What's New?
(latest update: February 1, 2010)

Promoting Healthy Hearts

• Children have many opportunities to move and engage in physical activity every day
• Children play outdoors every day--weather and air quality conditions permitting
• Caregivers limit TV and computer time of children
• Children are offered plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables each day
• Children are encouraged to drink water during and between meals
• Foods high in nutrients and low in additives are served frequently
• Caregivers model good health habits

For more healthy tips, check the Healthy Kids, Healthy Care special section on Physical Fitness and Promoting Healthy Weight http://www.healthykids.us/chapters/fitness_main.htm that gives child care providers ideas for physical activity and ways parents/guardians can support caregivers in their efforts to increase physical movement. For example, parents/guardians can make sure their child has the appropriate clothing and/or equipment needed for activities planned.

Information can be printed out to share with other caregivers and parents. Healthy Kids, Healthy Care is based on Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs, Second Edition, developed and published in 2002 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association and the NRC. Caring for Our Children, Second Edition, is recognized as the leading authoritative tool for health and safety guidelines for child care in centers and in family homes.

Welcome to the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care (NRC)

The National Resource Center is located at the University of Colorado Denver in Denver, Colorado, and is funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, HRSA. The NRC's primary mission is to promote health and safety in out-of-home child care settings throughout the nation.

The standard resource for information concerning this subject is the Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs, Second Edition published in January 2002. The guidelines were developed through the collaborative efforts of the American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The entire text of this publication is available on this website.

Each state manages licensure of child care settings in different ways. The licensure regulations from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands are also available on this Website. The NRC updates this database as changes are made.