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Balance Proiect Grant <br />Letter of Intent due November 15"', Full Application due December 17~' <br />($300,000 over two years) <br />Children in Balance (C1B) is an umbrella initiative of the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts <br />University that conducts research studies and dissemination projects with a focus on sound nutrition <br />and physical activity for children. Its mission is to reverse and prevent childhood obesity, utilizing <br />advanced scientific research to empower individuals and communities to catalyze social change. <br />CIB seeks to replicate its successful Shape Up Somerville (SUS) childhood obesity prevention project <br />in three under-served, urban communities across the country in a two-year research study that targets <br />1st-3rd graders and their families. CIB will provide the three intervention cities with training, tools, <br />and funding ($300,000 over two years) that will enable them to create an environment that surrounds <br />children with healthier food options and opportunities for active living. Communities randomized to <br />the control group will receive $10,000 in 2008-09 and intervention tools, an on-site training, technical <br />assistance, and the results from this replication effort in Spring 2010. <br />Pros <br />• The program could have a significant impact on our childhood obesity rates. This intervention, <br />when implemented in Somerville School District, resulted in 1~` through 3`d graders gaining one <br />pound less per year than their District counterparts that did not participate in the program. <br />• The funds and training services can be used to bolster our after-school program, get more <br />supervision and activities into the schools during recess, provide staff, children and families <br />with valuable health and wellness tools and information, increase public safety and promote <br />increased exercise. <br />• If successful, San Leandro could gain national attention, and increased funding opportunities. <br />• The application process and award, if granted, will provide an avenue for the city, county, <br />District and CBOs to work together in a focused, positive way. <br />Cons/Challenees <br />• As part of a research grant, the intervention will have to be strictly implemented with very little <br />say from the district/partners. There will be a long list of required activities that we must <br />conduct, some of which will not easily fit in to or current structure or culture. Even so, Tufts <br />needs to replicate the intervention with the highest fidelity and there will be a great Beal of <br />pressure on us to ensure that this happens despite what bamers we encounter. <br />It is also important to keep in mind that the original "Shape Up Somerville" program was <br />implemented from the ground, up, as a pilot program. Through this initial implementation <br />process, the model was continually adapted to better address that community's specific needs <br />and limitations. The implementation process that we will go through, if awarded the grant, as a <br />replication program, will come from above, down. Although we will have some ability to <br />adapt the model to reflect our own community this ability will be very limited. <br />• Coordinating, reporting and evaluation requirements will be extremely stringent and require a <br />full-time, highly skilled coordinator (Estimated cost: $100,000 per year). This will not leave <br />