Healthy Start Coalition and Early Learning Coalition among honorees at Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition breakfast

The Healthy Jacksonville Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition commemorated Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and honored local organizations and leaders at the inaugural Celebrating Healthy Kids and Active Communities Awards Breakfast September 14. The Early Learning Coalition of Duval and Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition were among the award winners, in Organizational Leadership, recognized for their breastfeeding awareness campaign for child care centers.

In recognition of World Breastfeeding  Month (August), the ELC and Healthy Start Coalition partnered to develop an awareness campaign about the Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Center designation that is offered by the state Department of Health and USDA Child Care Food Program.

The ELC contacted over 420 local child care providers to let them know about the designation and has a webpage specifically for interested child care providers. Both the ELC and HSC promoted the campaign on various social media outlets. In one month, the awareness campaign generated 60 inquiries from child care centers.

The HJCOPC  honored organizations and leaders who instituted healthy eating and active living programs and are producing noteworthy results in preventing/reducing obesity through lifestyle or clinical interventions. The other award nominees were:

  • Susan Burns, R.V. Daniels Elementary School, Community Leadership
  • Lori Boyer, City of Jacksonville, Community Leadership
  • Valerie Feinberg, Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida, Community Leadership
  • Barbara Merton & Marshall Butler, Shannon Miller Foundation, Community Leadership
  • Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida Foundation, Embrace a Healthy Florida, Organizational Leadership
  • Sulzbacher Center, Children’s Community Gardens, Organizational Leadership
  • St. Vincent’s HealthCare, Way to Go Kids and Way to Go Families, Organizational Leadership
  • Deonshai Spivey, Biltmore Elementary School, Youth Leadership
  • R.V. Daniels Elementary School, Mrs. Burns’ Second-Grade Class (2011-2012 School Year), Youth Leadership

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