Improving Children’s Health through Afterschool Programs 
Childhood obesity is ranked as the #1 health concern for children in the U.S. today and has reached epidemic proportions. The Healthy Behaviors Initiative addresses the serious health problems facing students in low-income communities throughout California and most at risk of obesity. Through its work, Healthy Behaviors is demonstrating the important role that afterschool programs can play in improving the lives and health of these children and families by addressing the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States.
Under the Initiative, afterschool programs are being transformed into environments that support and encourage healthy behaviors. Read More.
CCS and the BOOST Collaborative co-sponsored the second annual Healthy Behaviors Conference in December. The conference was a great success and provided participants with valuable information about how they, too, could take steps to address childhood obesity through afterschool. To see handouts from presenters, go to 2011 Conference Highlights
Six LA Sites on Target to Become Healthy Behaviors Learning Centers in May 2012 Through a partnership between the After School Technical Assistance Unit of the Los Angeles County Office of Education and the Center for Collaborative Solutions (CCS), six Los Angeles afterschool programs are establishing six new Healthy Behaviors Learning Centers that will be available to help other afterschool programs implement CCS’ Exemplary Practices in Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Food Security in order to address the childhood obesity epidemic. The programs are ICES (Montebello USD), STAR (Paramount USD), Kids Campus Wellness (El Monte City School District), LA’s BEST (LA USD), Think Together (Baldwin Park USD), and VESP (Monrovia USD). These programs have made significant progress in implementing the Exemplary Practices and changing the lives of the children and families they serve, as well as their own staff. Read More.
The Prevention Institute outlines why prevention is one of the most significant cost controls in the health reform legislation—and obesity prevention is part of that equation. Read More.
HBI Learning Center Awarded Silver Medal
The vision of the Mt. Diablo CARES Afterschool Program, a collaboration of Ambrose Recreation and Park District and Mt. Diablo Unified School District is "Children Learning to Change the World," and that vision is changing children and staff! CARES is committed to improving the physical activity and nutrition of all its 2,200 low-income students. Read More.
HBI Changing Lives, Saving Lives Guide is highlighted in Youth Today feature story. Read More.
Annual Fitness 4 Life triathlon features afterschool students who have trained throughout the year. Read More.
HBI Learning Center programs, Mt. Diablo CARES and Woodcraft Rangers, are included in new Guide to Quality Afterschool Partnerships, Case Studies of Effective ASES and 21st CCLC Partnership Models in California from the League of California Afterschool Providers. Read More
Growing Healthy Children
Afterschool programs incorporating the Healthy Behaviors Initiative are changing the lives of their children, families, staff and communities. Watch the video.
