Growing Healthy Kids, Inc

Program Type: 
Kitchen Classrooms, Support Organization
Grade Level/Age Group: 
Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School
Number of Individuals Program Serves: 
1,000
Year Founded: 
2009
About the Program: 

Growing Healtlhy Kids, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Vero Beach, Florida which began in 2009 and has expanded to include an office in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Our mission is to improve health literacy and halt, reverse, and prevent childhood obesity and obesity-related diseases.  We believe that connecting children with farms and farmers teaches kids to respect food and the people who work hard to grow it.  When kids respect where their food comes from, they learn to respect themselves and how to make healthy choices about food for the rest of their lives.  

We serve parents and children through strategic partnerships with organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Youth Guidance Mentoring and Activities Program, Hope for Families Center (formerly Homeless Family Center), Gifford Youth Achievement Center, Hibiscus Children's Center, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and Rotary Club. By collaborating with youth-serving organizations, our programs add value to the work and outcomes of other organizations and build stronger communities.  

Our core programs are:

Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchen

How to Become Nutrition Scientists

4 Sisters, 5 Cities Wellness Project

 

Our core program values are:

All children deserve and need access to healthy foods

Plant-based eating is key to the prevention of obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes 

Improving health literacy of parents and children will improve health outcomes

Connecting with nature is critical for the health and well-being of children and their families

 

Our teaching methods are:

Experiential

Hands-on

Interactive

Inclusive of trips to local farms and conversations with local farmers

Inclusive of kitchen experiences featuring seasonal, locally grown ingredients