Evidence
Nebraska Go NAPSACC is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of young children through innovative tools and programs that support childcare providers statewide. Our work has been recognized with multiple awards for excellence in early childhood training and programming, including national and regional honors. We offer a wealth of resources, from peer-reviewed publications showcasing our evidence-based approaches to downloadable tools that empower providers to promote healthier environments. Explore our achievements and access materials designed to make a lasting impact on early childhood nutrition and physical activity.
Early Childhood Child Care Training Award
In 2021, the submission titled “Nebraska Go NAPSACC: An Impactful and Scalable Statewide Training Program for Improving the Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment in Childcare Settings” was selected as 2nd Place Central Region Winner for the Early Childhood Child Care Training Award in the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) Annual Awards Program.

Citation Winner
This was chosen by reviewers and the Program Committee at the Society of Behavioral Medicine as an excellent submission receiving special recognition at the Spring 2018 annual meeting.
Dinkel, D., Dev, D., Guo, Y., Hulse, E., Rida, Z., Sedani, A., ... & Coyle, B. (2018, April). Comparison of Physical Activity and Outdoor Play Environments of Family Childcare Homes and Centers in Nebraska. In Annals of Behavioral Medicine (Vol. 52, pp. S103-S103). Journals Dept, 2001 Evans Rd, Cary, NC 27513, USA: Oxford Univ press Inc.

Improving the Physical Activity and Outdoor Play Environment of Family Child Care Homes in Nebraska Through Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care
Dinkel, D., Dev, D., Guo, Y., Hulse, E., Rida, Z., Sedani, A., & Coyle, B. (2018). Improving the Physical Activity and Outdoor Play Environment of Family Childcare Homes in Nebraska Through Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Childcare. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 15(10), 730-736. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2017-0411;
In this article, Dinkel et al. (2018) described the effectiveness of Go NAPSACC intervention in improving best practices in the areas of infant and child physical activity and outdoor play and learning in 201 NE family childcare homes caring for 0-5-year-old children. During post-intervention, childcare providers reported significant higher implementation of best practices in 85% of the Infant and Child Physical Activity items (17 of 20) and 80% of the Outdoor Play and Learning items (12 of 15). Significant differences in best practices between urban and rural providers were also found directing the importance of considering geographical differences in case of program implementation.
Improving the nutrition and screen time environment through self-assessment in family childcare homes in Nebraska
Dev, D. A., Williams, N., Iruka, I., Garcia, A. S., Guo, Y., Patwardhan, I., ... & Sedani, A. (2018). Improving the Nutrition and Screen Time Environment Through Self-Assessment in Family Childcare Homes in Nebraska. Public health nutrition, 21(13), 2351-2359. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018001416;
Dev et al. (2018) discussed how participation in Go NAP SAAC intervention has improved nutrition and screen time environment in 208 family childcare homes in 93 counties of Nebraska. After six months of training, participants demonstrated significant improvement in 14 of the 44 Child Nutrition items and 11 of the 12 Screen Time items. However, several best practices were not met after the intervention. For Child Nutrition: serving meals family-style, promoting visible support for healthy eating, planned nutrition education and written policy on child nutrition. For Screen Time: availability of television, offering families education onscreen time and having a written policy on screen time.
Download PDFExploring rural and urban Go NAP SACC trained child care providers perceptions and needs regarding the promotion of physical activity and healthy eating
Snyder, K., Rida, Z., Hulse, E., Dev, D., & Dinkel, D. (2019). Exploring Rural and Urban Go NAPSACC Trained Childcare Providers Perceptions and Needs Regarding the Promotion of Physical Activity and Healthy Eating. Cogent Social Sciences, 5(1), 1650412. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2019.1650412 ;
In this article, the authors utilized a qualitative cross-sectional design to assess the nutrition and physical activity reported practices and perceptions of rural and urban providers in Nebraska. The interview questions were framed upon constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory (i.e., personal behaviors, cognitive factors, and socioenvironmental factors). Findings indicated Go NAPSACC trained providers in both rural and urban areas felt they had the resources and knowledge needed to promote physical activity and healthy eating. However, they still struggled with barriers related to adequate space for activity, funding for equipment, parent engagement, and health promotion among staff and parents.
