Nationwide, 88 percent of parents say nutritious meals and physical activity are highly important to them when choosing a child care provider. Recognizing this, Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) piloted an endorsement program through its Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) to promote nutrition and physical activity (N&PA) in child care centers. This initiative provided a group of high-quality child care programs with training, technical assistance, and funding to support health-focused improvements.
An evaluation by Child Trends found that centers that participated in the DECAL N&PA Endorsement reported meaningful increases in N&PA best practices, such as preparing more healthy food, increasing physical fitness lessons, and expanding health-focused family engagement initiatives. Additionally, many center administrators implemented and planned to sustain changes like garden installations, taste testing of new foods, and new play equipment. Administrators felt the endorsement enhanced overall program quality, encouraged healthier habits among staff and children, increased family involvement, and helped programs feel more confident and prepared for future QRIS reviews.
To help programs elsewhere build on Georgia’s success, we outline five key recommendations for state leaders, implementation and technical assistance partners, and community health practitioners on how to effectively launch similar N&PA Endorsement programs.
1Leverage existing national training programs and provide opportunities for both in-person and virtual training.
To deliver high-quality training and increase efficiency, DECAL successfully leveraged existing training programs like Go NAPSACC, an online assessment and training module to improve N&PA practices and policies, and the Physical Activity Learning Sessions (PALS), which provides training sessions on best practices for physical activity in child care programs. A key success of DECAL’s N&PA Endorsement program was the hybrid model that offered both in-person training (PALS) and virtual training. N&PA Endorsement participants appreciated that the in-person training fostered connection, deeper engagement, and practical learning, and that the online training offered flexibility. Other states and communities thinking about similar N&PA initiatives should consider using established and tested local or national N&PA training courses that can be offered both in-person and virtually to promote engagement and participation among child care program staff.
2Provide both funds and individualized support to participating child care programs.
DECAL offered funds to each participating child care center to support N&PA practices and granted access to relevant technical assistance. N&PA Endorsement participants indicated that the funds were especially helpful in allowing them to purchase resources and supplies to support N&PA opportunities they previously could not afford. Smaller, locally owned centers also appreciated that the tailored technical assistance provided them with individualized support to improve their program’s quality and make their program more marketable to prospective families. Based on these findings, Child Trends recommends that other N&PA initiatives include funds and tailored technical assistance to child care programs, as these empower child care programs to enhance N&PA practices, access needed resources, and improve program quality and marketability.
3Ensure that your N&PA initiative can be adapted for child care programs with varying levels of readiness and capacity.
By offering targeted support based on each child care program’s level of readiness and capacity to make N&PA changes, an N&PA Endorsement program could be appropriate for all child care programs. For DECAL’s Endorsement, some programs had prior experience with N&PA practices and understood how to improve them (e.g., some programs had ongoing community partnerships with local farmers), while others had previously participated in N&PA trainings; as a result, staff from the latter were more comfortable making changes to N&PA practices. These programs had a foundation on which to continue building N&PA practices and policies, whereas other child care programs had to consider expanding their N&PA practices for the first time because of the Endorsement. To support programs’ varying needs, DECAL chose training programs that could be tailored to centers’ backgrounds and experiences (e.g., Go NAPSACC), provided multiple training formats to support various learning preferences (e.g., online and in-person), and provided program-specific technical assistance to address questions and requirements. For other states and communities considering similar N&PA initiatives, we recommend designing flexible, scalable models that account for varying child care program readiness levels and operational capacities.
4Clarify how your N&PA initiative aligns with other rules, regulations, and recommendations for child care programs.
Child care programs are regulated by a number of federal, state, and local entities with varying rules, regulations, and recommendations related to N&PA, such as state licensing, QRIS, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). As programs in the DECAL N&PA Endorsement made changes—such as installing gardens, natural play areas, and new playground equipment—some center administrators found it challenging to ensure that the changes aligned with all applicable rules. To prevent unintentional violations and ensure smooth implementation of N&PA practices, clarify expectations for accomplishing program improvements. This will typically involve working with multiple agencies that support and regulate child care to ensure that all parties agree on best practices. Coordinators can work together with technical assistance providers, licensing inspectors, and quality coaches to agree on best practices so their guidance helps programs stay aligned with applicable rules and regulations.
5Build internal organizational capacity and ensure sufficient staff to support sustainable N&PA changes.
As a large state agency, DECAL realized the importance of having internal knowledge and skills about N&PA. For example, DECAL acknowledged the need for staff with the capacity and expertise to provide ongoing guidance as child care programs implemented new strategies for the first time and planned for lasting program changes. To successfully implement an N&PA initiative and more effectively support child care programs, ensure sufficient agency staffing with expertise in nutrition, physical activity, and childhood development.
Suggested citation
Villegas, E., Keaton, H., Early, D., Diamond, Z., & Gal-Szabo, D.E. (2025). Five keys to implementing nutrition and physical activity professional development in child care programs. Child Trends. DOI: 10.56417/234t4792f