News Room

Children's, in partnership with the Boston Red Sox and Northeastern University, recently launched HKHF, a community-based pilot initiative aimed at preventing childhood obesity. The purpose of the program is to educate Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) Head Start providers, as well as families to promote healthy eating and increased physical activity among pre-school age children living in the Fenway, Mission Hill, South End, Jamaica Plain and Lower Roxbury communities.

Caregivers and families who completed the ABCD Head Start Wellness workshops were recognized. Two HKHF children were designated as the honorary bat boy and bat girl. A video, which highlighted HKHF played on the Jumbotron and the HKHF kids said "Play ball!" over the loud speakers to the excitement of the crowd. Children's Medical Director for Community Health, Shari Nethersole, MD, represented the hospital and also honored the caregivers and patient families.

The Head Start program of Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) provides 2,400 low-income, pre-kindergarten children and their families with education, health, special education, dental, mental health, social and nutritional services in 24 neighborhood-based programs throughout Boston. Parents are active participants in Head Start where they have access to special programs such as literacy, health education, higher education, and professional development/training opportunities. Head Start serves as a model for early childhood initiatives nationwide and throughout the world. Early Head Start serves pregnant mothers, infants and toddlers up to age three.

Founded in 1869 as a 20-bed hospital for children, Children's Hospital Boston today is one of the nation's leading pediatric medical centers, the primary pediatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, and the largest provider of health care to Massachusetts children. In addition to 396 pediatric and adolescent inpatient beds and more than 100 outpatient programs, Children's houses the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries benefit both children and adults. More than 500 scientists, including eight members of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 members of the Institute of Medicine and 13 members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Children's research community. For more information about the hospital visit: www.childrenshospital.org/newsroom.