Go NAPSACC comes out of almost two decades of work helping child care programs set young children on a lifelong path of healthy eating and activity.
Creation Phase
In 2002, a team of childhood obesity prevention researchers at UNC Chapel Hill created NAPSACC. Key stakeholders, such as child care providers, technical assistance consultants, early care and education professionals, and parents guided NAPSACC’s development. Their input along with current research and national health recommendations were the basis for our best practices. These best practices are the most important actions child care programs can take to shape children’s healthy eating and physical activity habits.
NAPSACC offered self-assessment, action planning, and educational tools. These tools helped child care programs prioritize, plan, and make improvements to their healthy eating and physical activity practices, policies, and environments. We trained local technical assistance providers as NAPSACC Consultants. They used these paper-based tools to coach programs through the 5 Steps of NAPSACC.
In our 2005-2006 evaluation of NAPSACC, we found that centers improved their healthy eating and physical activity practices, policies, and environments after taking part in the program. Several other states have also found positive changes using NAPSACC. Look for summaries of these NAPSACC studies under The Evidence page.
Expansion Phase
In 2008, the Center for Excellence in Training and Research Translation named NAPSACC as an effective, evidence-based program. A White House report called NAPSACC a “model program” to promote healthy habits in child care programs. This promotion brought NAPSACC to a national audience. As a result, more than 30 states adopted NAPSACC, making it a widely-used tool for improving healthy eating and physical activity in child care. It has even been adapted for international use.
Go NAPSACC Goes Live
Go NAPSACC is the next generation of this program. Our mission continues to be helping child care programs create environments that support healthy habits in young children. Key updates include:
- Interactive, easy-to-use online tools
- Best practices and tools that address the health of children birth – 5 years, including Breastfeeding & Infant Feeding, Child Nutrition, Farm to ECE, Oral Health, Infant & Child Physical Activity, Outdoor Play & Learning, and Screen Time
- Automatic tailoring of best practices and tools for different settings like family child care homes and part-time programs
Whether you’re a child care provider or a technical assistance consultant, Go NAPSACC makes it easier than ever to give the children in your community a healthy start. Find out how you too can be a part of our NAPSACC Nation.