Giving early care and education providers the tools to help children get a healthy start.
HEALTHY KIDS
ARE HAPPY KIDS
Everyone has a role to play in reducing childhood obesity, including parents, elected officials from all levels of government, schools, health care professionals, faith-based and community-based organizations, and private sector companies. Your involvement is key to ensuring a healthy future for our children.
GOAL:
Reduce Screen Time
Best Practices
- Limit screen time to 30 minutes a week or less for preschoolers during child care.
- Screen time for toddlers and babies should be limited to four times or less a year, preferably none, in child care.
- Provide media literacy education to parents of preschoolers at least twice a year.
Featured Resources
- Learn about how to organize a “Screen-Free Week” in your school.
- The policy brief Early Learning and Use of Technology provides guiding principles on the use of technology by young children.
GOAL:
Provide Healthy Beverages
Best Practices
- Drinking water should be readily available and offered throughout the day in indoor and outdoor areas.
- Children two years and older should be served skim or non-fat milk.
- 100% fruit juice should be limited to no more than 4-6 oz per day.
- Sugary drinks (sports drinks, sweet tea, soda) should never be offered.
Featured Resources
- Read Potter the Otter (e-book in English and Spanish) to your children about an otter who loves water.
- The Use and Misuse of Fruit Juice in Pediatrics helps providers learn about the appropriate amount of juice for young children.
GOAL:
Increase Physical Activity
Best Practices
- Preschoolers need two or more hours of active play time every day.
- Toddlers should have at least an hour of active play time each day.
- Babies should have short periods of “tummy time” every day.
Featured Resources
- The Get Moving Today Calendar is a start-anytime, reusable calendar which has fun, simple physical activities to do everyday with preschoolers.
- Help kids move more in your program with the Best Practices for Physical Activity Guide (PDF) (also available in Spanish).
GOAL:
Improve Food Choices
Best Practices
- A fruit or vegetable should be served to toddlers and preschoolers at every meal.
- Chips, french fries and other fried potatoes should be offered once a month or less.
- Chicken nuggets, fish sticks and fried meats should be offered once a month or less.
- All meals to preschoolers should be served family-style.
Featured Resources
- One in five U.S. families does not have access at all times to enough food. You can help Children Facing Food Insecurity and support these families in small ways.
- The Best Practices for Healthy Eating guide serves as a practical tool for implementing child feeding policy improvements in ECE settings.
GOAL:
Support Breast Feeding
Best Practice
- Breastfeeding mothers should be provided a private area for breastfeeding or pumping.
Featured Resources
- Learn how Early College High School Child Care Center turned a closet into an inviting private space for mothers to breastfeed.
- PennState and Better Kid Care provides a HKHF—Support Breastfeeding learning module to help understand the best practices of supporting breastfeeding mothers.
How do we keep kids healthy?
Reduce
Screen
Time
Time
Provide
Healthy
Beverages
Beverages
Increase
Physical
Activity
Activity
Improve
Food
Choices
Choices
Support
Breast
Feeding
Feeding
1
Learn about Healthy
Best Practices for ECE
Best Practices for ECE
2
Evaluate
Your Program
Your Program
3
Set Goals for
Improvement
Improvement