Delaware Survey of Children’s Health (DSCH)
Sponsored by Nemours Health and Prevention Services (NHPS), is one of the most comprehensive public health surveillance instruments regarding the health of Delaware’s children.
For Policy Makers
At Nemours, we work with families and community partners to help children grow up healthy.
Why It's Important
- Nearly one-third of kids in America are overweight or obese
- Kids who don't get support for their emotional health are at risk for serious behavioral issues (e.g., anxiety, depression), poor self-image, self-destructive behavior, and drug/alcohol use
What We're Doing to Help
Our goal is to help children and families make healthy lifestyle choices by working with partner organizations to influence policy, as well as serving as a resource for parents.
We give parents, educators, health professionals, researchers, and policy makers the tools necessary to curb these children's health issues and encourage:
Nemours Health & Prevention Services (NHPS)
Our Goal: Healthy, Happy Kids
At Nemours, our mission is simple: To enhance the quality of health and health care for children.
We focus on practices and programs that allow children and families to live healthier lives. We actively work with people who influence the well being of children (families, policy makers, government officials, community leaders, educators, and businesses) to help make kids the healthiest in the nation, both physically and emotionally. Our vision is to educate and provide health information and encourage wellness development for all kids.
We're dedicated to:
- Fostering physical and emotional wellness as well as creating positive changes in children.
- Adopting and spreading the use of tried-and-true policies and programs
that promote healthy living for children and families in our own backyard
and beyond. - Sharing our data and research findings so that our knowledge can help contribute to the fields of childrens’ health and healthcare.
- Advocating for social, environmental, and behavioral change where even small steps can make a big difference today, and far into the future.
Physical and Mental Fitness for All Children
When kids are emotionally and physically fit, they’re better able to face life’s challenges, make healthy choices, develop good self-esteem, and build strong bodies and strong relationships.
Through our efforts and research, we’ve found that kids can be at their best when they:
- Breastfeed from birth through at least 12 months old
- Eat healthy: more fruits and vegetables and less sugary drinks
- Are physically active each and every day
- Get enough sleep (based on the child’s age and developmental stage)
- Develop strong social skills and positive relationships with their peers and the adults in their lives
- Gain self-confidence and self-control
- Learn life skills like decision making, goal setting, and conflict resolution
Formed in 2004 at the request of the Nemours Board of Directors, Nemours Health & Prevention Services was first created in Delaware to address the childhood obesity epidemic.
A child health system designed to reach kids where they live, learn, and play was needed. A model of care was developed that integrates treatment and prevention of illness for kids. Although research shows that prevention efforts targeting kids can both improve their health in the short term and encourage healthy lifestyles with lasting benefits into adulthood, only 5% of health dollars are spent on prevention. This affects kids because the fundamental purpose of health care for children is to promote healthy development.
Few other children’s health systems have made the same level of investment in community-based prevention programs, policies, and practices as Nemours.
Contact Us
Nemours Health & Prevention Services
252 Chapman Road
Christiana Building, Suite 200
Newark, DE 19702
» Get Map & Directions
Sussex County Office
49 Fallon Avenue
Seaford, DE 19973
» Get Map & Directions
Nemours Office of Child Health Policy and Advocacy
Based in Washington, D.C., the Nemours Office of Child Health Policy and Advocacy works to support and promote national health policies that improve the health of all children.
Learn more about Office of Child Health Policy and Advocacy »
Contact Us
Debbie I. Chang, MPH
Vice President,
Policy and Prevention
debbie.chang@nemours.org
Nemours Office of Child Health Policy and Advocacy
1201 15th Street NW, Suite 350
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 457-1440
Fax: (202) 898-2583
Nemours Florida Prevention Initiative
Our Goal: Helping Children Grow Up Healthy and Ready to Learn
To advance children’s health, Nemours extends health prevention efforts into the communities it serves.
The Nemours Florida Prevention Initiative works with the community to share healthy lifestyle messages with children and families. Targeted health promotion and disease prevention programs help child care providers, educators, health professionals, and community advocates teach children and their families positive health habits that can last a lifetime.
Our Programs:
- Engage Nemours experts to help the community provide healthy environments where children live, learn, and play.
- Collaborate with community partners to share resources to promote healthy lifestyles in children’s health care.
- Guide early childhood programs to achieve best practices that promote a healthy lifestyle.
- Evaluate and conduct research to generate new knowledge that leads the advancement of children’s health promotion.
- Advocate for social, environmental, and behavioral change where even small steps can make a big difference today, and far into the future.
Young Children Can Have Fun While Learning About Healthy Eating
Early childhood is a period when children learn lifelong habits. Nemours Florida Prevention Initiative partners with early childhood experts to provide interactive ways for child care providers to teach healthy eating and physical activity
to children.
Remarked one child care provider, “The children were at lunch and were telling me which foods were an “anytime” food and which were a “sometimes” food. It was so incredible to see the children discussing this.”
A child care director commented, “Parents are mentioning that children are coming home talking about fruits and vegetables.”
Contact Us
Nemours Florida Prevention Initiative
9145 Narcoossee Road
Orlando, FL 32827
Get Map & Directions »
Partnering for a Healthier Future for Kids
Nemours collaborates and has been an influential partner for various national initiatives and organizations to promote healthy habits in children.
Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA)
Seeking private sector commitments to address obesity. PHA recently announced a commitment from Bright Horizons, one of the nation’s largest child care providers, to Let’s Move! Child Care.
Collaborate for Healthy Weight
A national initiative where primary care
providers, public health professionals, and leaders of community-based organizations work together, using quality improvement methods to reverse the obesity epidemic in communities across the country.
Let’s Move! Child Care
A new national initiative to encourage child care providers to voluntarily adopt higher nutrition and physical activity standards.
Healthy Kids, Healthy Future: created in order to prevent childhood obesity starting in the early child care setting. Learn about current nutrition policy ideas and discussions around childhood obesity efforts on the federal, state and
local levels.
KidsHealth.org
(created by the Nemours Center for Children's Health Media) is the most-visited website in the world devoted to children's health and development at every age and stage.
