Kid Healthy Moves 4th and 5th Grade Children in Walk to Washington

SANTA ANA, CA, July 10, 2011 (Press-News.org) The nonprofit organization, KID HEALTHY - Steps to Healthy Living, announced today the final tally of the virtual Walk to Washington campaign, after calculating the steps, with the help of pedometers, by 4th and 5th grade students in this year's after-school programs.

KID HEALTHY - Steps to Healthy Living, one of the largest obesity prevention campaigns in California, engaged 593 students from after-school programs at elementary schools in Long Beach and Montebello to take a total of 31,979,407 steps and, virtually, walk to Washington, D.C., and theoretically arrive at the White House door step of First Lady Michelle Obama, whose "Let's Move!" Campaign mirrors the KID HEALTHY program that was launched in 2003. The participating children walked a total of 15,989.7 miles, enough to reach the White House more than four times.

"Mrs. Obama believes that people like you are vital to our success on this issue (of childhood obesity prevention), and she urges you to stay active and continue to lead efforts to improve the health of children in your community," a White House statement said.

KID HEALTHY, however, has taken it beyond its core focus of nutrition and physical activity education. With its new parent-led grassroots program, Padres en Accion (Parents in Action), KID HEALTHY is training parents to engage in local school wellness policy advocacy and implement a structured recess at three elementary schools in Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD). At the Childhood Obesity Conference in San Diego, SAUSD's Deputy Superintendent, Cathie Olsky, Ed.D., showcased Padres en Accion's structured recess as an "innovative way of harnessing community power. We love to see our parents taking action in their schools." The recent partnership with SAUSD has led to the request for implementation of the program in all of the district's 36 elementary schools.

"The KID HEALTHY program is positively impacting and helping to change the eating and physical activity habits of families in low-income Santa Ana neighborhoods through our elementary schools, and working from a grassroots level to battle childhood obesity," said Frances Crear Byfield, Ed.D., Director of Curriculum, Staff Development and Special Projects at the Santa Ana Unified School District. "SAUSD is honored to be partnering with KID HEALTHY in this program and believes it offers an important opportunity not only to engage underserved school children in increased physical fitness programming, but also to help build the capacity of parents to actively lead and facilitate that process.

KID HEALTHY hosted a two-day Parent Leadership Conference June 21-22 at King Elementary School in Santa Ana for more than 50 parents, focusing on empowering the parents to advocate for active and healthy school campuses, as well as how to be strong playground volunteers during recess.

"We're thrilled that Michelle Obama recognizes KID HEALTHY, and we're pleased to be able to help show the way, through a grassroots effort, in childhood obesity prevention," said Jackie Teichmann, KID HEALTHY Executive Director. "The Walk to Washington campaign was a small element of what we're trying to accomplish in terms of educating kids who are old enough to understand fitness and nutrition."

KID HEALTHY also partners with Network for a Healthy California - Children's PowerPlay! Campaign, ABC7, Aetna Foundation, Northgate Markets, Allergan, Pacific Life, Albertsons/SavOn, LA Care, Weingart Foundation, CalOptima, Kaiser Permanente, Community Action Partnership, and the Champions for Change program through Network for a Healthy California. KID HEALTHY reaches 85,000 4th and 5th grade students in Title I schools, where at least 50% of students qualify for the Free/Reduced Meal Program in seven Southern California Counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial and Ventura. In addition to students being engaged through nutrition education activities, they receive fun activity trackers and incentives to record their daily steps, with the goal of reaching 10,000 steps each day.

KID HEALTHY is a nonprofit organization that addresses the childhood obesity epidemic through exciting nutrition and fitness programs that target low-income children and their families in Southern California. For further information, please contact Jackie Teichmann at 714-914-4192 or jteichmann5@gmail.com and Koko Lieppman at 562-900-2325 or koko@mykidhealthy.org.