Early Childhood
Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA) works closely with preschools, early child care providers, and Head Start programs on physical activity, nutrition, tobacco, sun safety, Worksite Wellness, and other initiatives.
The Let's Go Child Care intervention seeks to increase healthy eating and physical activity among children in child care settings. The child care environment can play a significant role in the health behaviors of children because it can provide opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating in a child's formative years. Let's Go! and the 5-2-1-0 messaging is a community-based initiative to promote healthy lifestyle choices for children, youth, and families. HCCA is partnering with Let's Go! to offer 5-2-1-0 Goes to Child Care Training and Resources free to Early Child Care providers. Contact Renee Page for more information.
Some successful initiatives on which HCCA has collaborated with early child care providers include:
Sun Safety
As a member of the local Head Start provider's (Southern Kennebec Child Development Corporation) Health Advisory Committee, HCCA partnered with SKCDC to update their sun safety policy to be more comprehensive and focused on primary sun safety prevention measures, including:
- Wearing sunglasses, wide-brimmed hats, and other sun-protective clothing
- Remaining in shaded areas when available
- Positive role modeling by teachers and staff including primary prevention behaviors listed above and avoiding language that discourages sun safety
Click here to view SKCDC's updated Sun Safety Policy.
Starting Young in Maine
Starting Young in Maine is an initiative to prevent overweight in the Head Start setting.
- The Maine Center for Public Health partnered with Healthy Maine Partnerships to look at ways to increase physical activity and improve nutrition in young children and their families.
- Surveys were conducted with staff and parents at four SKCDC Head Start sites to determine opportunities for increased physical activity and improved nutrition in an effort to prevent childhood obesity.
- Each site was awarded a $250.00 mini-grant to help implement interventions to improve physical activity and nutrition based upon survey findings.
Healthy Moms Healthy Babies Healthy Families
The original Healthy Moms Healthy Babies work group began work in 2002 with a goal to decrease the rate of tobacco use among pregnant women.
Representatives from Dartmouth Family Residency Program, WIC, American Lung Association of Maine, KVCAP, SKCDC, Family Planning, Families First, and others work with HCCA to disseminate "Every Mother's Wish" films and materials developed by the Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine (PTM). These materials are currently being revised.
It became clear that tobacco use is a family-wide issue. We added Healthy Families and created a family-focused project with SKCDC and other early childhood services providers.
- Head Start families helped develop two well-received messages, "Another Way to be a Good Role Model" and "What Would You Do with $4,400?". Call 207-588-5012 for samples and more information.
- HCCA also conducts presentations and provides resources to staff members of Head Start, WIC, Kennebec Families First, Parents as Teachers, CDS of Southern Kennebec County, KVCAP, the Children's Center, and others. HCCA provides them information about their role in helping reduce the cost in both money and negative impacts from tobacco.
For more information, contact Joanne Joy at HCCA, 207-588-5012.
Our local service area includes: Augusta, Chelsea, Farmingdale, Fayette, Gardiner, Hallowell, Litchfield, Manchester, Monmouth, Mount Vernon, Pittston, Randolph, Readfield, Richmond, Vienna, Wayne, West Gardiner, Windsor, Winthrop.
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