Smart from the Start: Engaging Head Start Children and Parents in Healthy Habits

Susan Ralston, Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation

Jill Cox, Penn State Better Kid Care

CACFP Magical Moments ● Orlando, FL ● April

2016

2009: An unprecedented coalition came together to

change the marketplace

2010: Collaboration with Discovery Education and

SHAPE America launched school outreach

2011: Began grants and incentive programs, to date

have awarded over $1.3M in funds to schools

2012: Momentum through partnerships with

GSUSA, National PTA and more

Our History . . .

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2013: K-5 curriculum reaches 10M+ students,

Smart from the Start launches for Pre-K

2014: RWJF evaluates HWCF Calorie

Commitment, exceeds goal by 400%

2015: Head Start grants activate 1,000 classrooms

and 17,000+ children

2016: Teacher Training module launch with PSU!

Resources for schools, communities and

parents to help them achieve an active,

healthy lifestyle

Schools

Families

Assessment tools to measure collective

impact

Focus Areas

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2.5B cumulative consumer reach*

34.5M US students cumulatively engaged in

the curriculum, reaching ½ of US Pre-K – 5

student population

3.3M total unique website visits

301K Facebook Fans

300+ active corporate and nonprofit members

By the Numbers: April 2016

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*Includes impressions for Together Counts™ Australia

We encourage families to eat meals together around a table,

and to incorporate a healthy diet and daily activity into their

lives

We energize communities to get active

We provide parents, teachers, and school nurses the

resources they need

We align to national education standards as well as

CACFP, SNAP, WIC, EFNEP, and Head Start

All resources available in Spanish at:

www.JuntosContamos.com

Our Program: Together Counts™

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Goal: build a foundation for healthy, active lifestyles during

children’s formative years

Thematic units: “Me and My Choices” and “Give it a Try!”

10 days of grab-and-go activities

Spanish and English

Key partner alignment

Aligned to the National Association for the Education of Young

Children (NAEYC) standards

Adoption underway in 1,000 Head Start classrooms

Annual awards program: Win up to $20,000 in grants

Record breaking entries this year!

Smart from the Start: Pre-K Curriculum

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FAST FACTS:

Anyone over 18 can enter on behalf of any school

YES! Home schoolers CAN enter

» An org will be selected to receive the prizes, not an

individual home school teacher

YES! Pre-K Schools and Head Starts are eligible

Two Grand Prizes:

» One playground + $30K ($15K cash / $15K gear)

» One grand prize winner is a Title 1 school

Partners:

» Playworld: donating 2 playgrounds

» Good Sports: matching 2 $15K grants in gear

» SHAPE: promotion, endorsement

Record breaking entries this

year! 534,000+

Healthy Playground Makeover Sweepstakes: Year 6 of “marketing funnel” to TogetherCounts.com

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• NATIONAL HEAD START ASSOCIATION (NHSA)

• Curriculum adoption underway in 1,000 classrooms

• 17,700 children living in poverty

• Access to FREE training module: end of January

• NATIONAL PTA

• Healthy Lifestyles Grant implementation underway

• NEW! PRE-K TEACHER TRAINING MODULE

• Launched in 2016, created in partnership with Penn State

University

• On-demand system reaches early education teachers in 56

countries

• Teachers who complete the module earn Professional

Development / CE credit

• 500 teachers will participate in research survey, results end of 2016

2015 – 2016 Partner Grant Programs

Penn State Better Kid CareSmart from the Start: Teacher Training for

Pre-K Wellness Curriculum

Jill Cox, MS, RDApril, 2016

Provides evidence-informed professional development for early care and education and out-of-school time professionals to improve the quality

of their care and educational practices.

Penn State Better Kid Care

Program Components

Web-based On Demand self-directed

learning

Print-ready professional development

resources

Instructor resources

Monthly e-newsletter

Social media

Better Kid Care On Demand

More than 220 On Demand modules

Modules provide 2 hours of professional development

Certificate of completion issued after assessment

CEUs and Act 48 credit available

Accepted for CDA formal education hours

Approved for professional development credit in 40 states and DC

110,000+ users in all 50 states & 52 countries

470,000+ modules completed

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BKC On Demand Approval

Department of Defense, Military Community and Family Policy, USDA/NIFA

and the University of Nebraska Extension (CYTTAP)

Centers for Disease Control Obesity Prevention Branch (LMCC)

Nemours. Children’s Health System

University of Nebraska Extension: Noyce Foundation

Share our Strength

Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation

PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (DHS/PDE)

Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation

PA Department of Health

PA Department of Education

PSU Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness

PSU Integrated Pest Management

PSU Child Study Center

PSU Eberly College of Science Outreach

Partner for Success

112,000 participants480,000 modules completed

Better Kid Care On Demand

Develop 2 hr. training module for Smart from the Start curriculum

Include video footage of expert interviews and best practice implementation from Austin pilot

Free access for Head Start practitionersThree month follow-up survey for evaluation

Better Kid Care partnership with HWCF

Lesson Introduction

Based on Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Sample activity – A serving is just right!

Family engagement

Caregivers as role models

Three month follow-up

I need to change my eating habits so children can copy good habits.

I really liked the idea of the teacher sitting down with the kids and trying the food with them. Often we are busy and just pass out food and hope they eat everything. Need to slow down and have more of a discussion about what they are eating, why it is important.

I liked the give it a try approach. I plan to introduce new foods in my classroom.

How important it is to start teaching these concepts to young children and their families. It changes a generation of thinking by just these small steps.

I have learned that it is never too young to teach kids about the how they can take care of their bodies inside and out.

What participants are saying

How much did you learn?

How much will you use?

Sign into Better Kid Care On Demand at:extension.psu.edu/youth/betterkidcare/on-demand

How to access module

Set up an account

Select title of lesson

Together Counts™ Update | 07.21.2015

Social Media Outreach

Social engagement via Together Counts™ blog,

Facebook, Twitter

Repurpose our open source content for your

channels and partners

Join the Conversation

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In summary

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More than 300 member organizations—from National

Head Start Association (NHSA) to the National PTA to Special

Olympics—support Together Counts™ and our approach

of achieving an active, healthy lifestyle.

Our resources are all absolutely free to use

and all available for download at:

www.TogetherCounts.com

ACCESS PSU TRAINING MODULE HERE:

http://extension.psu.edu/youth/betterkidcare/on-demand

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For More Information Please Contact:

Susan Ralston at Sralston@Healthyweightcommit.org

or

Jill Cox at jnc14@psu.edu