Teaching Strategies Introduces Get Fit! Kit Based on the Recommendations of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Child Care Initiative

Diane Trister Dodge Speaks About Teaching Strategies' Commitment to Combating Early Childhood Obesity at First Annual Building a Healthier Future Summit

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In support of First Lady Michelle Obama's initiative to end childhood obesity, Teaching Strategies is introducing the Get Fit! Kit. Over 20 percent of children ages 2–5 in the United States are currently overweight or obese, putting them at risk for a variety of serious illnesses, including asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. Teaching Strategies' new Get Fit! Kit provides a wealth of resources to assist early childhood educators and families in helping young children lead healthier lives.

"Early childhood is the time when patterns of healthy eating and physical activity are established," said Diane Trister Dodge, founder and president of Teaching Strategies, Inc. "This is also the time when the roots of obesity often take hold. Fortunately, early intervention can play a key role in reversing this trend. Our Get Fit! Kit helps early childhood educators and families start children on the path to healthier, more active lives. We are proud to support the First Lady's initiative to end childhood obesity."

Teaching Strategies' Get Fit! Kit offers a variety of research-based resources and activities that can easily be integrated into any early childhood program and shared with families. The Kit directly supports teachers' efforts to follow the Let's Move Child Care Checklist recommendations, and it complements any developmentally appropriate curriculum. The Kit is fully bilingual, with materials in English and Spanish.

The Get Fit! Kit helps early childhood educators and families intentionally teach physical skills and promote healthy eating choices through playful, engaging, and developmentally appropriate activities. Among other resources, each kit includes a class set of the new booklet Physical Activity Right From the Start: What Parents Can Do During the First 5 Years. "It is a mistake to view the development of children's physical skills as something that just happens," said Steve Sanders, author of Physical Activity Right From the Start and Director of the School of Physical Education and Exercise Science at the University of South Florida. "We know that without guidance from knowledgeable adults, children may not develop the physical skills needed to help them become physically active and remain healthy throughout life. Physical Activity Right From the Start and the other resources in Teaching Strategies' Get Fit! Kit show adults how to provide that guidance. The Kit helps both families and early childhood educators become active participants in the national effort to end childhood obesity."

Teaching Strategies is joining other business and civic leaders at the Partnership for a Healthier America's first annual Building a Healthier Future summit, which begins today in Washington, D.C. The summit brings together philanthropic, governmental, and private-sector leaders to focus on working together and ultimately coordinating national efforts to end childhood obesity. Diane Trister Dodge is presenting a breakout session that will explore how educational resources can promote physical activity and healthy eating in early learning programs and provide consistent messages about health to young children and their families. First Lady Michelle Obama, who is Honorary Chair of the Partnership for a Healthier America and the Building a Healthier Future summit, is the keynote speaker at the 2-day event. 

To learn more about Teaching Strategies' Get Fit! Kit, please visit www.teachingstrategies.com/getfit

To learn more about the Building a Healthier Future summit, please visit www.cvent.com/events/building-a-healthier-future-bringing-together-industry-and-civic-leaders-to-end-childhood-obesity/event-summary-8399766c9463480c937678316e7c1b44.aspx

About Teaching Strategies, Inc.

Teaching Strategies is an educational publishing company that serves the early childhood community exclusively, bringing curriculum, assessment, professional development, and family connection resources to programs serving children from birth through kindergarten. Its mission is to provide the most effective early education resources to support the critical work of early childhood educators.

CONTACT
Jonah Stuart
(301) 832-6697
[email protected]

SOURCE Teaching Strategies, Inc.