Several school districts in central Pennsylvania will benefit from an new grant from Kohl's department stores to Penn State Children's Hospital to help combat childhood obesity. Thanks to the grant for $120,298 that Kohl's representatives presented to leaders of Penn State Children's Hospital, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Sept. 11, students from South Hanover Elementary, Cornwall Elementary and Foose Elementary will again have an opportunity to benefit from the Kohl's Cares for Kids Healthy Choices, Healthy Me! Program, now in its second year.
This year, there are two phases to the program, working with students in three new schools and developing a maintenance program for the students who participated last year. The first phase introduces the initial program with third- and fourth-graders at Londonderry Elementary School (Lower Dauphin School District) and Union Canal Elementary School (Cornwall-Lebanon School District). Partnering together with Children's Hospital physicians, nutritionists, exercise physiologists and staff for the fall semester, students will learn about healthy weight management tips and exercises.
A second set of three schools will participate in the spring semester. The second phase consists of a maintenance program for the schools that participated last year, which include South Hanover Elementary (Lower Dauphin School District), Foose Elementary (Harrisburg School District) and Cornwall Elementary (Cornwall-Lebanon School District). Sessions will be held throughout the fall for the children and their parents to reinforce what they learned last year.
Kohl's Cares for Kids Healthy Choices/Healthy Me is a program specifically designed by experts at Penn State Children's Hospital to use funding from Kohl's to make a direct and measurable impact on the lives of children by providing them with after-school activities encouraging healthy weight management and exercise. By reaching out to all children and their families, regardless of their body mass index (BMI) status, the program lends itself to being able to make a positive impact on children of all sizes and their families.
The program provides follow-up on the BMI notices sent out by schools to educate parents on their children's scores and how to improve their lifestyles. The follow-up information also includes identifying unhealthy eating and exercise habits in children who do not fall into the "at risk" or "obese" categories. In conjunction with school nurses, Penn State Children's Hospital works with all children to engage in healthy, active lifestyles.
Throughout the program, an exercise physiologist provides instruction on how to exercise properly, and a nutritionist conducts a nutrition analysis and counseling to identify and establish proper eating habits for each individual child who participates. Families also will have the opportunity to be included in these sessions. Additionally, a goal of the program is to show, at the end of the school year, not solely an impact measured by weight loss, but improvement in overall health (such as lowered blood pressure and improved exercise tolerance) and in an understanding of healthy living.
Kohl's commitment to Penn State Children's Hospital is made possible through the Kohl's Cares for Kids program, which raises funds for children's health and educational opportunities across the country through the sale of special gift items. One hundred percent of the net profits from the sale of these items supports children's health and educational opportunities in the market areas served by Kohl's.