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NC Health and Safety Assessment and Encounter Tool

The NC Health and Safety Assessment and Encounter Tool (NC HSAET) is a web-based tool used by CCHCs working in North Carolina to assess the health and safety behaviors and environment of early care and education programs. The HSAET collects data on:

Encounters
CCHC document encounters with child care facilities and community partners including technical assistance, trainings, meetings, events, and other communication. CCHCs can also document the reason for an encounter, whether an encounter occurred on site, the subject matter area the CCHC addressed, and indicate if the encounter is part of an assessment cycle.

Quality Improvement Process
CCHCs assess the knowledge and behavior of early educators and the indoor and outdoor environments in early education programs and document both initial and follow-up assessments and a Quality Improvement Plan in the NC HSAET. A quality improvement (QI) cycle consists of:

Relationship Building 
With the support of their hiring and funding agencies, CCHCs build and maintain relationships with early educators, community partners including regulatory agencies, local technical assistance providers, local health department contacts, and other CCHCs. However, ECE programs determine how they prefer to engage with a Child Care Health Consultant and how much support they require.
Initial assessments
CCHCs assess the knowledge and behavior of early educators and the indoor and outdoor environments in early education programs. Assessment includes conducting on-site observations, interviewing staff, reviewing forms, documents, and policies, and determining unmet health and safety training needs. Assessments are conducted in a classroom or other appropriate area of the early care and education program such as a kitchen, playground, or where paperwork is stored.
The Quality Improvement Plan 
The development of the quality improvement (QI) plan is a joint effort between a CCHC and the ECE program. CCHCs support the ECEs in prioritizing areas needing improvement and developing strategies for implementing changes to health, safety, and wellness practices. CCHCs provide guidance to ensure changes align with federal and state regulations, state quality rating and improvement systems, and best practice standards, such as accreditation requirements and Caring for Our Children.
Implementation of Services 
CCHCs support ECEs in implementing the strategies identified in the QI plan. For example, by providing training or technical assistance such as implementing a new policy, behavior change, or environment modification.
Follow-Up Assessment 
After implementation of the quality improvement plan, a follow-up health and safety observational assessment is completed. This is an opportunity to evaluate whether areas identified as needing intervention were comprehensively addressed with sustainable outcomes.

The NC HSAET consists of thirteen assessment sections that align with the subject matter areas in the Child Care Health Consultant Competencies:

  1. Illness and Infectious Diseases
    1. Illness and Infectious Disease Prevention
    2. Handwashing, Diapering, and Toileting
  2. Children with Special Health Care Needs
  3. Medication Administration
  4. Safety and Injury Prevention: Training, Policy, and Supervision
    1. Environment Including Safe Eating
    2. Infant Safe Sleep
    3. Outdoor Environment
  5. Emergency Preparedness, Response, and recovery
  6. Infant and child social and emotional wellbeing
  7. Child abuse and neglect
  8. Physical Activity
  9. Nutrition
  10. Oral health
  11. Environmental health
    1. Environmental Health: Hazards
    2. Food Handling
  12. Staff health and wellness
  13. Policies

In each section, there are multiple indicators to assess health and safety behaviors in the classroom which ensure quality environments for children. CCHCs assess the knowledge and behavior of early educators and the indoor and outdoor environments in early education programs.


If you are a CCHC, more information is available in the CCHC Resource Portal, including the NC HSAET training manual and a printout of the assessment indicators. To gain access to the live website and document data in the NC HSAET, CCHCs and their supervisor must complete the New User Application and Agreement Form.

If you are a supervisor or evaluator who supports a local CCHC in your community, you can access the NC HSAET as a Report Viewer. The Report Viewer Role in the NC HSAET was designed so that a Supervisor or Evaluator can run reports that contain the data entered by the CCHC they support. One user per CCHC will be provided access to the Report Viewer Role in the NC HSAET upon request. To gain access, the report viewer must complete the New User Application and Agreement Form and indicate which CCHC(s) data they would like to request access to.

Note: Supervisors who have already signed the Agreement form on behalf of their CCHC must complete a new form and indicate they wish to be added to the NC HSAET as a Report Viewer.

Reports available in the NC HSAET do not identify the specific classroom/area or facility when showing assessment results. It is possible to run reports on which facilities have recorded encounters by a CCHC. Some reports will be available to export to Excel for further processing or de-duplicating. Request an updated copy of the NC HSAET Training Manual for further details on reports.

System Requirements:

The NC HSAET is accessible online and was developed to be used with an internet browser. Any computer, tablet, or mobile phone with an internet connection can access the NC HSAET. The NC HSAET:

  • functions with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge.
  • does NOT function properly with Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE).

Next Steps:

  • Have one person from the supporting agency sign the New User Application and Agreement Form and indicate they would like to be added as a Report Viewer along with which CCHC(s) they will be viewing in the NC HSAET.
  • Watch your inbox for an email on how to access the NC HSAET live site. This email will come from nchsaet@unc.edu. A copy will be sent to the CCHC(s) indicated on the form. (Be sure this email has not gone to the junk folder.)
  • Request an updated copy of the NC HSAET Training Manual, which has information on the Report Viewer Role, and guidelines and instructions for CCHCs on how to enter and access their data in the tool.
  • Reach out to the Resource Center at nchsaet@unc.edu with any questions, comments, or concerns.


The NC HSAET was created by Child Care Health Consultants based on a Health and Safety Checklist created by CCHCs in California. CCHCs incorporated NC specific information (laws, rules, and indicators of quality in the Environment Rating Scales). The tool was revised in 2021 by the NC Resource Center staff in collaboration with the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC for use by active CCHCs in North Carolina.

Gillings School of Global Public Health