Rhode Island recently won the Let’s Move! Child Care State Challenge, as it now has almost 20 percent of child care programs signed up for Let’s Move! Child Care, First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative to encourage child care programs to provide a healthier environment for the kids they serve. 

Rhode Island was able to achieve this accomplishment with the help of local government and university students, who encouraged programs to join the initiative. Local agencies reached out to communities through Facebook, Twitter, e-newsletters, mailings in English and Spanish, and news stories, while university students directly contacted all 1,059 programs in the state to encouraging them to achieve the Let’s Move! Child Care goals. “Now, in addition to making sure that kids are safe on the playground and have all of their immunizations, providers are focusing on making sure children eat healthy and stay active,” said State Physical Activity Coordinator Angela Ankoma for the Department of Health. 

Young kids in Rhode Island get their daily physical activity to help them stay healthy.   

One of these programs is Dr. Day Care Learning Center, a network of five early learning centers serving close to 450 kids. The program added new healthy snacks and meals like hummus, homemade oatmeal with cinnamon and apples, and yogurt with granola and bananas to their menu. They also only offer healthy drinks, such as water and low-fat or non-fat milk. By participating in Let’s Move! Child Care, Dr. Day Care and other programs in Rhode Island are helping to make sure that children throughout the state learn to enjoy healthy foods and physical activity during their earliest months and years, building a strong foundation for a lifetime of good health.

Follow Dr. Day Care’s steps and join Let's Move! Child Care. In the words of Amy Vogel from Dr. Day Care, “Let’s Move! Child Care is not only about what to do, but also how to do it”. By joining, you’ll have access to valuable resources to achieve your goals and get great tips like how to find alternatives to using food as a reward and how to organize non-competitive and active games for preschoolers. Visit Let's Move! Child Care to find more testimonials, webinars, and other helpful information.

Kids at a Dr. Day Care Learning Center take on a climbing wall built at the center to give children a new way to be active. 

Marissa Duswalt, RD, is the Let's Move! Associate Director of Policy and Events