Child care health consultant utilization as a quality improvement strategy for improved early child care health

While universal Pre-K for all may be an educational goal in many states, many more do not have a progressive policy to provide for proven benefits from early child care education and health programs for their youngest populations.  The child care strategy of utilizing nurses as child care health consultants [CCHCs] to improve the health and safety levels of children in early educational care will be discussed, as well as some of the proven benefits of utilizing the role of CCHCs in the promotion of improved health and safety in early childhood populations.

As part of an integrated, multi-pronged strategy to improve health and educational outcomes, the role of the CCHC is being utilized as a strategy focused on a specifically targeted part of a larger Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge grant focused on four low income, rural, northeastern NC counties, and involves early child care partnerships in areas chosen for their severe economic and child health and educational needs.

The importance of utilizing implementation science in the development of community focused and driven strategies will also be presented, with a specific discussion of the types of multiple stakeholders that have been successfully involved in the specific to our community approach to the development of interventions to provide for sustainably improved health in our youngest populations.