Research & Practice
Nourished and Active in Early Learning: Planning Focus Groups to Inform a Professional Development Training Curriculum
Many young children spend significant time in care outside of the home, offering early learning programs a unique opportunity to support children and families in leading healthy and active lifestyles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds state recipients to improve nutrition and physical activity in statewide early care and education (ECE) systems through the State Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) Program. Statewide survey and training data suggest a need to support early learning professionals with further training opportunities. The DOH and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) are creating a new professional development training that supports early learning core competencies with breastfeeding, nutrition, physical activity, and screen time best practice examples.
The goal of this project was to gather stakeholder input and identify how to help elevate professional practice with the objective of learning about ideas, work experiences, challenges, and desired training opportunities related to DCYF core competencies. Information gathered during a preliminary assessment of early learning workforce, educational requirements, and existing training opportunities, as well as that gleaned from focus groups with early learning professionals across WA, would be used to develop a relevant training curriculum that promotes best practices. Deliverables included a detailed project implementation plan, recruitment materials in English and Spanish, a facilitator script and focus group activity guide, a project one-pager for external partners, and a memo and protocol for incentive procurement.
Materials Available
Project Type(s): MPH Practicum, PH Concentration Poster
Author(s): Anna Mowell
Program(s): Master of Public Health, RDN Training
Year: 2020
Adviser(s):