More states join Go NAPSACC online program to improve health of young children

In 2019, Go NAPSACC will be in 20 states working to improve the health of young children. Developed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Go NAPSACC is an online tool that helps child care programs create environments for healthy eating and physical activity in children. Alabama, Illinois, and Indiana recently joined this initiative, while Connecticut, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas have committed to join in 2019. States that join Go NAPSACC receive unlimited access to the program's online tools. To date, 1,500 child care programs serving over 73,000 children have used the Go NAPSACC program.

"NAPSACC has helped raise the level of care for our nation's children for over a decade," stated Falon Tilley, the program manager for Go NAPSACC. "We are excited to continue to build our capacity to offer our online Go NAPSACC program to additional states."

Go NAPSACC is the evidence-based gold standard in helping child care providers adopt best practices that promote healthy eating and physical activity. While most Go NAPSACC self-assessments are available to all public health and child care professionals on the website, states are required to enroll with UNC-Chapel Hill to access the complete online program.

To accommodate this rapid growth and expansion, in January 2019, Go NAPSACC launched a redesigned website with improved capacity and functionality. Based upon feedback gathered from users over the past four years, the new website integrates improved visual elements and a new dashboard that facilitates navigation of the five-step change process to adopt healthier practices.