The Change Mariner

The Fight Against Childhood Obesity

Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier:

In a cheery elementary school classroom with red window panes and crayon drawings tacked on the walls, a class of 3-year-olds are doing their "yoga," transforming themselves into lions and butterflies.

"Let's be froggies!" instructor Anne Jeffries says, spurring the children to happily hop up and down from a squatting position. They're having fun, but they're also tackling a serious problem that is drawing the attention of doctors, educators and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The JumpStart program, a pilot program that teaches nutrition as part of the Head Start curriculum at P.S. 5 in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood, is the youngest nutrition program in the nation. JumpStart organizers believe early education could be the key to fighting a trend that has seen the number of overweight and obese children double in the past 20 years.

Amazon Price:

Amazon Price: