What we do…

Who we work with…
To meet the CHALLENGE for healthy kids, Healthy Kids Challenge works with KidLinks™ (anyone with a connection to kids who can make a healthy difference) in:

• schools
• youth programs
• communities
• worksites
• business and industry with a vested interest in nutrition, activity, and youth
• government agencies
• health care providers and health plan providers
• foundations with a focus on health and prevention
• media

What we do…

HKC helps guide healthy change with a process

The goal of the process is to help ALL kids, regardless of
weight, have more opportunities and develop healthy habits
with eating and physical activity.

The process includes:

1. Best practices and guidelines from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other leading experts in the field of childhood obesity
2. Appealing, fun, welcoming, inviting, easy and simple ideas
3. Strategies for addressing needs and using existing resources
4. Recommendations for a variety of tools, curriculums, and strategies based on your needs. HKC activity booklets provide ideas to integrate healthy choice skill building into daily practices.

To ensure that most advanced best practices are applied and to gain strength for enhanced outcomes, a primary HKC strategy is networking and the development of partnerships. At the local, regional, and national level, partnerships, collaboration, pooling of resources and a strong but fun, simple healthy message spoken in unison will help to make a healthy difference for kids.

The Process consists of 5 action steps
The HKC Take Healthy Action guidebook helps individuals and teams with the action steps:

1. Build a team of KidLinks™
2. Look at what exists
3. Plan and take healthy action
4. Measure progress
5. Celebrate

For more information about the process click here

Why the process is appealing…

Nationally recognized, Healthy Kids Challenge offers a multi-level approach of assistance to schools, programs, and communities to create healthy eating and physical activity opportunities EVERYWHERE kids live, learn, work and play. Each approach uses fun, easy to use concepts.

A- Appealing and fun  W- Welcome and inviting  E- Easy and simple

We call this AWE-some C.H.A.N.G.E.!

C-Connect H-Health A-And N-Needs G-Get E-Excited!
With HKC, AWE-some becomes a great evaluation tool
and C.H.A.N.G.E. is a never forgotten reminder to
connect health and NEEDS and do it with excitement
to motivate healthy choices.

KidLink™* teams build a healthy foundation
with HEAR-SEE-Do outcomes

• HEAR   Provide a message to increase awareness or knowledge/skills
• SEE   Show people HOW to make healthy changes
• DO   Help people practice and make healthy changes

WHO is on a KidLink™ team?
All “KidLinks™” -Anyone who has the potential to impact
eating and activity choices for kids, including: teachers,
youth leaders, school board, families, community partners,
grocers, media, community kids programs leaders, coaches,
and kids themselves.

The HKC process builds sustainability with environmental and personal change

• Change actions of collaboration, support, education, reward, repetition of message, and policy change are all a part of the HKC structure for sustainable healthy change that impacts not only the environment, but personal decisions for healthy choices.
• The process is designed for sustainability with very limited resources, yet with a huge impact potential for healthy C.H.A.N.G.E.
• HKC’s personal change messages focus on six healthy behaviors:
  1. Fruits & Veggies – Every Day the Tasty Way!
  2. Snack Attack!
  3. Active Play EVERY Day!
  4. Breakfast GO POWER!
  5. Discover Smart Servings!.
  6. Drink Think!

HKC guides C.H.A.N.G.E. The time is NOW everywhere kids live, learn, work and play!

What we aren’t…
Healthy Kids Challenge is NOT a program, curriculum or single strategy.

Examples of Healthy Kids Challenge in Action

Healthy Kids Challenge has many examples of best practices and examples of KidLinks™ across the U.S. making a healthy difference for kids. To read about just a few examples, click and go to the following:

Best Practices more>>

HKC Shining Stars more>>