{"id":7889,"date":"2015-12-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-12-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/togethercounts.com\/the-start-healthy-stay-healthy-early-childhood-nutrition-program\/"},"modified":"2015-12-17T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-12-17T00:00:00","slug":"the-start-healthy-stay-healthy-early-childhood-nutrition-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/togethercounts.com\/es\/the-start-healthy-stay-healthy-early-childhood-nutrition-program\/","title":{"rendered":"The Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Early Childhood Nutrition Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cThere is no better way to teach people about nutrition than in the presence of food,\u201d said Wendy Johnson-Askew, PhD, MPH, RD, Vice-President of Corporate Affairs of Gerber.<\/p>\n

She was speaking of a recent class where young moms were served a nutritious lunch to not only provide nourishment but also to serve as an example. The class was taught as part of The Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Early Childhood Nutrition Program sponsored by Nestl\u00e9 and Rutgers University. The unbranded, six-course program teaches parents of the Newark Fairmount Promise Neighborhood about the importance of early childhood nutrition. The program was recently held in West Side High School and disseminated to a class of expecting students. These students were taught about the importance of breastfeeding, how to transition their kids to solid foods, how to tell when an infant is hungry, and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis interactive program had a great impact on the teen parents at West Side High School in Newark, New Jersey. It increased the students\u2019 perception and awareness of healthy food choices as well as the appropriate quantity of food during meal time,\u201d said Velda Font-Morris, who helps coordinate the Fairmont Promise Neighborhood program.<\/p>\n

The program initially launched in 2012 as part of an effort by Senator Cory Booker, then the mayor of Newark, to tackle Newark’s high childhood obesity rate. The effort, previously called the Nestl\u00e9 \/ Newark Now Early Childhood Nutrition Program, taught families about the importance of breastfeeding, how to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, healthful snacking, dealing with fussy eaters, portion control and physical activity.<\/p>\n

In 2014, Rutgers University became the governing partner of the program and with Nestl\u00e9 launched the rebranded Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Early Childhood Nutrition Program in Newark\u2019s Fairmont Promise Neighborhood. The nutrition classes are taught by a nutrition educator who will identify peer educators to teach the classes in the future. The objective of using peer educators is to build a nutrition educator capacity in the community that will last long after the program ends.<\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9 has recently launched a pilot program with the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB) and The Woodlawn Foundation in the Woodlawn Promise Community. The first round of free classes was taught by graduate students from UAB.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aim to assist parents in establishing good eating habits during the earliest stages of their child\u2019s life to improve the child\u2019s immediate health as well as the health of future Woodlawn generations,\u201d said Woodlawn Foundation Executive Director, Sally Mackin.<\/p>\n

Students in Newark are definitely benefiting from the classes. \u201cIt is impacting people\u2019s knowledge of what is helpful eating for young children,\u201d Wendy said.<\/p>\n

Surveys conducted six months after students completed the course found a significant increase in the number of families that retained information taught during the course.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis program definitely changed their attitudes and will improve their quality of life in the Fairmount community by arming them with healthier options,\u201d Velda said.<\/p>\n

More than that, it\u2019s helping parents feel more confident about their future. One guidance counselor even said a student used her experience in the class as the topic of her college admissions essay. Wendy said, \u201cParticipating in this class increased her self-efficacy and the impact of participating has reached far beyond what she was taught in the early childhood nutrition class.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more healthy communities articles, take a look at these other posts from Together Counts!<\/p>\n