Two preschools in the South Bay have launched a nutrition program aimed at improving children’s eating habits and reducing childhood obesity.
More than 200 children ages 3 to 5 will participate in the classes, which use music, stories and crafts to teach about healthy eating. Parents will also receive monthly newsletters with recipes and tips.
The program, LiveWell Tots, was started by the Beach Cities Health District, a public health agency serving the cities of Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach. The schools are located in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach.
The obesity epidemic has started to level off in California schools, where there have been significant efforts to get students eating healthier and exercising more. But most of those efforts have been aimed at older children. The South Bay preschool program is one of only a few such efforts nationwide.
“By the time kids reach kindergarten we’re already behind the ball,” Dr. Lisa Santora, chief medical officer at the agency, said in a statement.
— Anna Gorman
Photo: Preschoolers taste apples during a LiveWell Tots activity. Credit: Beach Cities Health District
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