join this listserv to get the latest resources and learn what’s happening in nutrition and physical activity for ECE programs in Alaska.

Other Resources

Healthy Beverage Consumption in Early Childhood. Recommendations from Key National Health and Nutrition Organizations (2019). Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Healthy Eating Research.
Feeding Infants and Young Toddlers: Using the Latest Evidence in Child-Care Settings (2017). Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Healthy Eating Research.
Play Every Day: Get the Facts About Sugary Drinks
Tundra to Table videos & mini-magazines (2017). (Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Family Nutrition Program - listed under "Nutrition Resources")
Wellness in Alaska Child Care. Best Practices (2012). (Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, Child and Adult Care Food Program)

Related PAN Publications

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Contact

For more information about the Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Program Early Care Education activities, please email Diane Peck, MPH, RDN or call 907-269-8447.

Webpage updated January 2022

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