Last year, First Lady Michelle Obama challenged child care providers across America to build a generation of healthy kids. For anyone taking care of little ones, Let’s Move! Child Care is an initiative to help achieve your goals to provide a healthier environment for the kids you serve. The challenges that the First Lady issued to all child care providers are great tips for any household:

• Provide 1-2 hours of physical activity throughout the day, including outside play when possible.
• For ages 2 and up, try limiting screen time to 30 minutes per week. For kids under age 2, try eliminating screen time completely.
• Try to serve fruits or vegetables at every meal. Eat meals family-style whenever possible. Avoid serving fried foods.
• When you can, give water during meals and all day. Avoid sugary drinks. Two and up, serve low- or non-fat milk and 4-6 ounces max of 100% juice a day.
• Provide breast milk to infants of mothers who wish to breastfeed. Welcome mothers to nurse mid-day and support parents’ decisions with infant feeding.

Sam Kass presents a letter of congratulations from the First Lady to two staff members from the Quantico Children, Youth and Teen Program at the Let’s Move!Child Care Recognition Luncheon, May 9, 2012.

And we have seen incredible accomplishments over the past year. Last month, Let’s Move! Child Care recognized early education and child care programs and networks, communities, and states for their extraordinary work to implement the initiative’s goals. Twenty honorees from across the country traveled to Washington, DC, to be recognized at the Let’s Move! Child Care Recognition Luncheon, sponsored by Nemours. Sam Kass, White House Assistant Chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives, provided keynote remarks and presented the honorees with a letter of congratulations from the First Lady.

The Let’s Move! Child Care State Challenge provided states with the opportunity to be recognized in two categories. Rhode Island and Idaho were recognized at the luncheon for winning the Let’s Move!Child Care State Challenge:

• Rhode Island: LMCC State Challenge winner for having the highest percentage of licensed or legally operating early education and child care programs signed up as LMCC participants.
• Idaho: LMCC State Challenge winner for having the highest percentage of LMCC participants who successfully completed the initiative’s checklist quiz.

In addition to the State Challenge winners, the following 12 programs and networks, 3 communities, and 3 states received recognition for promoting and implementing the Let’s Move! Child Care goals. These goals focus on increasing physical activity, reducing screen time, improving food choices, providing healthy beverages, and supporting breastfeeding.

Early Education and Child Care Programs and Networks

• Colusa Indian Community Council Hand-in-Hand Learning Center - Colusa, California
• Pam's Child Care Home - Nashville, Tennessee
• Family & Child Education Program - Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Quantico Children, Youth and Teen Program - Quantico, Virginia
• Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioner’s Head Start/Early Head Start - Tampa, Florida
• Seagull Schools - Kailua, Hawaii
• Jewish Community Center Early Childhood Education Department - Owings Mills, Maryland
• Tender Times Child Care - Amery, Wisconsin
• Neighborhood House Association Head Start - San Diego, California
• University of Delaware Early Learning Center - Newark, Delaware
• Our House Family Child Care and Early Education - Lansing, Michigan
• West Haven Child Development Center - West Haven, Connecticut

Communities

• Farm to Preschool - Los Angeles, California
• GoFar Childcare - Moorhead, Minnesota and Fargo, North Dakota
• Salt Lake Community Action Program Head Start - Salt Lake City, Utah

States

• Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of Nutrition and Physical Activity - Phoenix, Arizona
• Ohio Child Care Resource & Referral Association - Columbus, Ohio
• Wisconsin Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiative - Madison, Wisconsin

“Neighborhood House Association (NHA) is honored to be recognized by the First Lady’s Let’s Move! Child Care initiative and to contribute in the fight against childhood obesity,” said Rudolph A. Johnson III, NHA President and CEO. “As a large organization with a passion for preschool nutrition, NHA believes that it has positively affected others. This recognition solidifies that NHA has become a model for building a healthier future for children and families not only in San Diego, but across the nation.”

Honorees participate in a panel discussion, moderated by Debbie I. Chang, Nemours, and Shannon Rudisill, Administration for Children and Families, during the Let’s Move!Child Care Recognition Luncheon to share their experiences promoting children’s health in early education and child care programs, May 9, 2012.

“The Let’s Move! Child Care Recognition Luncheon shined a bright light on the innovative work of states, communities, early childhood programs, and networks to prevent childhood obesity,” said Debbie I. Chang, Nemours Vice President of Policy and Prevention. “The Luncheon honorees are setting outstanding examples for the early care and education field about how healthy environments can be integrated thoughtfully into child care settings to benefit young children and their families. Nemours is pleased to support providers and collaborate with partners in reaching the goals of Let’s Move! Child Care. ”

Visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Website to read the press release.

Let’s Move!Child Care is a nationwide call-to-action to empower early education and child care providers to make positive health changes in children that could last a lifetime. LMCC also is for parents and caregivers. As a parent or caregiver, you can use the free online resources and talk with your early education and child care providers, so that together you can give your kids the very best start.

The public and private partners supporting Let’s Move! Child Care include the Office of the First Lady, White House Domestic Policy Council, Administration for Children and Families, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources and Services Administration, Nemours, Child Care Aware of America, and University of North Carolina.

References to non-federal organizations are provided solely as a service to the audience. These references do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations, their programs and policies, or their research and materials by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred.

Captain Meredith Reynolds, PhD, USPHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention