This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Healthy Kids Hub Website Helps Out-of-School Programs Connect With Resources

The new Healthy Kids Hub website, www.HealthyKidsHub.org , features hundreds of educational resources, products, discounts and special offers for out-of-school time programs in your community.

By Molly Newman, Senior Initiative Manager, Healthy Kids Out of School  

 

Healthy Kids Out of School, an initiative of ChildObesity180, has launched a new Healthy Kids Hub website (www.HealthyKidsHub.org) that features hundreds of educational resources, products, discounts and special offers for out-of-school time programs across the nation. This Hub will help encourage healthy eating and physical activity for millions of U.S. children in out-of-school time programs.

Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Healthy Kids Out of School is one of the high-impact, integrated strategies created by ChildObesity180 to reverse childhood obesity. Founded on three key principles – Drink Right, Move More, and Snack Smart – Healthy Kids Out of School has united some of the country’s leading organizations around these simple principles so that children experience consistent, healthy messages across out-of-school-time activities.

Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Together, these organizations represent millions of children nationwide and include Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, National Council of La Raza, National Council of Youth Sports, National Urban League, Pop Warner, US Youth Soccer, YMCA of the USA, and National 4-H Council.

 

“As the nation’s largest youth development program, 4-H strives to empower young people to take a leadership role in their health, the health of their family and even their community,” said Donald T. Floyd Jr., President and CEO of National 4-H Council. “We are pleased to partner with ChildObesity180 in the launch of the Healthy Kids Hub, a great resource that will assist in our mission to improve the health of young people all across the nation.”

 

Through the new Healthy Kids Hub website, all out-of-school-time programs—from sports leagues to extracurricular activities—will now have access to resources that support healthy habits.

 

“With millions of American children participating, out-of-school-time programs are effective environments for building healthy foundations in children’s lives,” says Christina D. Economos, PhD, Vice-Chair and Director of ChildObesity180, Associate Professor at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and a leading researcher in the field of childhood obesity prevention.

 

“The Healthy Kids Hub is designed to support volunteers, coaches, and leadership of these programs with free or low-cost resources that fit naturally into their programs’ missions. We are grateful for the support provided by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation to foster healthy environments for children,” she added.

 

The new Healthy Kids Hub website features a collection of hundreds of educational resources developed by leading universities, afterschool organizations, and other non-profits. Visitors can browse through resources on their own or complete a brief survey to get resources tailored to their specific needs.

 

Visitors to the Healthy Kids Hub website have the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to a national movement of out-of-school-time leaders supporting healthy programs by signing a pledge to support the principles.

 

To mark the launch of the Healthy Kids Hub, visitors who take the pledge before May 8, 2013 will be entered for a chance to win one of 100 $50 gift cards (see full contest rules at www.healthykidshub.org/giveaway-rules.pdf). Later this year, the Healthy Kids Hub plans to launch an online social network for leaders and volunteers to connect and share ideas for offering healthy choices. Visit the Hub at www.HealthyKidsHub.org.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?