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Penn State Better Kid Care (BKC) offers online professional development for early learning professionals anytime you are ready to learn. BKC offers a variety of On Demand modules that support health and wellness, including the "Healthy Kids, Healthy Future" series, "Keystone Color Me Healthy," and "Go Healthy! It All Begins with You." BKC's distance education program helps child care providers maintain their PA Department of Human Services certificate of compliance or registration.
Modules are available through Better Kid Care's On Demand System. Check out the complete list of health, safety and nutrition modules. |
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Professional Development to Support ACEs and Trauma-informed Care
ACEs are common in children ages 0 to 18 regardless of race, economic class, or geographic location, but are more frequent for children living in poverty. Research shows that the more ACEs an individual experiences, the greater the risk for obesity, heart disease, mental illness, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and learning and behavioral difficulties. Trauma awareness and coping strategies are essential for caring for children and families impacted by ACEs and for establishing self-care routines to prevent compassion fatigue and burnout for the ECE professional. Learn more about modules to support adverse childhood experiences. |
Nourish Yourself, Create Healthy Futures: Your Journey to Wellness
Personal health and wellness is a journey in which everyone progresses at their own pace. The opportunity to make healthy eating choices is based on knowing what those choices are, strategies to promote those healthy choices and setting goals to make healthier choices. Traditionally, ECE professionals focus on the health and wellness of the children in their care with little attention to their personal wellness. This module provides information and strategies to make and model healthy choices, create a healthy food environment, and navigate the food environment in a healthier way. (K7.3 C2, CDA1) 4 hours |
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A sampling of health, safety, and nutrition module titles include:
Active Play for Preschoolers with Autism- WE PLAY- WE PLAY stands for Wellness Enhancing Physical Activity for Young Children, and offers strategies for incorporating physically active play into preschool, including adaptations for children with autism spectrum disorder. Keystone Color Me Healthy - includes an amazing list of classroom resources Go Healthy! It All Begins with You - focuses on self-care for the care providers Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures - series of six modules developed in partnership with the CDC focuses on best practices for promoting healthy weight in young children by increasing physical activity, limiting screen time, offering healthy beverages, serving healthy food, and supporting infant feeding Mindful Practice for ECE Professionals: Begin the Journey - introduces the concept of mindfulness and how to incorporate it into daily work |
These topics feature PA early childhood education programs!
Family Child Care: Advancing Practices for a Healthy Future - provides next steps and opportunities to support healthy weight in young children and improve provider wellness Physical Activities for Young Children: Lead with Confidence - prepares the early care and education professionals to plan and implement physical activities with young children Family Child Care: Overcoming Barriers to Lead Fun Physical Activities - learn practical, economic solutions to lead physical activities Family Child Care: Ethnic Foods Exploration - learn strategies to introduce healthy versions of ethnic foods |
The following lessons reflect the goals and practices of the I Am Moving, I Am Learning (IMIL) approach.
I Am Moving, I Am Learning - Active Play Every Day!
I Am Moving, I Am Learning - Take It Outside!
I Am Moving, I Am Learning - Active Play Every Day!
I Am Moving, I Am Learning - Take It Outside!
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Keystone Color Me Healthy (PA residents only)
Increased rates of childhood obesity prompted a serious look at children's eating habits and lifestyle choices. This lesson provides instruction on using the award-winning Color Me Healthy curriculum and supplementary materials to promote healthy eating and physical activity among preschool children. Information on the Color Me Healthy kit and how to order can be found here. |
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Keystone Color Me Healthy Companion Resource
This Pennsylvania-developed Supplemental Activities and Resources (SAR) Guide was designed to align with and extend the Color Me Healthy Teacher's Guide. The book contains the following resources:
This Pennsylvania-developed Supplemental Activities and Resources (SAR) Guide was designed to align with and extend the Color Me Healthy Teacher's Guide. The book contains the following resources:
- Additional small group and food experiences for young children;
- Four, seasonal family activity guides;
- An annotated bibliography of children's books related to nutrition and physical activity, and
- Keystone Kids Go Active physical activity cards that can be printed, laminated, and assembled for easy use with children.