The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is a global program that was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 1991 to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother/baby bonding.

Before you know it school will be back in session and leaves will begin to change. But, right now, it is still peak summer season! So don’t waste another minute – head outside to celebrate (with sunscreen and lots of water, of course)! July is National Parks and Recreation Month – and whether you’re spending the summer close to home or far away, we are sure you can find a place nearby to play outside. 

School meals are quite often the healthiest, and sometimes the only, meals some children receive. At Sky Oaks Elementary School in Minnesota, we believe that encouraging and empowering our students towards a healthy lifestyle is crucial. Once they understand how fantastic certain foods make them feel, students continue eating them. In turn, we are seeing students encourage and empower their peers, as well as their families, to make healthy choices—what a delightful chain reaction! Getting children to try new fruits is easy. Veggies prove to be a tough sell, but our veggie consumption sky rocketed when we started roasting them. One trick is to offer a “Sprinkle or Scoop.” It gives me great pride to see how many “scoops” we actually serve now. In fact, while ten pounds of veggies used to last the entire lunch service, today we cut it close when we roast up 75 pounds! It’s amazing when you see your students come to the realization of how delicious fruits and veggies truly are.

From Hyde Park to the South End, child care providers across Boston are making healthier choices for their children by joining the Boston Healthy Childcare Initiative, launched by Mayor Thomas M. Menino in his 2012 State of the City address.