Shape NC Webinar and Presentation of Evaluation Findings
Shape NC: Healthy Starts for Young Children is funded by AmeriCorps (formerly known as the Corporation for National and Community Service), which is an federal agency whose mission is to engage volunteers in serving directly with nonprofit organizations to tackle the nation’s most pressing challenges.
Shape NC conducted a rigorous evaluation of the program and was invited to speak on evaluation outcomes on a national webinar hosted by the Office of Research and Evaluation at AmeriCorps.
Evaluation findings were presented by Stephania Sidberry, MPH, the Shape NC Program Manager, in a presentation entitled Lessons Learned in Shaping Healthy Starts for Young Children.
The webinar, Research and Evidence Webinar: Youth Interventions that Work, was held Tuesday, November 17, from 2 – 3:30. Ms Sidberry was part of a series that shares current research on civic engagement, volunteering, and national service funded by the agency. It can be viewed here.
Shape NC History
Shape NC: Healthy Starts for Young Children started as an initiative of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) Foundation, The North Carolina Partnership for Children, (NCPC), and the Corporation for Community and National Service (now AmeriCorps), created to increase the number of children starting kindergarten at a healthy weight and ready to learn.
Shape NC promotes healthy eating and active learning through play for children from birth to age 5 by assisting communities across the state in healthy endeavors. The initiative uses a comprehensive and integrated approach to improve early childhood practices to inspire a lifetime of healthy behaviors.
How Shape NC works
Since 2010, Shape NC has helped communities and child care centers across North Carolina develop environments, practices and policies that encourage young children to be healthy. This is done through the implementation of three evidence based programs that promote best practices in nutrition and active play; Be Active Kids® (BAK), Preventing Obesity by Design (POD) through the Natural Learning Initiative, and Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAP SACC).
Shape NC embodies distinct features that together make it a promising strategy for early childhood obesity prevention.
- Shape NC works with the youngest children from birth to age fiveacross the state. Most childhood obesity prevention projects target school-age children. Starting early instills healthy behaviors early on. Research shows that preschool children who are overweight are almost five times more likely to be overweight as young adults.
- Shape NC integrates multiple research-based models to provide an in-depth approach to childhood obesity prevention. It combines evidence based programs to create a comprehensive approach: Be Active Kids® (BAK), Preventing Obesity by Design (POD), and Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAP SACC)
- Shape NC mobilizes communities to commit to the goal of reducing childhood obesity and supports the facilitation of healthy practices in childcare centers
