Agenda - 01-15-2008-4k - Laserfiche WebLink

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Orange County Partnership for Young Children (OCPYC) & Orange County Health Department (OCHD) NAPSACC Grant (Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment in Child Care Centers) Statement of Need: Orange County has consistently had one of the highest rates of childhood obesity for young children ages 2-4 years, when comparing all 100 counties in North Carolina. (according to Department of Health NC-NPASS data). In 2005, OCPYC's Board of Directors launched their "Healthy Kids Campaign" out of concern for this serious health issue. Statistics show that children who are low-income and/or minority children are at greater risk for childhood obesity. In Orange County, 12% of the child population is considered poor and 32% are minority children. In order to reach these children and their families, this project will target child care programs where 2,200 (60%) of Orange County's children ages 0-5 are enrolled. Of this number, 300 children receive Smart Start child care scholarships so that their families may afford to send their children to a quality day care. These children receiving financial assistance for child care are 88% minority children and 40% Latino. It is vital that child care centers have appropriate information and training to address the diversity of family lifestyles, cultures, and health practices. There are no programs specifically aimed at preventing childhood obesity for young children & their families in Orange County, despite our reputation as being a high resourced county. In addition, there are no programs designed to bring this training & education to child care programs/centers. Target Population: A child care center must have at least 20 children ages 2-5 years to meet the NAPSACC criteria and participate in this project. The project will target 3- and 4-star child care centers (5-star centers are not being included at this time). The target goal is to reach 5 centers each year (a total of 10 centers over 2 years) and to reach at least 300 children ages 3-5 years old. Child Care centers that have been recruited for participation will be 3- and 4-star centers that serve a majority of low-income children and participate in the USDA Food Program. Program Implementation: The Partnership (OCPYC) will collaborate with Patty Rhodes, RN, who is currently the Child Care Health Consultant (CCHC) funded by Smart Start and employed by the Orange County Health Department. Patty has been the CCHC for the past two years and has established effective working relationships with nearly all of the child care programs in Orange County. She has provided workshops, on-site and telephone consultations,