Change in Services

Effective October 1, Child Care Aware® of Missouri will no longer be offering the NAPSACC (Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment Child Care) project. Over the five-year project, Child Care Aware® of Missouri partnered with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to work with 122 child care centers, group homes, and family child care programs to achieve 915 goals to increase nutrition and physical activity within their programs. These achievements supported the development of healthier habits for the children, their families, and the child care educators that serve them, impacting approximately 5,390 children and their families.

One of the many success stories is Jane Vance, who owns and operates Mrs. Beasley's Children's House in Festus (Jefferson County). Jane has managed her family child care business for 28 years. 

While participating in NAPSACC in 2021, Jane completed five NAPSACC goals, accomplishing three Physical Activity and two Children's Nutrition goals while increasing her best practices. Her biggest challenge was learning to allow the children to "get all stirred up" when it was transition or quiet time. She found doing yoga with the children during quiet time created active moments she never thought about. Jane also added posters about physical activity to the program, creating engaging conversations with the children about getting up and moving.

As part of the project, each program was assigned a Technical Assistance (TA) Specialist, and they had regular video chats to discuss strategies to meet their goals and alleviate challenges. During a TA session with her TA Specialist, Shannon Carr, Shannon mentioned "sometimes foods." Jane had never heard that term before. It was an AHA! Moment. She started using it and talking a lot to the children during meals and snacks about "sometimes foods." Jane is most proud that this has led to the children and herself making better food choices.

Jane said, "Shannon really made me stretch. I have been in child care for nearly 30 years. Old dogs don't like new tricks. Shannon would ask me to consider things I felt strongly against, and we would discuss it and find a compromise that we felt was better than what I was doing but not too far out of my comfort zone. I would report the results at our next TA session, and we would fine-tune things to make it even better. I am so appreciative of this program!"

Child Care Aware® of Missouri is grateful to the TA Specialists who supported the child care programs throughout the project: Shannon Carr, Tricia Knowles, Rose Muñoz, Kelley Nelson, Sue Kuda, Dr. Tim Hanrahan, Amanda Hanks-Lenzini, Adele Meister, Rebecca Smotherman, Jeff Buehler, and Lori Schuman. 

We are especially grateful to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and our direct contact, Lisa Lauer, for the opportunity to partner together to support Missouri's youngest citizens to better health.

Explore our other Child Care Aware® of Missouri resources:

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