New York, NY,
April 21,
2011 –
United Way of New York City (UWNYC),
the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS),
The Children’s Aid Society (CAS), and
the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM)
have launched
Healthy Eating
for
a Healthy Start,
a pilot project to impact nutrition policies at eight Head
Start centers throughout New York City. Working together,
these organizations
will build the capacity of Head Start centers to support
staff and families in developing new knowledge, behaviors
and policies that will result in healthier eating habits and
more active lifestyles, wellness promotion and ultimately,
policies within Head Start centers that encourage healthy
eating and greater physical activity. Healthy Eating for
a Healthy Start is generously supported by the Aetna
Foundation.
The pilot project consists of training sessions
run by CMOM educators during which
Head Start staff and families
are
provided with activities, tools and resources that reinforce
strategies for practicing good nutrition, promoting physical
activity and addressing the role sleep plays in a child’s
overall health.
In addition, CAS staff trainers instruct Head Start food
service staff on basic nutrition, menu planning and how to
prepare healthy meals from scratch.
Healthy Eating
for
a Healthy Start
provides
Head Start staff and parents with consistent and important
obesity prevention information, reinforced by a curriculum
that is adaptable for home.
This integrated approach has the potential to create a
stronger safety net for low-income children and families.
“One
of United Way’s core tenets is our commitment to promoting
healthy lifestyles, particularly in NYC’s underserved
communities where children are especially at risk for
obesity and its related illnesses,”
said
Gordon Campbell, CEO of
United Way of New York City.
“With more than 40% of NYC children in Head Start considered
obese or overweight, it is essential that we promote
healthier food consumption among these children. Healthy
Eating for a Healthy Start is doing this by
working to improve nutrition literacy among Head Start staff
and families. By partnering with these organizations to
address the root causes of child obesity, we can work to
promote sustainable, healthy change.”
“Developing healthy habits is an important part of ACS’s
efforts to prepare young children for success in school and
beyond,” said Melanie Hartzog, Deputy Commissioner for Child
Care and Head Start at ACS.
“Thanks to this United Way partnership, families and staff
in our Head Start programs have the opportunity to benefit
from the unique experience of the educators at the
Children’s Museum of Manhattan working with families in
need. ”
"As a pediatrician and a public health researcher, I
have seen the obesity epidemic grow in our most vulnerable
populations with serious long-term health ramifications,"
said Anne C. Beal
MD, MPH, president of the Aetna Foundation. "By taking a
comprehensive approach, involving Head Start staff, the
children and their families, the Healthy Eating for a
Healthy Start program has the potential to reverse the
obesity trend among young people in New York and be a model
for Head Start programs across the country."
“Establishing positive, healthy behaviors early in life
provides children with a strong foundation to grow into
healthy adults,” said Andrew Ackerman, Executive Director of
CMOM. “We’re replicating our successful health programming
outside the museum walls and into the communities where it
is most needed. Our goal is nothing less than a reduction
in the prevalence of childhood obesity in low-income
communities.”
“Children’s Aid believes that in addition to providing
wellness education to children and families, we must model
healthy eating by serving nutritious meals to children in
our care. Our trainings provide food service staff with the
knowledge and cooking skills they need to prepare
from-scratch meals based on whole and fresh foods. We aim to
eliminate in children’s meals the processed, heat-and-serve
foods that are high in fat, sugar and sodium, and to greatly
increase children’s consumption of fruits, vegetables, and
whole grains,” said Richard Buery, CEO, Children’s Aid
Society.
The pilot program culminates with the Healthy
Eating
for
a Healthy Start Family Festival
for all participants to be held at CMOM on June 4.
About United Way of New York City
United Way of New York City (UWNYC) brings together people,
resources and ideas to achieve lasting systemic changes that
improve the education, income stability and health of New
Yorkers, and foster a more robust and effective nonprofit
sector. We believe that everyone has a role in building a
better future for all. We offer diverse opportunities for
New Yorkers to give, advocate and volunteer to advance the
common good. To learn more about our work and how to get
involved, visit
www.UnitedWayNYC.org.
About the Administration for Children’s Services
The New York City Administration for Children’s Services
(ACS) provides a broad range of programs that protect and
advance the interests of children, including child welfare
services, early childhood education services and juvenile
detention services. ACS administers one of the largest
publicly funded child care systems in the country, serving
approximately 120,000 children. This includes the Head Start
program, a federally funded, family-centered child
development program for low-income pre-schoolers that
promotes intellectual, social, emotional and physical growth
in order to develop each child’s potential for success.
About
the
Children’s Aid Society
The Children’s Aid Society
is an independent, not-for-profit organization established
to serve the children of New York City. Our mission is to
help children in poverty to succeed and thrive. We do this
by providing comprehensive supports to children and their
families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods.
Founded in 1853, it is one of the nation’s largest and most
innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving New York’s
neediest children. Services are provided in community
schools, neighborhood centers, health clinics and camps. For
additional information,
please
visit
www.childrensaidsociety.org.
About Children’s Museum of Manhattan
Founded in 1973, the Children’s
Museum of Manhattan is New York City’s leading
cultural institution dedicated solely to children and
families. CMOM inspires children and their families to
learn about themselves and a culturally diverse world
through unique interactive exhibitions.
CMOM
presents a full range of activities, exhibits and special
performances that stimulate children of all ages.
Through multidimensional programs that reach deep into the
community, the Museum serves New Yorkers from all
backgrounds.
For details on all of CMOM’s programs, please visit
www.cmom.org.
About the Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation, Inc. is the independent charitable and
philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Since 1980, Aetna and the
Aetna Foundation have contributed $394 million in grants and
sponsorships, including $15.6 million in 2010. As a
national health foundation, we promote wellness, health, and
access to high-quality health care for everyone. This work
is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna employees,
who have volunteered more than 2.3 million hours since
2003. Our current giving is focused on addressing the
rising rate of adult and childhood obesity in the U.S.;
promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and health
care; and advancing integrated health care. For more
information, visit
www.AetnaFoundation.org.