Nestlé Nutrition, RU‒Newark, Program for Parents Will Support Early Childhood Nutrition Education in Newark Fairmount Promise Neighborhood
A new public/private partnership will promote nutrition, health and wellness for expectant mothers and families with young children living in the Newark Fairmount Promise Neighborhood (NFPN).
The First 1,000 Days: Early Childhood Nutrition Education Program is a one-year collaboration among Rutgers University-Newark, Nestlé Nutrition US and Program for Parents, Inc. that will provide a research-based, unbranded, peer-reviewed curriculum and training for local residents to act as advocates and deliver the educational materials throughout the community.
The NFPN effort will be an integral part of the pipeline of cradle to college and career services that NFPN stakeholders are developing in the Fairmount community. Program for Parents, Inc., a not-for-profit organization which works to ensure that children get the best possible start in life, will play a pivotal role in connecting this pipeline of services.
The First 1,000 Days collaboration was announced Oct. 29 in the Fairmont neighborhood at St. John Baptist Church, which also will host some of the workshops to empower parents and expectant mothers.
(Photo) Nestlé Nutrition's Gary Tickle explaining Nestlé's commitment to early childhood nutrition
NFPN is one of two Promise Neighborhood programs in the U.S. to partner with Nestlé using the First 1,000 Days concept. The NFPN is a collective impact program model managed collaboratively by Rutgers University‒Newark’s Office of University Community Partnerships, the United Way of Essex and West Hudson, and the Urban League of Essex County, in collaboration with Newark Public Schools. NFPN brings together residents with public and private partners to develop, deliver, and monitor a continuum of high-quality programs and supportive services for children in one of New Jersey’s most distressed communities. One of fewer than 50 such community-driven efforts in the country, NFPN was awarded a planning grant from the U.S. Department of Education in December 2012.
At the ceremony announcing the collaboration, Gary Tickle, Regional Business Head for Nestlé Nutrition US, described how his company has supported childhood nutrition since its founding by Henri Nestlé in 1866. Henri Nestlé developed the first infant formula to save the life of a neighbor’s baby who was unable to breastfeed. Tickle declared, “What can be better than improving the wellness of our children? They are our future.”
Rutgers University-Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor, noting the many community partners who will be involved in the First 1,000 Days, compared the collaboration to the barn-raisings of past centuries in the U.S., where all members of a community would gather to help build a barn. In this case, said Cantor, building the barn means growing and sharing food, teaching knowledge and skills, and then empowering members of the community to share what they have learned.
The crucial importance of early childhood nutrition underpins the program’s goals. “The first 1,000 days of children’s lives, defined as pregnancy through the first two years of life, are important to the health of the child over the child’s lifespan,” explains Wendy Johnson-Askew, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Nestlé Nutrition US. ”Children who are obese are at risk for a poorer quality of life and a shorter life.”
“Brain development is most rapid in the early years of life. When a child’s diet is deficient, child development is seriously affected,” notes CEO Beverly Lynn, Program for Parents, Inc. “Programs for Parents is proud to partner with this initiative to ensure that young children in the Newark Fairmount community have access to healthy and nutritious meals and information that support early development. “
First 1,000 Days continues Nestlé Nutrition’s commitment to promoting early childhood nutrition programs in Newark; Nestlé Nutrition partnered with the City of Newark in 2012-2013 on a city-wide nutrition program. The six-module curriculum is based on a 2008 study that found children begin to develop unhealthy dietary patterns, mirroring older children and adults, as early as 12 to 24 months. It focuses on breastfeeding, hunger and fullness cues, how and when to introduce solids, transitioning to table foods, nutritious snacking, and feeding the fussy toddler. The program is designed for expectant mothers as well as parents and caregivers of young children. First 1,000 Days is a research-based, curriculum-driven education program that will be implemented under the guidance of nutrition specialists who will incorporate local foods and culture into the training. No branded food products will be used.
In keeping with NFPN and Nestlé’s philosophy of active resident engagement, select program graduates will be trained as peer educators to administer the curriculum throughout the community. Both programs embrace the importance of transferring the tools by which communities empower themselves to promote sound, sustainable practices. Nestlé is providing funding in the amount of $75,000 to support the education and training effort, including stipends for community advocates trained to deliver the instruction.
About Nestlé Nutrition
Nestlé Nutrition, part of Nestlé S.A., is a world leader in nutrition, health and wellness. Gerber Products Company, founded in 1928, officially joined the Nestlé Nutrition family in 2007. Nestlé Nutrition and Gerber’s combined resources and scientific research expertise have enabled the company to become a worldwide leader in early childhood nutrition. Gerber produces more than 400 food products, all of which are a part of the proprietary Gerber® Start Healthy, Stay Healthy™ nutrition system. The Gerber® Start Healthy, Stay Healthy™ nutrition system combines products, educational resources and services that are designed to encourage the early establishment of healthy eating habits in children from birth to preschool.
About Rutgers University‒Newark
Rutgers University‒ Newark is a diverse, urban, public research university that is an anchor institution in Greater Newark. Approximately 12,000 students are currently enrolled at the 38-acre campus in Newark, N.J. in a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered through the Newark College of Arts and Sciences, University College, the Graduate School-Newark, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick, the School of Law-Newark, the School of Criminal Justice, the School of Public Affairs and Administration. For more information please visit www.newark.rutgers.edu.
About Programs for Parents (PfP)
PfP is a not-for-profit organization which works to ensure that children get the best possible start in life. It accomplishes this by promoting quality child care services within the community. It links families seeking child care with those organizations that provide such skills. In addition, its goal is to continue to enhance the skills and activities of child care providers so that children and families receive high quality services in the areas of health, safety and child development.
(Photo at left) Nestlé Nutrition's Gary Tickle explaining Nestlé's commitment to early childhood nutrition
Media contact: Carla Capizzi, capizzi@rutgers.edu
