The New Jersey Healthy Kids Initiative includes experts in the fields of child health, nutrition, education, physical fitness, and clinical research. As part of its commitment to education, the NJHKI will be developing and providing educational presentations, modules, and materials for child health professionals, scientists, and community members. You can find them here.
FranklinFit Culinary Nutrition Program
In July and August 2022, NJHKI collaborated with Franklin Township Police Department and Rec Department’s FranklinFit afterschool program to offer about 30 Franklin Township middle school and high school students culinary nutrition lessons. Program details, including lesson plans, can be accessed here.
Healthy Helpers Virtual Culinary Literacy Program
In response to schools moving to a virtual platform during the COVID-19 pandemic, NJHKI developed a 6-lesson virtual culinary literacy program designed to provide fourth and fifth-grade students with experiential learning opportunities. Program details, including lesson plans and videos, can be accessed here.
NJHKI Hosts KidsFit Teacher Training Day
On Monday, February 18, 2019, The New Jersey Healthy Kids Initiative and RWJBarnabas Health co-hosted a KidsFit Teacher Training day at the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (IFNH). Designed to support children’s healthy lifestyles, KidsFit is a 10-week long program that promotes healthy food choices and activities. With over 30 participants, ranging from K-12 educators to health professionals, instructors and dieticians, Kerri Likakis and Molly Fallon engaged participants in an overview of nutrition education and how to implement the curriculum into their organizations. Trainings are offered free of charge to participants and the curriculum is available for a donation on the KidsFit website.
Aeroponic Towers Become Part of CHA Curriculum
In November, 2018, the Culture of Health Academy (CHA) added two aeroponic towers. These towers will provide CHA students, and all students brought to the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health by NJHKI, the opportunity to grow, observe, prepare, and taste over 20 different vegetables, herbs, and fruits right inside the classroom. School garden programs have been shown to increase children’s vegetable intake, in addition to improving attitudes, willingness to try, knowledge, and culinary literacy skills. The towers have become part of the educational curriculum with books focused on plants, physical activity where they act out the life cycle of a seed with their bodies, counting plants, describing the colors of the plants, and tasting what is grown.
