Kid Healthy

Founded in 2003, Kid Healthy builds healthy communities by engaging students and families from socio-economic disadvantaged neighborhoods through culturally appropriate activities and leadership programs that measurably improve health and wellness.

Launched in Orange County in 2003, co-founded by ABC7, KID HEALTHY is a fiscally sponsored project of OneOC, a 501(c)(3) organization.  One of our first efforts became one of the largest obesity prevention campaigns in California. Kid Healthy Steps to Healthy Living campaign engaged over 95,000 4th and 5th grade students, parents, and teachers in four counties.  This program was in place in schools, youth organizations, and after school programs and run successfully for 10 years. Its successful integration into the school environment allowed Kid Healthy to turn attention to the development of its two outreach programs.  Padres en Acción (Parents in Action) and Cooking up Change®.

Kid Healthy Programs:

In 2009, Kid Healthy initiated Padres en Acción/Parents In Action, an innovative parent-led health education and active recess program.  Kid Healthy developed a hands-on parent education program that empowers parents to engage in school wellness policy, advocacy, volunteerism, peer to peer health education, as well as directly increase the level of physical activity through the structured recess component. We establish a regular presence of parent volunteers every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  They provide organized, high-intensity; skill based physical activities during the lunchtime recess.  Currently implemented in 52 schools in Santa Ana Unified, Anaheim Elementary, Buena Park Unified, Fullerton, La Habra, Newport-Mesa Unified, Garden Grove Unified, Magnolia and Tustin Unified, and Capistrano Unified School Districts, this is a proven model of success that is replicable at any elementary school. 

Cooking up Change:  challenges high school culinary students, from low –income communities, to create healthy, great-tasting meals that meet the real-life requirements of the national school meal program.  It serves up life-changing opportunities, helps students realize their own potential and puts student voices front and center in the national dialogue about school food.

CUC is part of a national program launched in 2007 by Healthy Schools Campaign, based in Chicago.  Kid Healthy launched the Orange County edition in 2012, in which more than 200 students from 18 high schools have participated in creating over 219 usable recipes for local school nutrition service professionals. The OC program is a community wide collaboration that includes mentorship by a professional chef, who guides the students in recipe creation, local fresh resourcing, budgeting and nutritional analysis.  Culinary instructors have a big role in recruiting, inspiring and managing their team; and partnerships are gained among district Nutrition Service leaders. In addition, students meet with local Congressional representatives, the school board, and district administration to share their views on school food. 

Currently 3 OC school districts serve student created menus in the regular rotation of school meals. Tastings and school wide promotion of the student efforts are encouraged and take place as student teams prepare for competition.

The program is highlighted by the Cooking up Change – Greater Orange County competition on April 25^th at Northgate Gonzalez Market Headquarters in Anaheim.  The community celebration of more than 300 guests recognizes student talent by awarding prizes to the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place teams.  There are 10 local competitions that take place across the country. 

KID HEALTHY is a collaboration of community partners including: Orange County Health Care Agency, Nutrition Education Obesity Prevention (NEOP), OC Partnership to Improve Community Health, OC Department of Education, YMCA, School Districts, schools, teachers and parents. Its funding sponsors include: Hoag Community Benefits Foundation Northgate Gonzalez Markets, Kaiser Permanente, OC United Way and more.