By Erin Pedrini
Web Production Assistant
The Lifeline Challenge to Healthy Living aims to teach elementary school students ways to live a healthy life with good eating and exercise habits. The program falls under the Clara Maass Medical Center and the foundation helps to fund the program. The program reaches third and fourth grade students in 12 schools in Essex, Hudson and Bergen counties. Schools include Branch Brook School in Newark; Watsessing Elementary School, Carteret Elementary School and Berkeley School in Bloomfield; Washington School in Nutely; Belleville Schools 3, 8 and 10 in Belleville; Hamilton School and Lincoln School in Harrison; Washington School in Kearny; and Jefferson School in North Arlington.
Registered Dietician Molly Fallon said the program brings dietitians into the schools for an hour and a half, one day a week, after school throughout the school year who teach the students a nutrition program. She said that the program is focused around “My Plate” and branches out into different topics every lesson, such as food labels, sugary drinks and physical activity. She said that the program provides the students with snacks every week to expose them to a new food and get them to try new things. The dietitians also work with the physical education teachers at the schools to get the kids up and moving each week.
Fallon said that the first 45 minutes of the program are dedicated to the nutrition lesson, so whatever the topic is for that week, the dietitians bring some sort of hands-on interactive activity. She said for example, one of the lessons they do is about calcium and dairy so the dietitians do an egg experiment for the kids where they get to see the affects that soda and other acids have on their bones as opposed to dairy. She said there is always something interesting for the students to observe and put their hands on so they can grasp the concept better, which is important for that age group. She said after that, the kids get a snack and the snack is always trying to reinforce the lesson for the day, such as a spinach and berry smoothie when the lesson is about fruits and vegetables. The last half hour to 45 minutes are left up to the physical education teachers and the teachers plan different activities based around the lesson that was given that day, said Fallon.
Director of Special Events Justine McCarthy said that the program partners with the towns and the districts themselves to determine what schools have the most need. They base the need on low income, so schools where the children are qualifying for free or subsidized lunch wouldn’t have access to programing like this otherwise. She said it is a partnership between the hospital and the Board of Education in each of the towns.
“I think that we actually get a wonderful response. The principals of many of the schools are extremely supportive of the program. They love having it in their schools because they know that we are encouraging and promoting health and also doing the lessons in a fun manner so it’s not just that we are sitting there and lecturing them. It is something that the students can incorporate in their daily lives in a fun way and teach their families about it as well,” said Registered Dietician Ann Espinoza.
“It’s really great when we see kids that really enjoy the program in third grade and sign up again in fourth grade as well just because it was a really great experience and they want to continue on with it,” said Fallon.
Espinoza said, “I definitely think one of the most rewarding things is when the kids come back and tell you that they made a recipe that we have given to them because after each lesson we are actually giving them hand-outs of snack recipes if it’s something that we prepared so they can make it at home. It is rewarding when they come back and say that they made it at home and they loved it or they went home or they told their parents about something that we talked about and they are really trying to make changes and try new foods. I think that’s one of the most rewarding things, when the kids come up and are very excited to see what they are going to be learning about that particular day.”
The Clara Maass Medical Foundation is hosting a 5K Run and 2K Fun Walk at the Turtleback Zoo in West Orange on Sunday, Oct. 12. All proceeds from the event will go toward subsidizing the program and to help underwrite the costs, said McCarthy. This is the major fundraiser for the program and this is the third year that it is being held. Some of the schools have made their own teams for the walk to get the faculty involved as well.
“We get to take over the zoo in the morning so it is a really great opportunity to get out there, get moving, live an active lifestyle and really put into action what the dietitians are teaching the children at the schools. We want to make this event fun for everyone, whether or not you are a participant in the after-school program,” said McCarthy. “We are trying to reinforce everything that we are teaching the students and make this a fun outlet for them to get together outside of the classroom and interact with the rest of the community.”
McCarthy said that the the walk raises a lot of money for a great program and it is a good opportunity for everybody regardless of whether or not someone is from the towns that the program is in or are just citizens of New Jersey who are interested in being healthy. “It promotes eating right and being healthy and being the best you can be while getting out and enjoying what we have to offer in this area. While the program is targeting third- and fourth-graders, I think the event does a great job of reaching 70-year-olds and 2-year-olds and getting everybody out and moving,” said McCarthy.
The run will start at 9:30 a.m. and the walk will start at 9:45 a.m. Registration is $25 for adults and $5 for children. The registration fee includes zoo admission for the day and a T-shirt. Participants are able to choose between the 5K run and the 2K fun walk through the zoo. There will also be Zumba warm-up, massages, MCs, discounted mini-golf and honorary co-chair for the event, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, will speak. Register for the event here.