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 Action
for Healthy Kids
Feeding hungry minds and bodies®
is not just the focus of Children's Hunger Alliance, but also
of a national initiative called Action
for Healthy Kids. Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) was initiated
in response to a 2001 Surgeon General's report on the health
and fitness of America's children. Chaired by former US Surgeon
General David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., AFHK is dedicated to improving
the health and educational performance of children through
better nutrition and physical activity in schools. The initiative
is composed of 51 state teams and a national coordinating
and resource group. Each state team was challenged to take
on three of the twelve national goals within their state.
 Children's
Hunger Alliance is providing leadership to the Ohio team.
Vice President of Afterschool Nutrition & Education, Shelly Roth, is the current
chairperson for Ohio's team. Additionally, with a grant from
the Osteopathic
Heritage Foundation, Children's Hunger Alliance is pilot
testing a program that targets all three of the Ohio Team's
goals:
- ensure that nutritious, balanced meals
are offered and focus on the expansion of school breakfast
programs;
- ensure that healthy snacks and foods
are provided in vending machines, school stores and other
venues within the school's control; and,
- provide adequate co-curricular physical
activity programs, including fully inclusive intramural
programs and physical activity clubs; expansion of CATCH
physical activity curriculum.
 The
pilot project allows Children's Hunger Alliance to seed school
districts with the knowledge and training to meet the three
goals of Ohio's AFHK team by educating and training one school
in the district and then supporting that one school to spreading
the knowledge throughout the district. With the support of
Children's
Hospital in Columbus, and the American
Cancer Society, Children's Hunger Alliance will:
- assist each school in the development
of a School Health
Advisory Council that will establish food, nutrition
and fitness policies for the school;
- assist each school in the implementation
of the appropriate School Breakfast
program and to enhance the nutritional value of the foods
served in the cafeteria and other school controlled venues;
and,
- assist each school increase the opportunity
for noncompetitive physical activity for their students
through the CATCH and pedometer
programs.
For more information, call 614-341-7700,
ext. 216 or e-mail.
Help support
this program!
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leadership
and dedication to expanding access to food, nutrition education and quality child
care. To achieve this, Children's Hunger Alliance must break the cycle of hunger
through education, leadership, advocacy and service. That is our mission.
