Nemours, Sesame Workshop Debut Healthy Habits for Life Resource Kit

Wilmington, Delaware
Friday, October 05, 2007 @ 10:00 AM EDT

Nemours Health and Prevention Services, KidsHealth, and Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street, have unveiled the Healthy Habits for Life physical activity and nutrition resource kit for caregivers of 3- to 5-year-olds in the child care setting. Healthy Habits for Life contains a 100-page guide featuring lesson plans, activities and handouts, recipes and take-home materials for parents; Get Healthy Now Show – an original Sesame Street DVD, and companion storybook featuring Sesame Street characters. Many components of the print guide, offered in both English and Spanish, are now available on the Nemours Health and Prevention web site, www.GrowUpHealthy.org, and Sesame Workshop’s website, www.sesameworkshop.org/healthyhabits.

Instilling healthy practices in children at an early age is one way to combat the alarming rates of childhood obesity in the U.S. Early care and education providers have a unique opportunity to encourage and model healthy habits in their programs. Jeanette Betancourt, EdD, Vice President for Outreach and Educational Practices, Sesame Workshop, said, “Fortunately, a window of opportunity exists during the early years when health practices can be positively shaped by social environments. Research shows that young children’s eating habits and food preferences are generally shaped very early on. During these early years, children can learn to like a variety of wholesome foods and develop healthy practices through repeated exposure, engaging in positive dietary practices, and having positive role models.”

Debbie I. Chang, MPH, Senior Vice President and Executive Director, Nemours Health and Prevention Services added, “This exciting partnership between Nemours and Sesame Workshop addresses a critical need. Together, we have developed this resource kit to support child care communities as they help children establish a foundation of healthy habits. The partnership is promoting healthy eating, physical activity, and social and emotional well-being. This is a very unique research-based resource for preschool educators.”

modified: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 @ 11:11 AM EDT
created: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 @ 11:00 AM EDT

About Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. As the single largest informal educator of young children, local Sesame Street programs produced in countries as diverse as South Africa, Bangladesh and India are making a difference in over 120 nations. Using proprietary research to create engaging and enriching content, Sesame Workshop produces programs such as Dragon Tales and Pinky Dinky Doo. In addition, multimedia needs-driven initiatives provide families tools for addressing such issues as children’s health, military deployment and emergency preparedness. As a nonprofit, product proceeds and philanthropic support endow Sesame Workshop’s educational research and creative content for children around the world. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.

About Nemours

Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.

Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.

Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.