Target Behavior: Breastfeeding

Healthy Way to Grow

The Healthy Way to Grow (HWTG) is a direct education and PSE intervention directed at early childhood education centers (ECE). HWTG is designed to promote the adoption of wellness policies and implementation of best practices at the center level to create cultures of health within child care facilities, which positively impact early childhood providers’ knowledge and skills about healthy eating and physical activity (PA), provide tools and resources for child care facilities to help parents and families increase healthy eating and PA, and expose children to healthy foods and PA at a young age. HWTG helps centers learn how to approach these issues and embed best practices into their ongoing activities to create a culture of health and wellness within their environments.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Reducing Screen Time, Other: staff wellness

Intervention Type: Direct Education, PSE Change

Connecticut Breastfeeding Initiative (CBI)

The Connecticut Breastfeeding Initiative (CBI) is a PSE Change intervention designed to promote practices in maternity facilities that support the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding. The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding provide the foundation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). The Steps focus on breastfeeding initiation, exclusive breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, and rooming in, among other elements. By providing a state-level support system of training, technical assistance, and financial assistance, the CBI assisted multiple hospitals in progressing down the 4-D Pathway with the intention of becoming Baby-Friendly designated. The cornerstone of the CBI is the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) at the hospital level.

NOTE: Portions of this initiative may be SNAP-Ed appropriate. Should be done in collaboration with WIC and other maternal and child health programs.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding

Intervention Type: PSE Change

Healthy Apple Program

The Healthy Apple Program is a PSE Change tool designed to improve the nutrition, physical activity practices, and environment of child care facilities. The program recognizes achievements by issuing awards to child care providers who make improvements and reach their goals.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity

Intervention Type: PSE Change

Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI)

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a hospital accreditation program and PSE change intervention that was created by the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization to recognize hospitals and birth centers around the world that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother/baby bonding. It requires facilities with the Baby-Friendly designation to provide direct breastfeeding education and support to families.  In the United States, Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. is the nonprofit national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and conducts all activities necessary to assess, accredit birthing facilities with the Baby-Friendly designation.. In order to receive the Baby-Friendly designation, maternity facilities must meet the BFHI criteria for implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, which consists of evidence-based practices that have been shown to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration. To attain designation facilities must also follow the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes which outlines restrictions for marketing of breast-milk substitutes, infant feeding bottles and artificial nipples. Infant formula and related products must be purchased at fair market rates and the facility may not accept any free or discounted breast-milk substitute distributed and/or sponsored by formula companies.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding

Intervention Type: Direct Education, PSE Change

First Years in the First State: Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity Quality in Delaware Child Care

The First Years in the First State is a PSE change intervention designed to improve the quality of nutrition, physical activity and screen-viewing activities in child care centers in Delaware by providing training on the new regulations licensed childcare centers, which were changed to better align with best practice. This program provided training and toolkits, evaluates providers’ knowledge of the rules, and satisfaction with the training content and format.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity

Intervention Type: PSE Change

Empower Program

The Empower Program is a PSE Change intervention developed by the Arizona Department of Health Services to support the efforts of licensed early care and education facilities and certified family child care homes to empower young children to grow up healthy.  Participating facilities pledge to adopt 10 standards that encourage healthy eating, active play, and other health habits.  Requirements include having a written policy and implementing each of the 10 standards.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity

Intervention Type: PSE Change

Go NAPSACC

NAPSACC/Go NAPSACC is a direct education and PSE change intervention designed to enhance nutrition and physical activity practices in early care and education programs by improving the:

  • supports for breastfeeding, healthy meals, farm to ECE, and oral health;
  • amount and quality of indoor and outdoor physical activity;
  • provider–child interactions around food and physical activity;
  • educational opportunities for children, parents, and providers; and
  • program policies related to breastfeeding, nutrition, oral health, indoor and outdoor physical activity, and screen time.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity

Intervention Type: Direct Education, PSE Change

CHOICE: Creating Healthy Opportunities In Child Care Environments

The CHOICE intervention provides tools to assess and develop nutrition and physical activity policies in child care settings. The CHOICE team developed the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and the Best Practices Manual to help childcare centers develop comprehensive written nutrition and physical activity policies. The SAQ is a list of 35 best practices for childcare nutrition and physical activity environments. The four sections of the SAQ address nutrition, child feeding practices, foods served, physical activity, and staff and parent training.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity

Intervention Type: PSE Change

Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite Program

The Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite Program (TX MFWP) is a PSE Change, employer recognition program that designates worksites as “Mother-Friendly” if they voluntarily develop and submit to Department of State Health Services (DSHS) a written policy that supports employees’ efforts to combine continued breastfeeding with employment. At a minimum, the policy must ensure:

  • Flexible work scheduling to allow time for breast milk expression,
  • Access to private locations for breast milk expression,
  • Access to a clean, safe water source to wash hands and clean pumping equipment, and
  • Access to hygienic options for workplace storage of expressed breast milk.

This intervention functions at two levels: at the state-level and at the worksite level. DSHS provides resources and support to worksites wanting to be designated and the worksites must implement their individual plans for achieving and sustaining designation.

NOTE: Activities must be in approved worksites where more than half of employees are low-wage workers.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding

Intervention Type: PSE Change

California Fit Business Kit

The California Fit Business Kit is a PSE change intervention designed to help employers develop and implement a workplace culture and environment that support healthy eating and physical activity among workers. This Kit contains 13 individual components, all of which contain tips and steps to implementing policies and programs conducive to a healthy lifestyle in the workplace. Most importantly, the tools can assist employers and employees who are interested in combating declining employee health and ever-increasing health care costs.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity

Intervention Type: PSE Change