Are American Kids Making The Nutrition Grade?

Thursday, March 1, 2001

Are American Kids Making The Nutrition Grade? (NAPSA)—The school year is underway, but the grades are already in—America’s kids are not getting the “A’s” that they should whenit comes to good nutrition. According to the United States Departmentof Agriculture (USDA), only two percent of America’s children meet the current recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid, a guideto daily food choices. However, help is on the way in the form of a new educational program that is poised to hit schools and on the Web in January 2001. Whitehall-Robins Healthcare, the makers of Centrum Kids™ Rugrats”, and Scholastic Inc., two of the nation’s leaders in children’s nutrition and education respectively, have formed a partnership to educate children and parents about nutrition. Together, they have created interactive educational materials for use in and out of the classroom, as well as a six- month long online version of the educational materials that can be accessed on www.scholastic.com and www.centrum.com to commu- nicate the importance of good nutrition in helping children grow strong and stay healthy. The partnership between Whitehall-Robins Healthcare and Scholastic is a natural fit. Scholastic is a leading publisher and distributor of books in English. Scholastic’s longstanding relationship with teachers, children and parents has made it an outstanding leader in education. “We are delighted to be working with Whitehall-Robins Healthcare to develop the Centrum Kids ‘You Can Be Strong and Healthy’ program,” states Shelley White, Editorial Director of Scholastic Marketing Partners. “For 80 years, Scholastic has created quality products and services that educate, entertain and motivate children. The ‘You Can Be Strong and Healthy’ program doesjust that.” Centrum Kids Rugrats Complete, which contain 23 essential nutrients, is the most complete chewable multivitamins for children age 2 through 11. Working New educational materials may help schools take a bite out of bad eating habits. with Nickelodeon”, the Centrum Kids chewable vitamins now take on the popular shapes of Nickelodeon’s Rugrats characters and come in cherry, orange and fruit punchflavors. The program will teach students and parents about the importance of making healthy food and activity choices. Through in-class activities, online interac- tion and group projects, students will learn: * That they need good nutri- tion, exercise and rest to grow strong and stay healthy. That they need a variety of foods for good nutrition. What vitamins and minerals do for the body and which foods are sources of specific vitamins and minerals. The benefits of the nutrition education program for children will reach far beyond the classroom. Centrum Kids Rugrats and Scholastic have developed materials that teachers can send home with their students as well as interactive online materials to help educate parents about children’s nutrition. The take home pagesarefilled with family-centered activities to help reinforce the nutrition message learnedin class and will prove to be a valuable resource to parents, who are ultimately responsible for their children’s diets. “Nutrition education is very important because it helps children and their parents develop eating habits to achieve a lifetime of good health,” says Ruth Carey, RD, LD.

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