Improve Early Care and Education Environments to Support Healthy Eating and Active Living
SC Department of Social Services Policy Enhancements
The early childhood years are critically important to children’s growth, development, and learning. During these years, many children spend time outside of the home in some type of child care arrangement.
In partnership with the NPAO, ABC Quality, South Carolina's Quality Rating and Improvement System at the SC Department of Social Services Division of Early Care and Education, set forth policies and practices to increase children's consumption of healthy foods and time spent being physically active in child care.
Move More… It's In the Cards
Move More… It’s in the Cards provides early childhood caregivers with an easy-to-use resource for leading children in physical activity. Each card describes an activity that caregivers can use to help children meet the daily recommended amount of structured physical activity. This tool can be used to increase the amount and variety of children's movement opportunities and can reinforce concepts being taught in the early childhood classroom.
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Participation Maps
Developed in partnership with the SC CACFP at the SC Department of Social Services Division of Early Care and Education, and the Yvonne & Schuyler Moore Child Development Research Center at the University of South Carolina, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Participation Maps were created as a tool to assist CACFP staff and partners to identify participation rates and assist in strategic action to increase CACFP participation, especially in high-need areas. Participating in CACFP can support healthy meals and snacks served in child care centers and home-based child care to nourish young children during critical years of brain growth.
Grow Outdoors SC
A joint initiative of DPH’s Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Prevention Section (NPAO) and the Division of Early Care and Education at the SC Department of Social Services, Grow Outdoors SC aims to transform early childhood outdoor spaces into diverse, naturalized environments that spark play and learning.
Grow Outdoors SC addresses the obesity epidemic in young children attending child care by promoting physical activity, healthy eating, and learning through changes in the design and management of outdoor environments at child care facilities.
Grow Outdoors SC partners with the National Wildlife Federation Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) initiative and the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) to plan, design, and incrementally develop naturalized outdoor play and learning environments at child care programs across the state.
A short video captures the experience and voice of a South Carolina child care provider that has been positively impacted by Grow Outdoors SC.
Visit growoutdoorssc.org for more information or contact Misty Pearson, pearsomh@dph.sc.gov.