Nutrition and physical activity during early childhood (birth to age five) have a critical influence on growth, development, and health. However, children are not meeting national recommendations for nutrition and physical activity. In Kentucky, more than 160,000 children attend early childhood education settings. Recent activity indicates the priority of improving nutrition and physical activity for young children in Kentucky. In fall 2021, the Division of Child Care in Kentucky required implementation of new regulations that elevated the quality of foods and beverages served, increased active play time requirements, and further restricted screen time. At the same time, the Kentucky Department for Public Health secured a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to implement proven strategies to reduce health disparities related to nutrition, physical activity, and obesity.  

With early childhood education settings as an opportune setting for intervention, Dr. Courtney Luecking, Extension Specialist for Nutrition and Health was brought on as consultant to support implementation of Go NAPSACC  - an online Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Childcare. This evidence-based program guides early childhood professionals in making changes to practices, policies, and environments that support healthy nutrition and physical activity behaviors among children.  

Dr. Luecking collaborates with representatives from the Kentucky Department for Public Health, Kentucky Division of Child Care, Child Care Aware of Kentucky, Appalachian Early Childhood Network, and Family Child Care Network of Kentucky. The Kentucky Department for Public Health oversees the grant as well as Child Care Health Consultants and the Women, Infants, and Children program. These consultants provide technical assistance on health, safety, nutrition, and social-emotional development for ages 0 – 5 to child care providers and parents/guardians. The Division of Child Care helps improve child care services and resources in our state. Child Care Aware of Kentucky is a statewide regional network of Child Care Resources & Referral services that supports access to safe, affordable, quality child care and professional development. The Appalachian Early Childhood Network works to build an environment that supports quality, affordable care for families in Appalachia. The Family Child Care Network of Kentucky recruits and supports in-home care, families, and communities to increase and sustain access to quality early learning experiences.  

Together these partners identify staff to obtain certification to provide local support for Go NAPSACC and work to increase awareness of this free resource for child care providers in Kentucky. Since Go NAPSACC became available in late 2021, more than 60 people from Child Care Aware, Cooperative Extension, the Department for Public Health, and the Family Child Care Network have completed certification to provide local support. More than 330 child care programs have created accounts, which is approximately 17% of licensed programs in the state. Early childhood professionals have completed more than 4,100 total clock hours of professional development regarding child nutrition, screen time, oral health, outdoor play and learning, farm to child care, physical activity, and breastfeeding, and infant feeding. Programs also have access to activities and other resources for use with children and families. Through the knowledge and skills gained through G o NAPSACC, early childhood professionals have made changes within the child care environment that has impacted more than 25,000 children. We’re just getting started with these efforts and will continue to expand the number of programs accessing and using Go NAPSACC to positively impact health and well-being of our youngest Kentuckians.