National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education moves to its new home at the University of South Florida College of Nursing

The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education has a new home at the USF Health College of Nursing.

“We are thrilled to be the new home to the NRC which provides immense expertise, resources, and protection to small children throughout our nation,” said USF Health Senior Associate Vice President Usha Menon, dean of the College of Nursing.

Since 1995, the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NRC) has established health and safety standards for early care and education settings. Under the direction of Kristine Gauthier, PhD, MPH, PNP-BCPC, the center continues to enhance and maintain the health and safety performance standards complied in Caring for Our Children Program (CFOC). The mission of the NRC is to improve the quality of out-of-home child-care and early education programs and support the health and safety of the children they serve.

The first edition of CFOC was published in 1992, with a focus on creating the first national health and safety standards for children cared for outside the family home. The NRC, a partner of the National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety, maintains and continually updates CFOC standards that continue to be the nationally recognized source for evidence-based best practices in quality health and safety in early care and education settings.

In addition to her leadership of the NRC, Gauthier is an associate professor and primary care pediatric nurse practitioner concentration director for the college.

“With millions of children attending early care and education programs every day, this partnership allows the NRC to continue our important work of maintaining evidence-based quality health and safety practices and policies to inform quality early care and education for young children,” Gauthier said.

Kristine Gauthier, PhD, MPH, PNP-BCPC

NRC supports the efforts of:

• Childcare providers/family childcare homes
• Early Head Start and Head Start programs
• Home visitors
• Early educators
• Families/parents and guardians
• Health professionals
• Early childhood comprehensive systems
• State childcare regulatory agencies
• State and local health departments
• Policy makers

The most up-to-date version of the standards may be accessed at nrckids.org/CFOC. To learn more about the NRC or ways to partner, visit nrckids.org.