Preventing Obesity by Design

Children enjoy the new tricycle track at Building Blocks Learning Center in Mecklenburg.

Research shows that child care centers significantly affect children’s physical activity levels. Children in centers with supportive environments may spend 80 hours more per week in mild-to-vigorous physical activity compared to children in less supportive environments. In addition, studies show that diverse outdoor environments motivate children to be physically active. Playing outdoors also provides cognitive, social, and emotional benefits to children, including promoting problem-solving, focus, and self-discipline. 

Project Description 

The Preventing Obesity by Design (POD) project works to reverse the trend toward childhood obesity by improving outdoor environments at child care centers and teaching child care providers how to promote physical activity and nutrition. The project is a partnership between Smart Start and the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) of North Carolina State University. It began in 2009 with an investment from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. It will be an integral part of Shape NC.

Approach 

The POD project takes advantage of Smart Start’s existing infrastructure. Smart Start partnerships work closely with child care centers to improve the quality of children’s early care and education. POD further improves child care quality by enhancing outdoor play areas and training teachers on how to use these environments to promote physical activity. The Natural Learning Initiative works with child care programs and Smart Start quality improvement staff by providing:

1. Training on how to improve outdoor environments, use these environments to promote physical activity, incorporate outdoor playtime in the child care curriculum, and how to improve children’s nutrition.

2. Design assistance to improve a child care center’s outdoor space.

3. Grant-writing assistance to find funding for the cost of design implementation, plant materials, and gardening tools.

4. Ongoing support to Smart Start quality improvement staff to encourage the continuation of this work locally.

 

Download a POD Fact Sheet.

View POD photos.

What participants say.

 

Current POD Sites

Ten Smart Start partnerships received funding to implement POD in three child care centers over three years (one center each year). By the end of the project, 30 child care centers will have received enhanced outdoor environments and teacher training to promote children’s physical activity and nutrition. Below is a list of participating counties and the first-year POD projects that have been completed.

County      Year 1 Child Care Center

Brunswick– Earth Angels Educational Center

Buncombe – YWCA of Asheville Child Care Center 

Dare– Munchkin Academy 

Guilford- A Child’s World 

Iredell-Future Generations Development Center 

Mecklenburg– Building Blocks Learning Center 

Orange– Children’s Learning Center 

Randolph– Precious Memories Child Care Center 

Robeson-Noah’s Ark Learning Center 

Yancey-Genesis Academy Preschool

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