Shape NC

The Onslow County Partnership for Children is pleased to announce its involvement with the Shape NC Initiative. SHAPE NC is a three year, state-wide initiative made possible with support by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation to promote healthy child development and prevent obesity in young children, ages birth to 5.  Shape NC will create advocates among state and local leaders, child care professionals, and families to ensure access to nutritious foods and opportunities for young children to be physically active.

The Onslow County Partnership for Children was chosen as one of four hub sites across North Carolina. Each hub site staffs a full-time Shape NC Hub Specialist who coordinates support, training and technical assistance for the region. The Shape NC initiative uses evidence-informed strategies for the promotion of early childhood health and obesity prevention. The strategies include:

• Improving nutrition and physical activity policies and practices in child care (NAP-SACC: Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care).
• Increasing active play by creating outdoor learning environments for children attending child care centers (Natural Learning Initiative at NC State University, the purveyor of Preventing Obesity by Design).
• Increasing healthy movement through the use of Be Active Kids ®. Be Active Kids ®, a signature program of the BCBSNC Foundation focused on early childhood physical activity.

Additionally, each county participating in Shape NC will have a designated Model Early Learning Center. The Model Early Learning Center serves as a demonstration site for other child care centers and incorporates the use of evidence-based programming and outdoor learning environments to promote healthy nutrition and increased physical activity.

As a community component of Shape NC, community stakeholders are coming together to develop a Community Action Plan.  The Community Action Plan will be designed to prevent childhood obesity by providing children in Onslow County daily opportunities for routine physical activity, access to nutritious food and connection to the natural world.

As a means of collecting information, we are conducting a Parent Survey on the issue of healthy lifestyles for children.  The survey is available on Survey Monkey at the link provided below and will take about five minutes to complete. All information provided is anonymous and confidential. Parent feedback is extremely important. By completing the survey, you can make a difference.

Please visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QYZSXYY to take the survey.

For additional information on Shape NC, download the SHAPE NC Initiative Fact Sheet.