New Mexico Early Care and Education Centers Create Lasting Wellness Changes

Submission Date: January 2017

State/Territory Submitted on the Behalf of: New Mexico

States/Territories Involved: New Mexico

Funding Source: CDC

CDC Funding:

Yes

CDC Funding (Specified):

(1305) State Public Health

Domain Addressed:

Environmental Approaches

Public Health Issue:

• More than 25% of New Mexico kindergarten children are overweight or obese when they begin elementary school according to the New Mexico Childhood Obesity Update: 2015.
• To reduce this high percentage, early intervention on obesity prevention in early care and education (ECE) facilities for children is needed in the approximately 260 licensed child care and Head Start centers in the state. Putting into place wellness practices in the centers where roughly 43,000 children attend preschool and early child care each weekday can greatly increase student exposure to better health habits.
• Implementing wellness practices in ECE facilities requires technical support, resources, and education about best practices for many teachers, staff, and families.

Program Action:

• The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) and the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD)  developed the Healthy Kids, Healthy Childcare Initiative. The initiative supports child care providers in establishing and implementing childcare wellness policies within their ECEs.
• ECE wellness policies are written plans incorporated into existing family and staff handbooks that serve as a guide for day-to-day practices and procedures that support healthy eating, physical activity, breast feeding, staff wellness, and family engagement.
• To help ECE staff put wellness policies into action, NMDOH provides resources, consultations, site visits, and workshops.

Impact/Accomplishments:

• More than 160 ECEs in New Mexico are currently developing or implementing wellness policies as part of the Healthy Kids Healthy Childcare initiative.
• Examples of the changes some ECEs are implementing include:
  • replacing sugary drinks with water or skim milk
  • serving family-style meals that offer more fruits and vegetables
  • establishing specific guidelines regarding food brought from home
  • increasing opportunities to participate in physical activity – many ECEs have increased physicaly activity to 2 hours a day, including 60 minutes of structured play and 60 minutes of unstructured play.
• Drafting a wellness policy helps ensure the practices many centers were already carrying out are sustained and shared with families.
• An added benefit of the initiative, especially for staff in the 55 centers located in rural areas with fewer continuing education opportunities, is the provision of staff education that provides a continuing education unit required for licensure.
• More than 140 additional ECEs are seeking training and technical assistance from the Healthy Kids, Healthy Childcare initiative and NMDOH will continue to recruit ECEs at conferences and through their partnerships with CYFD.
• “We recently changed how we prepare our meals on site, cooking more from scratch, and doing more nutrition education with families. Your program gives us the support to enforce these changes. The children are enjoying their food so much more now!” —Emmanuel Baptist Preschool in Farmington, New Mexico

Program Areas:

Healthy Communities (general), Social Determinants of Health

State Contact Information:

NM
Rita Condon
New Mexico Department of Health
505-476-7616
rita.condon@state.nm.us

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