Download PDFComparison of Urban and Rural Physical Activity and Outdoor Play Environments of Childcare Centers and Family Childcare Homes
Dinkel, D., Dev, D., Guo, Y., Sedani, A., Hulse, E., Rida, Z., & Abel, K. (2020). Comparison of Urban and Rural Physical Activity and Outdoor Play Environments of Childcare Centers and Family Childcare Homes. Family & Community Health. DOI: 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000267;
This study compared adherence to evidence-based physical activity childcare standards between: (1) urban childcare centers and family childcare homes, (2) rural childcare centers and family childcare homes, (3) urban and rural childcare centers, and (4) urban and rural family childcare homes. Using Go NAPSACC baseline self-assessments, results showed urban childcare centers excelled in portable play equipment, family education, outdoor play, and professional development compared to family childcare homes. However, family childcare homes in urban areas reported better supervision, verbal encouragement, and participation in children's physical activity. Rural family childcare homes provided more indoor/outdoor activity time and larger outdoor spaces than rural centers. Urban childcare settings adhered more to best practices than rural ones, highlighting a need for tailored strategies in rural areas to enhance child health outcomes.
Download PDFImproving Breastfeeding Environments and Feeding Practices in Family Child Care Homes with the Go NAP SACC Program
Kohel, K., Hatton-Bowers, H., Williams, N., Dev, D., Behrends, D., Hulse, E., Rida, Z., Dingman, H., Dinkel, D., & Gebhart, L. (2021). Improving Breastfeeding Environments and Feeding Practices in Family Child Care Homes with the Go NAPSACC Program. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 0123456789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-020-03075-2 ;
Kohel et al. (2021) examined the outcomes for the Go NAPSACC intervention in urban and rural family child care homes regarding best practices for breastfeeding and infant feeding. The article presents the results for 201 family child care home providers who completed the Go NAPSACC intervention between August 2014 and March 2018. Paired sample t-tests and ANCOVA were conducted to examine pre- to post-test differences in best practice scores. Significant changes in the score were reported for 18 out of 22 items regarding best practices for breastfeeding and infant feeding, after controlling for CACFP participation and the length of time between pre-and post-intervention data collection. Moreover, family engagement was improved after the Go NAPSACC intervention, which is a crucial area for family childcare homes. Lastly, no significant difference was found for the geographical variation of the participating family childcare homes.
Download PDFExamining Differences in Achievement of Physical Activity Best Practices Between Urban and Rural Child Care Facilities by Age
Dinkel, D., Rech, J.P., Guo, Y., Bice, M., Hulse, E., Behrends, D., Burger, C., & Dev, D. (2021). Examining Differences in Achievement of Physical Activity Best Practices Between Urban and Rural Child Care Facilities by Age. Early Childhood Education Journal, epub ahead of print, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01169-2;
The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the achievement of physical activity best practices between 207 urban and 218 rural childcare facilities who had completed the Go NAPSACC process by age-specific recommendations (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers) and in the overall physical activity environment. A majority of facilities reported exceeding best practices (79.5%); however, significant differences were found on 18 best practices with urban facilities outscoring their rural counterparts on 17 of these items. A comparison by age found that urban facilities reported higher achievement of best practices among infants (60%) in comparison to toddlers (40%) or preschoolers (30%). Future efforts should continue to explore the rural–urban context of physical activity practices across the early childhood age groups to ensure healthy physical development of children, with a special emphasis on supporting rural facilities.
Presentations
Comparison of Physical Activity and Outdoor Play Environments of Family Childcare Homes and Centers in Nebraska
Dinkel, D., Dev, D., Guo, Y., Hulse, E., Rida, Z., Sedani, A., ... & Coyle, B. (2018, April). Comparison of Physical Activity and Outdoor Play Environments of Family Childcare Homes and Centers in Nebraska. In Annals of Behavioral Medicine (Vol. 52, pp. S103-S103). Journals Dept, 2001 Evans Rd, Cary, NC 27513, USA: Oxford Univ press Inc.
