Giving Suffolk Kids a Healthier Start

Wow…can you believe this? In the past four years, obesity rates among preschoolers have doubled and one in five children are overweight or obese by the time they reach their 6th birthday.

The Family Health and Wellness Program at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk is working on this issue in an initiative that is in line with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Lets Move! Child Care program.

Our Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) program works directly with child care center directors and staff to improve children’s physical activity and nutritional behaviors.

Has your child’s preschool or day care center participated in a NAP SACC Program?

With 75% of children ages 3-6 years are in daycare-- eating up to three meals or snacks per day and experiencing much of their physical activity at daycare--child care centers are an ideal place to learn about healthy behaviors.

The NAP SACC program is part of the Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work and Play in Suffolk County grant which focuses on ways to prevent and reduce obesity-related health problems and improve overall health.  The grant was funded by the NYS Department of Health.

 The NAP SACC program:

• Is free and provides child care staff with over 7 hours of training.
• Provides child care facilities with an easy tool to evaluate their own nutrition and physical activity environment and make changes to support healthy behaviors in young children.
• Promotes healthy eating by serving appropriate foods promotes active play in preschool age children by providing plenty of indoor/outdoor active playtime.
•  Reaches out to parents through child care settings to promote healthy behaviors at home.