Want to know what are considered the best practices in health and safety for child care and early education programs?

Search the full text of the AAP, APHA , and NRC source, Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs: Second Edition, listing over 700 health and safety practices in the areas of:

• Staffing
• Program Activities (Child Development)
• Health Promotion and Protection
• Nutrition
• Facilities, Supplies, Equipment, and Transportation
• Infectious Diseases
• Children Eligible for Services Under IDEA
• Administration

Researching what the key quality factors are in quality early care and education?

Review 13 Indicators of Quality Child Care: Research Update written by Dr. Richard Fiene using the Caring for Our Children standards.

Want to know how other states have regulated a particular issue in child care and early education?

Search our comprehensive collection of fifty states' child care regulations. Enter your topic into the search box located at the top left of the page and click "Go".

Need to contact a colleague in another state licensing office?
Go to our state licensing page and click on the appropriate state for contact information.

Looking for authoritative resources to share with parents on quality health and safety practices in child care and early education programs?

Link parents to the Healthy Kids, Healthy Care resource that covers 34 topics crucial to good health and safety in early care settings. Key questions that parents should ask and practices to observe are given in an easy to follow format. Lists of key questions can be printed off. Available in English and Spanish

Give parents the Parent's Dental Checklist - An educational checklist parents can use when evaluating dental practices at their child care setting. Parents can also use the list at home to see how well they are doing. Available in English and Spanish

Hand out A Parent's Guide to Choosing Safe and Healthy Child Care (English and Spanish) to first time consumers of child care/early care programs.

Refer parents to our comprehensive collection of the fifty states' child care regulations that their child care/early care program should be in compliance.

Promoting the concept of the medical home to parents?

Print out the Healthy Kids, Healthy Care: Sources of Medical and Dental Care flyer (English and Spanish) - Written for parents and based on Caring for Our Children, 2nd Ed.

Reviewing medical home concepts in State documents?

Review wording used in Promoting the Medical Home within Child Care Programs: Standards from Caring for Our Children, 2nd Ed.

Looking for authoritative and new resources on children's social and emotional well-being?

Browse the NRC's Mental Health Links - an evolving list of selected Web sites providing social and emotional health information applicable to child care and early education settings.

Read through the Healthy Kids, Healthy Care section on Emotional Health - (in English and Spanish) - parent friendly information sheets on positive discipline, respecting diversity/differences, handling aggressive behaviors and preventing child abuse are covered in a parent friendly format with downloadable information sheets.

	American Academy of Pediatrics Healthy Child Care America http://www.healthychildcare.org/index.html
	National Training Institute for Child Care Health Consultation http://nti.unc.edu/