$50,००० GIFT

ROSIE’S FOR ALL KIDS FOUNDATION FUNDS HEALTHY EATING

Ouida Dawson, executive director of Head Start of Rockland, today announced receipt of a grant of $50,000 from Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation for whole foods and enhanced nutrition and food services for Head Start schools in Haverstraw, Nyack, and Spring Valley.

Dawson said: “We are pleased and honored that Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation has once again stepped to the plate to provide needed funding for low income children. The foundation was the leading private supporter of our capital construction project in Spring Valley. It is gratifying to qualify for support of our programs, particularly our health and nutrition services.”

Healthy Eating: Feeding the Children is an ambitious initiative that provides more healthful meals and snacks to 569 low income preschool children in Haverstraw, Nyack, Spring Valley, and West Street. Guidelines for Healthy Eating at Head Start schools include:

• Reducing and/or eliminating junk foods, particularly high sugar foods and beverages.

• Improving nutritional quality of lunches by eliminating processed foods and serving whole foods.
• Eliminating all products containing partially hydrogenated fats, MSG, and/or artificial sweeteners.

• Increasing use of seasonal, high quality fruits and vegetables.

• Offering more grains such as whole wheat pastas, brown rice, and whole wheat bread.
• Eliminating high fructose corn syrup and sugary drinks

In addition to changes in meals and snacks being prepared for 569 preschool children each day, Head Start of Rockland is collaborating with Cornell Cooperative Extension to provide Color Me Healthy classes for preschool children and Eating Right Basics for their parents under the direction of Lydia Richards.

Head Start of Rockland serves approximately 204,800 meals, both breakfast and lunch, and over 102,400 snacks over the course of a year. By making meals and snack healthier and providing nutrition education to children and parents, it is hoped children and their families will develop healthier eating habits. This could help lead to a reduction in childhood obesity, childhood diabetes, and other nutrition-related disorders and diseases.

Head Start of Rockland, a not-for-profit charitable organization, is the leading provider of preschool and early childhood education in Rockland County. The agency is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and are also a licensed provider of preschool special education evaluation and assessment services.