East Texas Child Care Centers Earn State Recognition  

Champions for Children is pleased to announce the recent recognition of four East Texas Early Learning Program Centers by the Texas Healthy Building Blocks program. These centers earned state recognition after adopting the evidence-based obesity prevention practices into their Early Learning Programs. The centers that received recognition are The Family Learning Center, Vikki’s Daycare, Ebenezer Daycare, and Treehouse Growing and Early Learning Center.

These centers were recognized during the Week of the Young Child Professionals Dinner hosted by the Tyler Early Childhood Professional Association (TECPA). TECPA provides monthly training and mentorship to directors and early childhood educators throughout the region.

Texas Healthy Building Blocks, powered by Go NAPSACC, is a statewide program designed to support and recognize Early Learning Programs who adopt evidence-based obesity prevention practices to improve the health of young children. With the support of technical assistance providers and access to an online suite of tools, child care centers are able to assess current practices and policies, set goals, and take action to promote healthy outcomes among our tiny Texans.

These Early Learning Programs are working towards meeting national high quality standards and have implemented best practices to ensure they are offering a healthy learning environment for young children. Some of the improvements in area programs include the incorporation of new activities for children, updates to programs and policies, continuing education of caregivers, and improvements to the learning environment.

“We are so proud of the dedication and work these centers are expending – all for the betterment of the child care industry and for prioritizing the children in their care,” said Tonia Crawford, Business Support Specialist at Champions for Children. “We’re excited to introduce the Texas Healthy Building Blocks program to even more facilities and continue to celebrate the successes of the East Texas Early Learning Programs and their hard working directors and early childhood educators.”

The collaborative network between Champions for Children, Texas Healthy Building Blocks, and the Northeast Texas Public Health District works to empower children to achieve their full potential by providing education, mentoring, tools and support to caregivers, educators, and families. For more information, visit championsforchildren.org or reach out to becky@championsforchildren.org. To learn more about the Texas Healthy Building Blocks initiative, visit https://childcare.tamu.edu/thbb/.

For a complete list of the Texas centers receiving recognition from Texas Healthy Building Blocks, visit https://childcare.tamu.edu/thbb/.

Rachel Ashcraft