TA FAQ’s

REACH was designed with TA’s in mind, to give you an additional tool to incentivize and celebrate ECE health-related quality improvement. REACH is based on the evidence-informed best practices and tools of Go NAPSACC. It is flexible to the needs and strengths of your work and your community. We hope that REACH can help you and the facilities you work with “REACH” for a healthy future!

How does it work?

TA Consultants play a key role in healthy habits quality improvement. You can use REACH however it best supports your work and your community.

• If you’re not already using Go NAPSACC, check it out. It is a free tool in NC that can support both your work and the work of your ECE facilities. To be eligible for REACH, a facility must have a recent self-assessment score in the “Leading the Way!” category.
• Familiarize yourself with the REACH key evidence-based practices and application process. Having an better idea of the program will help you figure out how it best fits into your work and will help you explain it to ECE facilities. Look through the available recognitions here. Think about how much support your facilities might need to meet key evidence-based practices or on the application itself, and what type of support you will be able to provide. You may also like to review the presentation slides or recording of the webinar we did on applying for the Child Nutrition, Farm to ECE, and Oral Health recognitions or the presentation slides and recording on applying for the Physical Activity, Outdoor Play & Learning, and Screen Time recognitions.

• If you’re starting with new programs on a quality improvement cycle using Go NAPSACC, consider including REACH as a part of the process. You may look to REACH key best practices, along with ECE facility interests and strengths, to choose goals for improvement. As ECE facilities meet REACH key best practices, you can help save the documentation that will be needed for the application. Once ECE programs meet their goals, re-take their self-assessment, and reach a score in the “Leading the Way” range, you can encourage ECE programs to apply for REACH or apply for them. When they are recognized, this is great news to share throughout the community. REACH is also interested in supporting local recognition efforts, so please reach out to Ellie at reachrecognition@gmail.com with ideas.
• We have printed resources to support your implementation. Get in touch with Ellie if you’d like any of these resources in print to help ECE programs meet key evidence-based practices or to include in their award when they are recognized:
  • Recipe Cards from ASAP Growing Minds Program
  • Tummy time brochures in English and Spanish from Pathways
  • Guides for Using Creative Curriculum to Support Farm to ECE – Toddler and Preschool from Policy Equity Group
  • Gardening Activity Guides from the Natural Learning Initiative
  • “50/101 Things to do with a…” flyers from Be Active Kids
    • Balls – English/Spanish
    • Mud – English/Spanish
    • Stick – English/Spanish
    • Hula Hoops – English
    • Bubbles – English

How did you choose the “key best practices”?

Key best practices are meant to be good indicators of child care quality and have the best chance of a positive impact on children’s health. REACH started the process of prioritizing “key best practices” by identifying the Go NAPSACC best practices that had the best alignment with the CDC High-Impact Obesity Prevention Standards for Early Care & Education, Caring for Our Children, and NC-specific tools and standards like the Child Care Rules, Environmental Rating Scales, and the NC HSAET. REACH then worked with partners across the state to identify the best practices of highest priority. We have tried to balance high standards with feasibility so that the recognition is attainable for providers across the state. Learn more about the key best practices in each Go NAPSACC module here.

How does this relate to my other work?

Many different types of TA Consultants use Go NAPSACC to support the goals of their work, including County Extension agents, CCHC’s and TA’s based in Partnerships for Children and CCR&R’s. Go NAPSACC is considered an Evidence-Based/Evidence Informed strategy by the NC Partnership for Children and REACH can be one part of a community’s implementation plan. If you are a CCHC, the REACH key best practices align with a number of the indicators within the NCHSAET. Check out the full crosswalk between the Go NAPSACC best practices and NCHSAET available in the NC Child Care Health & Safety Resource Center portal. An example of alignment within the Physical Activity module is below.

NCHSAET Section 8, Physical Activity	Key GNS Best Practices for Physical Activity	REACH Application Documentation for Physical Activity	Favorite Resources for meeting these best practices
8.1 Staff is trained and implements age appropriate gross motor activities with the children.	PA16 Preschool children and toddlers participate in planned lessons focused on building gross motor skills 1 time per week or more.	An example of a teacher’s favorite movement activity or game to encourage toddler and/or preschool motor skills development.	Go NAPSACC online Physical Activity trainings and Be Active Kids trainings
8.2 Children have gross motor play two or more times a day.	PA1 Preschool children are provided 120 minutes or more for indoor and outdoor physical activity each day. (Half-day: 60 minutes or more.)* PA2 Toddlers are provided 90 minutes or more for indoor and outdoor physical activity each day. (Half-day: 45 minutes or more.)*	Weekly schedules from age groups served showing best practice number of minutes for physical activity provided.	Example schedules coming soon!
8.3 Equipment and materials for active play are developmentally appropriate, quantity is sufficient, and there is variety.	PA8 A large variety of portable play equipment is available and in good condition for children to use indoors	Photos from one preschool classroom that show that all five of the following types of gross motor equipment are available and in good condition for children to use indoors: Twirling Toys, Jumping Toys, Throwing, Catching, or Striking Toys, Balance Equipment, Crawling or Tumbling Equipment	Be Active Kids “Be Well Equipped…” resource also available in GNS Tips & Materials
8.4 Age 0-1: All infants have supervised tummy time while alert and awake each day.	PA14 During tummy time and other activities, teachers always interact with infants to help them build motor skills.	A video or photo and written description of a teacher’s favorite activity (and any needed toys/equipment) to encourage tummy time with infants.	Pathways Tummy Time brochure also available in GNS Tips & Materials.*
8.15 Staff are engaged with the Physical Activity module of Go NAPSACC tool.		(ECE Programs must have a recent Go NAPSACC self-assessment score in the “Leading the Way” category to be eligible for REACH. )
13.18 Facility has a Physical Activity (both outdoors and indoors), play areas, screen time, and outdoor play policy.	PA 22 & 23: There is a written policy on physical activity that includes a variety of topics related to the amount of time provided to children for physical activity and ways that children are encouraged to be physically active.	The section of the facility’s family or staff handbook that shows their commitment to physical activity, by including the best practice number of minutes offered for physical activity, the best practice amount of tummy time offered, and the important role that teachers play in encouraging and supporting children’s physical activity/motor development.	Draft policies available in the GNS Tips & Materials library

Have a question? Contact Ellie at reachrecognition@gmail.com with additional questions or suggestions!