Go NAPSACC

Today is GiveUNC 2025 — Carolina’s university-wide day of giving when alumni, friends, faculty/staff and other Carolina supporters come together to support the causes they care about most.?Please consider directing your contributions to support the Ward Memorial Fund and honor our founder, Dr. Dianne Ward's legacy. ? The Ward Memorial Fund supports project and professional development opportunities for early care and education professionals, students, and researchers. Rooted in the empowerment of aspiring researchers and early care and education professionals who share a commitment to nurturing and enriching young minds, the Ward Memorial Fund exemplifies Dr. Ward’s visionary spirit. Contributions provide crucial financial support and well-deserved recognition to individuals pursuing education and training within the area of early childhood education.? ? Make a gift: https://lnkd.in/erFFrWKH

Go NAPSACC's tools are rooted in over two decades of research and evolve to meet the latest research, guidelines, and needs of ECE programs! From the development of the NAPSACC self-assessments in 2002 to currently reaching 24 states in 2025, we look forward to Go NAPSACC's continued growth to support states in building ECE practices, policies, and environments that foster children's well-being.

Meet Bishoy Yacoub, a Writing Fellow and Research Assistant with the Community Health & Wellness Resource Team! Since joining us in January 2024, Bishoy has been dedicated to improving the accessibility and impact of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). He plays a key role in evaluating CACFP accessibility and helped develop our coding rubric to uncover critical access disparities across state CACFP programs. After earning his degree in Sociology and Public Health, Bishoy is now preparing to pursue his M.D. at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His passion for public health is rooted in his personal journey—having lost over 100 lbs—and his commitment to making nutritious foods and health education accessible to underserved communities. In his free time, Bishoy enjoys walking, weight lifting, and baking. His insights and expertise are invaluable to our team!?

Health research plays a crucial role in addressing public health challenges and advancing public health practice.?Different forms of health research have led to groundbreaking discoveries, the development of new therapies, and significant improvements in healthcare and public health. Go NAPSACC's research team, the Community Health & Wellness Resource Team is dedicated to creating, evaluating, and implementing strategies that can improve the health and well-being of communities. Our latest study uses health information databases to explore how parents of children with and without intellectual or developmental disabilities support their children's health. Explore the infographic below to learn about our findings and how they can promote well-being for all children. https://lnkd.in/ecKP32Fx

Meet the 2025 Go NAPSACC Nation Advisory Group (NAG)! The NAG brings together educators, consultants, and state partners from across the country to increase access and equitable use of Go NAPSACC, keep the Go NAPSACC team informed and grounded in the reality of implementation, bring representative stakeholders to the table to help influence Go NAPSACC’s future direction, and increase communication between states utilizing Go NAPSACC. We look forward to a great year of working together to support healthy ECE environments across NAPSACC Nation!

Are you an Administrator at an adult supervised care setting? We’re interested in learning more about perceptions and barriers regarding enrollment in a physical activity health program for older adults. Check out this 30-minute survey to participate in the ACCESS to Healthy Aging research study?https://lnkd.in/eRQ7naMm For questions or concerns about your rights as a research subject, please contact the Institutional Review Board at 919-966-3113 or by email to [email protected].

Welcome Leslie to the Go NAPSACC and Community Health & Wellness Resource teams! Leslie has joined the team as a Quality Improvement Consultant with Go NAPSACC. She is an expert in program development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of results. In addition to her work with Go NAPSACC, Leslie works in the MCH Department in the SPH with the National MCH Workforce Development Center and The Beacon Center. She is an adjunct instructor in the MCH Department as well as with the Gillings School of Global Public Health, where she teachers a Systems Thinking and Design Thinking course for graduate students (MPH Online). In her free time, Leslie enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with family and friends and doing improv and theatre. We are thrilled to have her on the team!

Welcome Sophie to the Go NAPSACC and Community Health & Wellness Resource teams! Sophie has joined our team as a Research Assistant for our Advancing Insights into Moral Injury: Research and Care Practices and ACCESS to Healthy Aging projects. Her research interests include aging, wellness, and memory care. In her free time, Sophie enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to the beach, walking her dog Shadow, and reading. We are so excited to have her on the team!

Welcome Sarah to the Go NAPSACC and Community Health & Wellness Resource teams! Sarah has joined our team as a Project Manager for our Advancing Insights into Moral Injury: Research and Care Practices project. Her professional and research interests focus on trauma transmission, the impact of trauma, and evidence-based practices for supporting trauma-affected populations. In her free time, Sarah enjoys boxing, attending concerts, watching movies, and playing with her dog. We are so excited to have her on the team!

Welcome Brandon to the Go NAPSACC and Community Health & Wellness Resource teams! Brandon has joined our team as a Research Assistant for our ECE workplace resilience research project. He is passionate about increasing access to health care for underserved populations as well as improving healthy aging in marginalized communities. In his free time, Brandon enjoys spending time with family & friends, writing, hiking, and going out to the movies and concerts. We are thrilled to have him on the team!