What is Healthy Habits for Life?
Sesame Workshop's multi-year, content-driven initiative to help young children and their caregivers establish an early foundation of healthy habits that can last a lifetime. We will harness the power and reach of Sesame Street to make overall health and well-being crucial to the development of young children in much the same way it has done with learning to read and write.
Here's what's happening across the company:
Education and Research
Advisory Board:
We have assembled a group of leading academic experts to advise us in all aspects of this initiative: Leann Birch, Ph.D., Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State University, Dominique Dawes, 3-Time Olympian Olympic Gold Medalist, Neil Izenberg, M.D., Chief Executive of Nemours Center for Children's Health Media; Pediatrician at the Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children; Professor of Pediatrics at Jefferson Medical School, Woodie Kessel, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Surgeon General, HHS; Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Ronald E. Kleinman, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics Harvard Medical School, Chief of the Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and Associate Chief of MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Mary Frances Picciano, Ph.D., Senior Nutrition Research Scientist, Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, Michelle Pierce, Principal, Founder of Harriet Tubman Charter School, Steve Sanders, Ph.D., Chair, Dept of Health and Physical Education at Tennessee Technological University, Ileana Vargas, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of New York Presbyterian at Columbia University Medical Center.
Content and Distribution
The Coalition:
The Workshop has built a Healthy Habits coalition of partners who will contribute valuable content and extend the project's reach and impact. Among these partners are the US Dept. of Health and Human Services, PBS, The Parenting Group, YMCA of USA, the Ad Council, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Working with these partners, we will embark on a joint set of activities including research, short-form broadcast interstitials, PSAs, outreach, advocacy and special events.
Sesame Street Season 36:
The curriculum focus for Season 36 of Sesame Street is Science and Health
- Every other day, health will be the focus of the shows
- In addition, every other day there will be segments dealing with health/nutrition (comprised of both library and new footage)
- There will be a "Health Moment" at top of every show featuring special guests, celebrities and Sesame Street characters (similar to the "Sesame Moments" in Season 35)
Publishing:
Books:
- Random House will be launching a storybook series under the "Happy Healthy Monsters" sub-brand, beginning with two titles in July '05: "Get Moving with Grover" and "Elmo's Breakfast Bingo". Each title will come with a recipe card provided by "5 A Day". The next title in the series, "Squeaky Clean," is scheduled for release in Summer '06.
- Learning Horizons will be publishing 2 educational workbooks in Summer '05 entitled "My Healthy Body" and "Healthy Foods."
- Publications International will be publishing a Sound Book with game board in late Summer 2005 entitled "Happy Healthy Monsters Head to Toe!"
Magazine:
- Health content will appear in every issue of Sesame Street magazine beginning Feb '05, including a "Happy Healthy Monsters" monthly calendar
- Sesame Street Magazine's April issue is entitled "Happy Healthy Monsters" and will be dedicated to the Healthy Habits for Life initiative, while Parenting Magazine will also dedicate space to the Health initiative in their April '05 issue.
- Sesame Street Magazine's August issue will focus on health and exercise
Home Video/DVD:
On February 1, 2005, Sony Wonder will release "Happy Healthy Monsters." It's a fun-filled, get-up-and-move fitness extravaganza! Grover is hosting his very own exercise show "Fuzzy, Blue and Healthy, Too" on the "Happy Healthy Monsters" TV network. Kids join Elmo and Zoe as they watch Grover and friends jump into shape by learning the importance of eating healthy snacks, moving your body, and getting plenty of rest. With the help of celebrity guest stars Andy Richter, Fred Willard, as the network announcer, and music superstars Wyclef Jean and India.Arie, Happy Healthy Monsters is the ultimate tool for helping kids be healthy while having fun! The DVD will be packaged with growth chart including a sound chip of Elmo's voice, and the release will be supported by a national TV advertising campaign.
Themed Entertainment:
"Sesame Street Presents: The Body", a traveling interactive museum exhibition will debut May '05 in Phoenix, Arizona. The tour will reach up to 15 markets over a 5 year period. It is designed for children ages 2-8 years old and focuses on the body, what it can do, and offer specific information about how to keep the body healthy and strong. It is the first in a series of future traveling exhibits. Various Outreach materials for parents, teachers and caregivers will be distributed.
Outreach:
A multiple media Outreach kit will be created to provide engaging content for children, families,
child care and health providers. Research-based, print materials in both English and Spanish will
include an activity booklet, a poster/brochure, and a training guide along with a DVD, and an interactive website which will deliver key messages and activities to make healthy eating, physical activity, and hygiene a crucial part of healthy development for all young children. The initiative will offer these resources through the coalition in an effort to reach the child care and health communities and those children and families most in need. Kits will be distributed beginning Fall '05.
Interactive:
Online
There is currently a mini-site featuring existing games/activities/articles for parent and kids at www.sesameworkshop.org/healthyhabits. A new web site will be developed in conjunction with Outreach materials in Fall '05.
Licensing
Food:
- The Hain Celestial Group launched co-branded organic, low-fat breakfast cereal, crackers, cookies, and oatmeal as part of the Earth's Best line of products. Introduced in September 2004, the Earth's Best Sesame Street line is currently in approximately 3,000 supermarkets nationwide and is supported by point-of-purchase signage, in-store demos, a shipper program, website, and a video mail-in offer. Hain Celestial will introduce new products to the Sesame Street line in 2006.
- Apple and Eve recently added on-package messaging aimed to encourage children to learn healthy habits through physical activity, healthy eating, and the exploration of their physical surroundings.
- Knouse Foods, through their Musselman's brand, is introducing three exciting new flavors of applesauce: Big Bird Green Apple, Cookie Monster Grape, and Elmo Cherry. On-pack messaging drives consumers to a microsite which has Healthy Habits for Life content and activities for kids to enjoy with their parents.
- Sesame Workshop is working with Stemilt Growers, Inc. on a promotion program designed to educate children and their parents on the health benefits of cherries. The program will launch in mid-2005.
- The Workshop is working with the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) to educate children age 2 - 6 and their caregivers about the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables as part of the 5 A Day for Better Health program. The Sesame Street characters will be used in supermarket point-of-sale signage, customized retail programs, and a national free standing insert (FSI) to show children that eating their fruits and vegetables will start them off to a healthy future.
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