Governor Paul Patton’s Early Childhood Initiative (KIDS Now) was established in order to reach the goal that all children in Kentucky are healthy and safe, possess the foundation that will enable school and personal success, and live in strong families that are supported and strengthened within their communities.
Healthy Start in Child Care was set up to train, educate, and consult with child care providers and parents in health, safety, nutrition, early intervention, and mental health. Emphasis is also placed on the prevention of communicable disease in the group setting.
Of the approximately 2,040 licensed child care facilities in Kentucky, there are 90 in the Green River area. Those facilities and the 814 certified family homes benefit from assistance in upgrading health and safety conditions and staff/parent training. In a random sampling of 330 licensed centers by the Louisville Courier Journal, 39% of them had health and safety violations and 73% had evidence of violation of state regulations at least once in the past two years.
Click here to visit the Kentucky Child Care Health Consultation website.
Services for child care providers:
- Provide health, safety, nutrition, early intervention, and mental health information on site and via phone/fax/email
- Collaborate with the local Resource and Referral Agency
- Education through newsletters
- Provide playground safety consultation and assessment
- Assist in linking children, families, and providers with community health resources
- Assist in the development and implementation of written health policies
- And more!