Download PDFImproving the Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment Through Self-Assessment in Nebraska Family Childcare Homes
Dev, D., Williams, N., Iruka, I., Patwardhan, I., Cummings, K., Dingman, H., ... & Rida, Z. (2016). Improving the Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment Through Self-Assessment in Nebraska Family Childcare Homes. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 48(7), S25.
Download PDFNutrition Environment and Practices of Family Childcare Homes and Child Care Centers in Nebraska
Dev, D. A., Hatton-Bowers, H., Guo, Y., Hulse, E., Rida, Z., Burger, C., ... & Foged, J. (2017). Nutrition Environment and Practices of Family Childcare Homes and Child Care Centers in Nebraska. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 49(7), S88.
Download PDFNebraska Strong: Implementation of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC)
Rida, Z. & Hulse, E. (2017, April). Nebraska Strong: Implementation of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC). National CACFP Conference, San Diego, CA.
Download PDFImproving the Physical Activity and Outdoor Play Environment through the Nebraska Go NAPSACC
Dinkel, D., Dipti, D. Gao, Y., Hulse, E., Rida, Z., Sedani, A., & Coyle, B. (2017). Improving the Physical Activity and Outdoor Play Environment through the Nebraska Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Childcare (Go NAPSACC). Poster presented at the annual meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Victoria, BC.
Download PDFGo NAPSACC: An Effective Approach in Meeting the Best Practices of Nutrition and Physical Activity for Early Childhood Obesity Prevention
Rida, Z., Hulse, E., Dingman, H., Lester, K., Burger, C., Dev, D., & Behrends, D. (2017). Go NAPSACC: An Effective Approach in Meeting the Best Practices of Nutrition and Physical Activity for Early Childhood Obesity Prevention. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117(9), A88.
Download PDFNebraska Go NAPSACC: Improving the Health of Young Children through Better Nutrition and Physical Activity
Behrends, D., Dinkel, D., Hulse, E., Dev, D., Hatton-Bowers, H., Burger, C., Tonkinson, C. & Schenkelberg, M. (2021). Nebraska Go NAPSACC: Improving the Health of Young Children through Better Nutrition and Physical Activity. Presentation submitted to the Healthy Kids Summit Research Fair, Virtual Platform.
Download PDFNebraska Go NAPSACC: Improving the Quality of Early Care & Education Programs Across Nebraska
Hulse, E., Dinkel, D., Tonkinson, C., Dev, D., Hatton-Bowers, H., Behrends, D., & Burger, C. (2020, May). Nebraska Go NAPSACC: Improving the Quality of Early Care & Education Programs Across Nebraska. Poster presented at the Child Health Research Institute Pediatric Research Forum, Virtual Platform.
Download PDFComparison of Nutrition Practices of Childcare Centers in Rural and Urban Nebraska
Yage, G., Dev, D., Choi, E., Shin, J., Rida, Z., Hulse, E., & Behrends, D. (2019). Comparison of Nutrition Practices of Childcare Centers in Rural and Urban Nebraska. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 51(7), S93.
Download PDFNebraska transitioned an in-person early childhood PSE approach, called Go NAPSACC, to be delivered virtually.
Behrends, D., Losey, A., Hulse, E. (2021) Nebraska transitioned an in-person early childhood PSE approach, called Go NAPSACC, to be delivered virtually. Poster presented, virtually, at the 2021 ASNNA Conference.
Download PDFNebraska Go NAPSACC
Behrends, D., Hulse, E., Abel, K., Rida, Z., Dev, D., Dinkel, D., Dingman, H., & Fischer, J. (2019, April). Nebraska Go NAPSACC. Poster presented at the Nebraska Healthy Kids Summit, Lincoln, NE.
Download PDFNebraska Go NAPSACC
Behrends, D. (2019, October). Nebraska Go NAPSACC. Recharge for Resilience Conference, Kearney, NE.
Download PDF