Steps to Grow On
The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Early Childhood Wellness team developed Steps to Grow On to help reverse the trend of poor health outcomes for children in Georgia. Recent studies show an alarming increase in the number of children ages 2 to 5 who are overweight or obese. With the number of children in early childcare increasing, Steps to Grow On addresses the growing opportunity to educate children in this setting about nutrition and physical activity.
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Steps to Grow On provides programming that targets children ages 3 to 5 in a fun, energetic way. The program provides a comprehensive nutrition and physical activity toolkit that can be easily incorporated into any existing early childhood development center curriculum.
The Steps to Grow On toolkit contains:
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An interactive curriculum that meets the Georgia Early Learning Standards
- Classroom activities
- Parent newsletters
- Professional development modules for teachers that offer Bright From the Start professional development credit hours
- Student lessons
Why Steps to Grow On?
- Early childhood development is influenced by characteristics of the child, family and social environment.
- There are more than 10,000 centers in Georgia that care for more than 373,000 preschool-age children, according to the University of Georgia Child and Family Policy Initiative.
- Nutrition and fitness education in early childcare and learning settings can advance the health of young children and their families.
- An organized, targeted health education program may affect the health of children who receive childcare, as well as that of siblings, parents and caregivers.
Objectives
- Collect and evaluate qualitative and quantitative comprehensive data about program utilization and impact.
- Develop a replicable health education program.
- Increase knowledge and positive health-related behaviors in teachers, children and families in the early childcare environment.
Focus Areas
The program curriculum follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Recommended Guidelines.
- Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed.
- Decrease the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages consumed.
- Increase the amount of physical activity completed.
- Increase the amount of water consumed.
- Decrease the amount of daily screen time (television, computer, video games).
Progression
The program has evolved to its current state by reviewing the results from Phase I and Phase II of our pilot study, including our multilevel evaluation to demonstrate program impact.
Future Opportunities
The Steps to Grow on team has identified several opportunities for program expansion.
Collaborations and Resources
Partnerships have been an integral part of our program from the beginning. Find out who we are working with to advance the program and review websites that offer helpful information to early childcare professionals.
Steps to Grow On in Action
View the photo gallery below to learn more about how local schools and childcare centers are using Steps to Grow On.
For more information, e-mail stepstogrowon@choa.org or call 404-785-6824.