New Direction: Caring for Our Children, 3rd Edition (CFOC3)
Welcome to the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NRC) at the University of Colorado College of Nursing Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.
Please read below for more information about the resources available on our website.
1) Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, 3rd Edition (CFOC3)
As a collaborator with the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness (NCECHW), administered by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the NRC manages the updating of the Caring for Our Children, 3rd Edition (CFOC3) standards. CFOC3 is a collection of 686 national standards that represent the best evidence, expertise, and experience in the country on quality health and safety practices and policies that should be followed in today's early care and education settings.
You may access the CFOC3 online searchable database here. If you are experiencing technical problems with the CFOC3 database, please email us at info@nrckids.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
For Technical Assistance regarding CFOC3 Standard content, please contact the NCECHW toll free at 888-227-5125 or via email at health@ecetta.info.
2) Healthy Weight Resources
NRC resources to support healthy weight of young children in early care and education settings include Achieving a State of Healthy Weight (annual national assessments of child care regulations relative to healthy weight-specific CFOC3 standards in all fifty states and the District of Columbia), Preventing Childhood Obesity in Early Care and Education Programs, 2nd Edition (a collection of healthy weight-specific CFOC3 standards), licensing toolkits, checklists and tip sheets, and videos. These resources can be found here.
3) State Child Care Licensing Regulations and Contacts
The development and maintenance of the child care licensing regulations database has been transferred to National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance (ECQA Center). The National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations has been developed as a repository of state and territory licensing regulations and agency contact information. It is organized by State and allows users to access child care licensing regulations that apply to child care centers, family child care homes, school-age programs, infant care programs, and other specialized programs. In addition to licensing regulations, website links are provided for other early childhood programs standards, such as Quality Rating and Improvement System standards, Prekindergarten program requirements, and state health and safety requirements for child care providers receiving payment from the federal Child Care and Development Fund. The National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations is available at https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/licensing. Please contact the ECQA Center at QualityAssuranceCenter@ecetta.info with any questions.
