Grant: Fellowship: Health System Impact Fellowships - Western Canada 1 year

The early years has been identified as a key focus area for action to increase healthy eating/food literacy and physical activity/physical literacy for children ages 0-5. In response to the need for action in the early years, Appetite to Play (an intervention designed to build the capacity of early years providers and includes healthy eating and physical activity recommended practices and key implementation support) was developed. Child Health BC (CHBC) is an initiative of BC Children's Hospital and receives support from the BC Children's Hospital Foundation, provides the secretariat for the BC Healthy Child Development Alliance, which is made up of over 40 member organizations from health authorities, child serving ministries, and non-governmental agencies, with a goal of promoting healthy early child development. CHBC's partners are crucial to identifying, planning, carrying out and sustaining its initiatives, including Appetite to Play. A critical challenge for CHBC and partners is the sustainability of child health initiatives. Sustained implementation is critical to achieving public health impact. This fellowship opportunity will use both process and impact evaluation to enhance the likelihood of ongoing implementation for the Appetite to Play Initiative. The project will provide a deeper understanding of the facilitators and barriers to implementation and sustainability at multiple levels and about the impact of the work on childcare provider's policies and practices in the setting in which they work.