What is Steps to Health?
Steps to Health is North Carolina State University's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) Program that serves limited-resource individuals and families across North Carolina. We empower youth, adults, and communities through evidence-based nutrition programs to promote healthy eating behaviors and food resource management strategies. We collaborate with partner organizations to expand and build healthy food and physical activity access in local and regional communities. The SNAP-Ed goal is to improve the likelihood that persons eligible for SNAP will make healthy food choices within a limited budget and choose physically activity lifestyles consistent with the current Dietary Guideline for Americans and the USDA food guidance.
Policy, System, and Environmental Changes
N.C. Cooperative Extension professionals aim to improve communities through policy, system, and environment (PSE) changes so that living healthier lifestyles and making healthier choices is easier. These changes can be made anywhere throughout a community, but are typically funded by Steps to Health in areas where low-income families and individuals are served such as schools, community sites, farmers markets, food pantries, retail stores, and more.Adult Programming:
Take Control
Steps to Health offers Take Control for any age adults looking to learn more about how to maintain and prevent chronic disease through nutrition and physical activity. Take Control is an 8-week program that incorporates taste tests, exercise, and other hands-on learning opportunities.Take Control can be offered at public housing developments, congregate nutrition sites, shelters (homeless or domestic violence), food pantries, soup kitchens, and more!
For more information on Take Control, visit: Steps to Health Take ControlFaithful Families
Steps to Health offers Faithful Families for any age adults and families at faith sites that are looking to connect healthy eating and physical activity to their religious or spiritual beliefs. The program is open to all faith and religious traditions.Faithful Families’ Eating Smart and Moving More program is nine lessons that include group discussions, recipe taste tests, and activities. The curriculum also prompts discussions about changes that can be made in their organization and local community.
Fore more information on Faithful Families, visit: Faithful Families Thriving Communities
Youth Programming:
Color Me Healthy
Color Me Healthy is a program for preschoolers and kindergartners in North Carolina schools, Head Starts, and Child Care Centers. This program helps children experience that healthy eating and physical activity can be fun. The nine-lesson curriculum uses music, games, taste tests, and more to engage all of the senses. Children are also sent home with a parent handout that contains nutrition tips, physical activity suggestions, and more.
2nd Grade
Steps to Health’s 2nd-grade program was designed to educate students and inspire them to eat smart by using hands-on activities, taste test, physical activity, games, and more. The nine-week program includes handouts sent home to parents each week that include recipes and nutrition and physical activity tips.
3rd Grade
Steps to Health’s 3rd-grade program was designed to take educating students and inspiring them to eat smart one step further. This program uses different hands-on activities, taste tests, physical activity, games, and more. The nine-week program includes handouts sent home to parents each week that include recipes and nutrition and physical activity tips.
Kids Club
Kids Club is typically offered at Summer Meals Sites and After School Programs across North Carolina. This program is 8 sessions and teaches youth, from kindergarten to 5th grade about nutrition and physical activity. This is accomplished through indoor and outdoor activities and games, taste tests, and short lessons. Some of the topics include employees, drinking more water, heart health, and physical activity.
To see if your site qualifies or to schedule any of the programs listed above in Wilson County, contact Taylor Crumpler at 252-237-0111 or tcdavenp@ncsu.edu.
