Reviewed/Updated June 2026
On September 20, 2017, SB No. 27, code NAC 432A.323 was updated with a requirement that was passed into law during the 2017 Nevada state legislative session. The new law states that two or more hours of training in wellness including childhood obesity, nutrition, and moderate or vigorous physical activity is required within 90 days of employment and each year thereafter. These new requirements have been adopted into Nevada’s State Child Care Licensing regulations (Adopted Regulation of the State Board of Health LCB File R092-16).
The Nevada Registry was charged with the task of creating the content guidelines for wellness courses as well as determining which approved trainers will be eligible to deliver training on this topic. This document outlines the content guidelines, course objectives and trainer qualification requirements for the required training.
Wellness training will be approved only when the content requirements and trainer qualifications have been met. As such, the course title and objectives must match the information that follows. To expedite the approval process, copy and paste from the sections below when submitting requests, keeping in mind that the content delivered must match content submitted for approval.
- Qualification Criteria
- Content Guidelines: Age and Developmental Levels
- Content Guidelines: Varied Training Levels
- Appendix and References
- Content/Approval Rubric
Qualification Criteria
Individuals who are Nevada Registry-approved Early Childhood and Topic Trainers with specific training, education or certification in wellness-related subjects will be approved to deliver wellness training.
Content Guidelines: Age and Developmental Levels
According to Piaget’s periods of cognitive development children aged two to six years are in the preoperational period, meaning they are egocentric (i.e., interested only in personal needs and wants). Therefore, learning experiences need to be structured based on the child’s level of development. Training should be targeted to specific age groups and follow developmentally appropriate practices. Training should address age-based, developmental abilities, and be intentional based on specific outcomes or goals for individual age groups.
Content Guidelines: Varied Training Levels
The goal of completing wellness training within this context is to provide Early Childhood (ECE) educators with adequate tools to significantly influence the practices and health behaviors of children. Therefore, training at different educational levels is necessary for ECE educators to advance their knowledge of the content area. Different levels of training should be offered to deliver a more didactic approach and provide tools and theoretical knowledge that can be readily applied in the classroom. It is important that educators gain accurate and reliable information that is relevant and up to date. Training at different levels allows educators to master information and expand their knowledge in the subject area upon understanding the basics. As educators master different levels of training, they may be more comfortable in their knowledge and understanding, allowing them to apply this information in the classroom setting in ways they may not have previously considered or understood without completing the various levels of training.
Wellness training is divided into three separate, but related Course Areas: Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Prevention. Training is available at three different levels of knowledge: Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. The depth to which each topic is covered is dependent on the level of the training session.
Appendix and References
Appendix A describes physical activity recommendations by age. Ages are broken down by Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Birth to Six years old. A variety of topics are included in these recommendations such as tummy time, time spent sedentary, structured activity, indoor play, screen time, etc. These topics were common themes in the resources that were utilized to create these recommendations and training. Additionally, there is a section in this appendix to address physical activity recommendations for special needs children.
Appendix B describes nutrition recommendations by age. Ages for nutrition are broken down by Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, and all children. Topics for nutrition recommendations include juice, water, added sugars, hunger cues, vegetables, etc. Common themes were determined based on resources and are displayed in this table. Additionally, there is a section of this appendix to address creating a written nutrition plan and any allergies that a child may have.
Appendix C describes recommendations that address Obesity Prevention in Early Childhood. There are sections to address how it is measured in children, risk factors, prevention, and statistics. These facts regarding obesity prevention were common themes based on federal resources. For more information on these topics, consult the appropriate resource in Appendix D.
The recommendations for this document were gathered from federal and governmental sources. Some of the recommendations in these appendices include multiple citations next to them (EX: CDC, AAP, CATCH). This indicates that there was a common theme among this topic, further showing that it is an important topic and that guidance should be strongly recommended. The sources that were used for these recommendations are listed in Appendix D. See the corresponding reference for more information.
Content/Approval Rubric
Requirements for All Levels:
- All wellness training must contain two hours of content to meet the requirement, regardless of level of training.
- Attendees must take a basic level training before taking an intermediate or advanced course.
- All content must:
- Include age specific content for infants, toddlers, 3–5 yrs., 6–8 yrs.; and
- Incorporate accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
Level: Basic — Basic level training must include:
- All three Course Areas; and
- All REQUIRED objectives in each area across all ages
- No OPTIONAL objectives are included in this section.
Level: Intermediate — Intermediate level training must include:
- Exactly two of the three Course Areas; and
- An overview of REQUIRED content in both Course Areas, age specific; and
- Exactly two OPTIONAL objectives from each of the two selected Course Areas.
Level: Advanced — Advanced level training must include:
- Only one of the Course Areas; and
- An overview of REQUIRED content age specific; and
- Only one objective from either the REQUIRED or OPTIONAL objectives.
Course Area: Physical Activity
REQUIRED Objectives (for all Levels)
- Define and provide examples of structured activity and set standards for time spent per day
- Define unstructured activity, provide and set standards for time spent per day
- Define sedentary activities and its impact and identify time limits per day
- Define screen time activities and its impact and identify time limits per day
OPTIONAL Objectives (for Intermediate and Advanced Levels)
- Identify spaces, tools, and adequate time spent for infant tummy time
- Demonstrate how to engage infants in tummy time activities
- Define the importance of skill development activities and how to create them
- Identify outdoor activities, provide examples and associated time requirements per day
- Identify indoor activities and provide examples
Course Area: Nutrition
REQUIRED Objectives (for all Levels)
- Define the serving size and types of milk/dairy products for all age groups
- Address the MyPlate food groups by defining what they are, what types of food are in each, portion sizes by age group and why they are important
- Read and understand the various parts of food labels
- Define sugary beverages and address the negative impact on children
- Define food safety and identify how to keep food safe
OPTIONAL Objectives (for Intermediate and Advanced Levels)
- Define meal patterns for the different age groups
- Identify and describe hunger cues from infants
- Promote the use of hunger cues in children and self-serving methods
- Identify the storage, labeling, warming, plans, and precautions for infant breast milk
- Define the types of healthy and unhealthy fats
- Describe the impact of trans and saturated fats on children
- Identify foods and drinks with added sugars
- Create a plan for how to plan, prevent, and act on food allergies
- Define water sources and the importance of children drinking a specified amount
- Demonstrate ways to incorporate the GO-WHOA foods for children
- Define when juice is able to be introduced and how much consumption is acceptable
- Utilize the MyPlate for kids to define age-appropriate servings and portion sizes
- Incorporate the CACFP standards into snacks and meals
- Address picky eaters and demonstrate how to teach children to like new foods
- Address the use of language around healthy eating at the pre-operational stages of development
Course Area: Obesity Prevention
REQUIRED Objectives (for all Levels)
- Define how obesity is measured in children and its limitations
- Identify the current statistics of obesity in children
- Identify contributing factors to obesity in children
- Define why obesity prevention is important
- Define the role of an educator in obesity prevention
OPTIONAL Objectives (for Intermediate and Advanced Levels)
- Identify the role that nutrition, family meals, family dynamics, physical activity, sleep, and screen time reduction plays in the prevention of childhood obesity
- Identify infant feeding behaviors and breastfeeding support as in their hunger, cues, etc.
- Define disease prevention as it relates to obesity prevention
- Define conversations, communication and the role of teachers and parents in addressing overweight and obese children
- Define how growth charts are used in children