Schools Nationwide Celebrate Every Kid Healthy Week

Third annual national health observance spotlights school initiatives to fight childhood obesity 

Schools across the country are celebrating Every Kid Healthy™ Week, April 19-25, an annual observance that spotlights the great work schools are doing to improve the health and wellness of their students and the link between nutrition, physical activity and academic success. Educators, students, families, community organizations and volunteers are coming together to demonstrate their commitment to creating healthier learning environments for all kids.

More than 1,400 schools in partnership with Action for Healthy Kids are hosting events in 40 states that will engage more than 731,000 students in a wide range of activities, from healthy food taste tests and planting school gardens to cardio activities on the playground and fun runs around the school track. Among the many creative events this year, parents and students will be:

• Dressing as health and nutrition super heroes at Scotts Branch Elementary School in Windsor Mill, MD
• Creating and traveling with passport booklets from booth to booth at the Learning Center at Northwood health fair in Cincinnati, OH
• Participating in a dance-a-thon during a family fitness night at Sherrelwood Elementary School in Denver, CO; and
• Stepping up to exercise through a week-long steps counting competition at DC Bilingual Charter School in Washington, D.C.

“Every Kid Healthy Week started with just 83 events in 22 states and has grown each of the last three years as more and more schools and communities recognize the health and learning benefits of engaging their students in nutrition and physical activity programs,” said Rob Bisceglie, CEO of Action for Healthy Kids, which launched Every Kid Healthy Week in 2013. “By helping schools in their efforts to create healthier environments, we put kids on a path so they can develop lifelong healthy habits and succeed academically.”

Schools hosting health and wellness events this week are encouraged to register them with Action for Healthy Kids to put their school on the Every Kid Healthy map and check out the Get in the Action Center to find resources and volunteers to support nutrition and physical activity programs year round. Schools, parents and anyone concerned about childhood obesity and creating healthy school environments can join the movement to make every kid healthy and ready to learn. Visit www.everykidhealthyweek.org or http://www.actionforhealthykids.org to learn more.

About Action for Healthy Kids®

Action for Healthy Kids® is a nationwide grassroots network supporting school-based healthy eating and physical activity improvements that increase academic success. With funding opportunities, expert technical assistance and our flagship program, Game On, we mobilize schools, administrators and parents to develop healthy school environments for children. To learn more about the ways our 85,000+ volunteer network is helping to make Every Kid Healthy™, visit us at www.ActionforHealthyKids.org, on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/act4healthykids) and on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Act4HlthyKids).

Action for Healthy Kids® is a nationwide grassroots network supporting school-based healthy eating and physical activity improvements that increase academic success. With funding opportunities, expert technical assistance and our flagship program, Game On, we mobilize schools, administrators and parents to develop healthy school environments for children. To learn more about the ways our 85,000+ volunteer network is helping to make Every Kid Healthy™, visit us at www.ActionforHealthyKids.org, on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/act4healthykids) and on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Act4HlthyKids).