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A new preschool program hopes to encourage children to start thinking about healthy living choices at an early age.
Color Me Healthy introduces a healthy nutrition and exercise curriculum to preschool-age children by exposing them to fruits and vegetables and other healthy eating habits early, said Kim Perez, vice president of child and family services for Lifelink, a nonprofit human services organization based in Bensenville.
The program will run parallel to a “Health First” program for parents, she added.
Most of the children served by the organization — 93 percent of a total 484 — are ethnic minorities. Of those, 80 percent are Hispanic, according to the organization.
The program’s goal is not only to educate the students on dietary choices, but also to prevent chronic diseases, which Susana Leyva, a public relations consultant for Lifelink, said are rampant in minority communities.
“Many families we deal with in the Latino community think that diseases such as diabetes are just part of life,” she said. “The fact is, many of these are preventable, and our goal through the program is to educate both the children and their parents of that.”
Program officials said statistics indicate families living below the poverty level are significantly more likely to be overweight or obese. These families are especially affected because of a number of factors: a lack of neighborhood grocery stores carrying fresh fruits and vegetables, rising cost of nutritious foods, fewer safe parks and play spaces for exercise, and the ease and lower cost of fast foods.
The program was introduced in the organization’s Head Start and Early Head Start classroom programs.
“Childhood obesity and chronic disease are disproportionately affecting African American and Latino children,” Perez said. “A lifelong commitment to nutrition and healthy lifestyles is the strongest tool we have to prevent the development of preventable chronic disease in children.”
Lifelink provides nutritious meals for many of its children, introducing them not only to fruits and vegetables, but also to how to serve food to themselves and other eating habits.
The program also targets parents by sending home newsletters that provide tips on how families can implement these health choices in their homes, Perez said.
Barbara Graham, a teacher in one of the Head Start classrooms, said students learn about food groups and how to identify fruits and vegetables through play, reading and simple exercises.
“We also teach socialization, how the kids play and get along together,” she said. “For many of these children, this is the first time they are introduced to other children outside of their homes, and we teach them how to play and share together.”
Annette Stinson of Carol Stream has a child in the Color Me Healthy program. She said the program has not only taught her child about nutrition, but also about things such as hand washing and how to take adequate portions of food. Stinson said she has implemented this knowledge into her child’s daily life at home.
“It has been a big help for us,” she said.
A new preschool program hopes to encourage children to start thinking about healthy living choices at an early age.
Color Me Healthy introduces a healthy nutrition and exercise curriculum to preschool-age children by exposing them to fruits and vegetables and other healthy eating habits early, said Kim Perez, vice president of child and family services for Lifelink, a nonprofit human services organization based in Bensenville.
The program will run parallel to a “Health First” program for parents, she added.
Most of the children served by the organization — 93 percent of a total 484 — are ethnic minorities. Of those, 80 percent are Hispanic, according to the organization.
The program’s goal is not only to educate the students on dietary choices, but also to prevent chronic diseases, which Susana Leyva, a public relations consultant for Lifelink, said are rampant in minority communities.
“Many families we deal with in the Latino community think that diseases such as diabetes are just part of life,” she said. “The fact is, many of these are preventable, and our goal through the program is to educate both the children and their parents of that.”
Program officials said statistics indicate families living below the poverty level are significantly more likely to be overweight or obese. These families are especially affected because of a number of factors: a lack of neighborhood grocery stores carrying fresh fruits and vegetables, rising cost of nutritious foods, fewer safe parks and play spaces for exercise, and the ease and lower cost of fast foods.
The program was introduced in the organization’s Head Start and Early Head Start classroom programs.
“Childhood obesity and chronic disease are disproportionately affecting African American and Latino children,” Perez said. “A lifelong commitment to nutrition and healthy lifestyles is the strongest tool we have to prevent the development of preventable chronic disease in children.”
Lifelink provides nutritious meals for many of its children, introducing them not only to fruits and vegetables, but also to how to serve food to themselves and other eating habits.
The program also targets parents by sending home newsletters that provide tips on how families can implement these health choices in their homes, Perez said.
Barbara Graham, a teacher in one of the Head Start classrooms, said students learn about food groups and how to identify fruits and vegetables through play, reading and simple exercises.
“We also teach socialization, how the kids play and get along together,” she said. “For many of these children, this is the first time they are introduced to other children outside of their homes, and we teach them how to play and share together.”
Annette Stinson of Carol Stream has a child in the Color Me Healthy program. She said the program has not only taught her child about nutrition, but also about things such as hand washing and how to take adequate portions of food. Stinson said she has implemented this knowledge into her child’s daily life at home.
“It has been a big help for us,” she said.
