Early Childhood
Goal: Empower families to overcome barriers involved in selecting healthier foods and physical activity within the home, work place, and community.
EC 1. Increase the number of educational opportunities about breastfeeding, nutrition and physical activity to families.
1.1 Assess what mechanisms are in place that provide education to new parents.
1.1.1 Assess hospitals and other infant program initiatives to see if nutrition education is being given.
1.1.2 Identify curriculums in early childhood settings
1.2 Identify educational tools and disseminate to early care educators
1.2.1 Use existing home visiting programs for dissemination such as Empowerment and EFNEP
1.2.1 Provide to Early Head Start and other center-based programs
1.3 Develop a public education campaign about breastfeeding, nutrition and physical activity with a clear consistent message specific to prenatal women and families with children under 5
1.3.1 Provide culturally-sensitive, age-appropriate information
1.3.2 Determine and provide messages specific to identified populations
1.4 Provide guidelines for purposeful screen time
1.5 Develop a mechanism to disseminate communications and messages
1.5.1 Post press releases on website for all to reference and use.
1.5.2 Set up an e-mail distribution and/or list serve
EC 2. Increase the number of worksites that have implemented a family friendly work force policy.
2.1 Assist in the development and promotion of a model family-friendly work site policy
2.2 Develop a work site recognition program (potentially incentives) for family-friendly work places
2.2.1 Expand Central Iowa Wellness Council’s Well Work Place
2.2.2 Provide incentives to employers who provide flexible work schedules to employees
2.3 Build on tools and best practices from Central Iowa Wellness Council and Lighten Up Iowa
2.4 Educate employers about breast feeding benefits
2.4.1. Provide lactation kits to employers – including information about (Roberta Graham) financial savings
2.4.2 Provide educational materials to employers about how supporting their employers who breastfeed benefits their employees
2.5 Establish and promote a set of guidelines that are promoted by unions for healthy employees including having health insurance and a livable wage
2.5.1 Investigate what other states are doing
2.5.2 Work with labor unions to develop guidelines
2.5.3 Write a white paper on developmental process
EC 3. Increase the number of women breastfeeding and the duration of breastfeeding
3.1 Disseminate a breastfeeding worksite support kit. (Healthy Iowans 2010 13-2.1
Action Step)
3.1.1 Identify companies in Iowa that have human resource contacts.
3.1.2 Explore the option of making a worksite kit through state human resource association.
3.1.3 Contact corporate wellness councils in the state to communicate the availability of the worksite kit.
3.1.4 Determine an organization or group who will keep the worksite support kit current and available for dissemination.
EC 4. Encourage purposeful screen and leisure time for young children
4.1 Develop an awareness campaign to educate parents/physicians/caretakers about inactivity of children due to screen time
4.1.1 Investigate and develop a set of guidelines
4.1.2 Identify curriculum for early childhood environments
4.1.3 Provide training for child-care providers
4.1.4 Partner with the Iowa Medical Society, etc. to educate physicians about providing screen time information to parents
Goal # 2 – Assure children are provided healthy food options and physical activity opportunities outside of the home.
EC 5. Increase the number of children who meet the recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity as measured by the Household Health Survey.
5.1 Provide resources and training to establish sound eating and physical activity habits
for early care health and educationproviders.
5.1.2 Enhance and promote trainings for child-care providers through Child Care Resource and Referral, Iowa Public Television, Team Nutrition, Foster care
5.1.3 Adopt Bright Futures curriculum, utilizing health care providers as a trusted source of information.
5.2 Establish a reward recognition system for child-care providers who meet the recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity
5.2.1 Provide an incentive for child-care providers that participate in the child and adult care food program.
5.2.2 Provide recognition for early care facilities that create opportunities for physical activity.
5.3 Increase access to fruits and vegetables
5.3.1 Determine feasibility of food product reimbursement for produce from farmers market with Child and Adult Care Food Program
5.3.2 Promote farm to school programs for early care homes and centers
5.3.3 Promote WIC Farmers Market voucher usage with parents
5.4 Increase the number of available physical activity opportunities.
5.4.1 Provide education about and identification of public safe play places.
5.4.2 Provide recognition to communities that increase physical activity opportunities and follow established criteria for safe play places.
5.5 Develop a resource template of healthy eating and physical activity opportunities for each community to customize and complete.
5.6 Provide cooking classes for parents.
5.6.1 Use models for reaching parents such as EFNEP.
5.6.2 Use establish programs such as Pick a bettersnack™ and Chef Charles.