Drafter
Clerk 05/02/2012
Title
A RESOLUTION supporting the inclusion of health-related best practices in state standards for child care.
Body
WHEREAS, there are approximately fifty-five thousand children in licensed child care in King County, some of whom eat the majority of their meals and spend the majority of their waking hours in care, and
WHEREAS, childhood and especially early childhood, which is ages zero to six, is a critical time for the development of lifelong health habits, and research has shown that children who have the benefit of healthy child care environments have better health outcomes, and
WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association and the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education have developed "Caring for Our Children," the gold standard for best practices on health and safety in child care, and
WHEREAS, these best practice standards recommend, among other things: limiting screen time; providing healthy food and beverage choices; restricting access to sugary drinks; providing active opportunities for physical activity; ensuring safe sleep practices; eliminating exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke; adopting injury prevention policies; ensuring communicable disease prevention; promoting breastfeeding; ensuring infectious disease control; practicing integrative pest management; promoting oral health; and ensuring overall quality of the outdoor and indoor environments, and
WHEREAS, in Washington state, child care is regulated and licensed by the Washington state Department of Early Learning, which promulgates regulations that establish standards for child care providers in family home settings, child care centers, and before/after school care, and
WHEREAS, the Department of Early Learning is currently seeking input on changes to the center-based and school-aged child care regulations in anticipation of revising the standards therein, and
WHEREAS, the Department of Early Learning also has established the Washington Quality Rating and Improvement System ("QRIS"), a voluntary program for helping licensed child care providers offer high-quality care by receiving training and incentives to move through five tiers towards national accreditation. The current QRIS has a strong educational focus but includes few quality measures in any tiers that address best practices in health. Because the Department of Early Learning intends to continue to expand QRIS statewide, QRIS provides an excellent framework to expand provider knowledge and adoption of best practices in health, and
WHEREAS, First Lady Michelle Obama has established Let's Move Child Care promoting more physical activity, less screen time, healthier meals and beverages, and breastfeeding in child care settings. Let's Move Child Care provides child care providers with ideas and free resources to make their programs healthier. These resources include, among other things, comprehensive guides, resource kits, webinars and sample menus;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Health of King County:
A. The Board of Health calls upon the Washington state Department of Early Learning to adopt child care regulations that incorporate the best practices established by Caring for Our Children.
B. The Board of Health calls upon the Department of Early Learning to expand its Quality Rating Improvement System to include health-related best practices established by Caring for Our Children, including providing healthy food choices, restricting exposure to tobacco products, preventing injury and communicable disease and promoting oral health and breastfeeding.
C. The Board of Health calls upon child care providers in King County to participate in Let's Move Child Care and to work actively toward meeting the five primary goals in order to safeguard and promote the health of the more than fifty-five thousand children in their care and calls upon the Department of Early Learning to
actively promote access to Let's Move Child Care information through its website, email list-serves and trainings with providers.