The Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Guidelines for Early Childhood Settings, (the 'Guidelines'), is part of the Commonwealth Government's Plan for Tackling Obesity and Plan for Early Childhood.

The Guidelines are evidence-based, practical resources and materials that will support healthy eating and physical activity in children attending early childhood education and care services including child care, pre-school and family day care. The Guidelines will be linked to the new National Quality Framework for early childhood education and care services that is expected to be introduced from 1 July 2009.

For further project details please email focus.testing@rch.org.au.

Be involved in the Field testing of the Guidelines

The Draft Guideline Resources are available online now until Friday 15 May for your information and comment. We encourage you to have your say about the Draft Guideline Resources either by participating in focus group or completing an online survey. Your comments will help to ensure that services are provided with useful resources to promote healthy behaviours in young children.

Participate in a focus group

Focus groups for early childhood education and care practitioners, parents and carers will be held in April and May 2009 at the locations listed below. The focus groups will run for two hours during which time participants will be asked to review the Draft Guideline Resources and provide feedback via a guided discussion and short survey. Light refreshments will be provided. A maximum of twelve participants will be able to attend each focus group.

Focus Groups for Practitioners

If you would like to register your interest in attending one of the focus groups for early childhood education and care practitioners, please email focus.testing@rch.org.au your name, organisation, phone number and the location of the focus group.

State	Location	Date
ACT	Forrest	Wednesday 6 May
NSW	Hunter Valley	Monday 11 May
NT	Katherine	Monday 20 April
NT	Palmerston	Wednesday 6 May
QLD	Gold Coast	Wednesday 22 April
QLD	Cairns	Monday 27 April
SA	Murray Bridge	Tuesday 5 May
TAS	Burnie	Tuesday 5 May
TAS	Hobart	Tuesday 12 May
VIC	Dandenong	Wednesday 6 May
VIC	Ballarat	Thursday 7 May
WA	Geraldton	Wednesday 6 May
WA	Derby	Monday 4 May

Focus Groups for Parents and Carers

We are also running focus groups for parents and carers at the following locations. If you are an early childhood practitioner in one of these locations and are happy for us to contact you about recruiting parents and carers in your area, please email focus.testing@rch.org.au.

State	Location	Date
VIC	Coburg	Tuesday 12 May
NSW	Western Sydney	Tuesday 12 May
NT	Katherine	Tuesday 21 April
NT	Palmerston	Tuesday 5 May
SA	Glenelg	Monday 4 May

Complete an online survey

Practitioners, parents and carers can review the Draft Guideline Resources and provide feedback via an online survey until Friday 15 May 2009. This survey will take about 15 minutes to complete.

Surveys are now closed

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