Child Health and Early Intervention

“Healthy development beginning at birth impacts children’s ability to learn. A strong foundation in good physical and emotional health helps ensure that children are successful learners from their earliest years. Healthy children are more likely to be physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally ready for kindergarten, attend school consistently, and benefit from high-quality learning environments.”

-The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, Healthy Readers Initiative

Children need to be healthy in order to grow and learn. OCPYC supports child health holistically, recognizing that many different factors contribute to overall health.

A child’s first 2,000 days are important not only for brain development, but also for developing healthy habits that last a lifetime. OCPYC-funded programs address the mental, physical, and emotional health of young children ages birth to five in our community.

OCPYC works directly with child care centers using evidence-based programs such as GO NAPSACC and Be Active Kids to implement best practices across a variety of health-related areas including child nutrition, outdoor play, physical activity, oral health, and screen time, among others. OCPYC provides technical assistance to centers in the development of food gardens and outdoor learning environments, and through participation in the NC Farm to ECE Collaborative, works with centers to increase the amount of fresh local fruits and vegetables available to children and their families.

OCPYC supports efforts to identify young children at risk for developmental delays or disabilities, facilitating access to early intervention services.

Learn about Child Health and Early Intervention Programs here.