Bright Horizons Family Solutions® and its CEO David Lissy were both recognized at Partnership for a Healthier America’s (PHA) Building a Healthier Future Summit for assuming a central leadership role in the battle against childhood obesity and in promoting the well-being of children. First Lady Michelle Obama was introduced by Lissy to deliver the Keynote talk during the plenary session on Thursday, February 26.
The Summit gathers policy makers with health experts, industry and business leaders to focus on solving the major problem of childhood obesity. The Summit sessions will be focused on topics that include corporate advancement and innovation for health and wellness and food; sustainability and the future perspectives concerning food; and striving for equality in healthcare.
“It is an incredible honor to not only join First Lady Michelle Obama and PHA on this critical initiative but to also be recognized as an organization that has led the way in providing early childhood settings that that foster and encourage the development of healthy habits. This is truly a celebration of our commitment to children’s health and recognizing the significant role that early educators have in influencing the behaviors that children adopt at an early age,” said Lissy.
In 2012, Bright Horizons was the first to collaborate with PHA as the first education and early care provider; Bright Horizons served as a model to follow for child care centers in the country. Bright Horizons, as part of this partnership, underwent a complete evaluation of its policies and practices in physical activity and nutrition. The assessment confirmed that all Bright Horizons centers provide constant availability of water at any time throughout the day and during meals, and made sure sugar-sweetened beverages and fried foods are not included in menus. Children can also integrate active outdoor and indoor play during the day.
“Our collaboration with Bright Horizons has set a standard for health and wellness in the early childhood education space encouraging companies to create healthier environments for the children in their care by meeting requirements around nutrition physical activity and screen time. We are proud of Bright Horizons for being one of PHA’s first partners for completing its commitment and for serving as an open model for others in the industry. We look forward to continuing our work with them as a PHA partner emeritus,” concluded PHA Lawrence Soler in a press release.
Bright Horizons enables children to understand and gain awareness of how their bodies function, how to protect themselves and what their bodies need. A chance to learn more about food and appropriate portion sizes are also topics that children can debate and learn.