Education
Education is one of the ways Live HealthSmart Alabama supports healthy choices. As one of our four keys, we work to provide the resources needed to make educated decisions about your health. This also includes increasing childhood literacy by the 3rd grade through access and availability of programs, services, and counseling.
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Health Education Library
Designed to help communities, teams, employees, and peers embrace a healthier lifestyle, the library includes 70+ fact sheets and recipe cards to provide relevant, easy-to-understand information
Childhood Nutrition & Activity
Healthy Happy Kids
The Healthy Happy Kids (HHK) program is committed to educating children on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Since its inception in 2008, the program has expanded significantly, initially reaching 1,500 kids in two schools. With the support of community partners, HHK has grown to reach over 2,300 students across 24 Birmingham schools.
Through a recent train-the-trainer initiative, more than 200 after-school care program directors were trained as HHK leaders, equipped with a curriculum, and taught how to deliver the lessons effectively. For eight weeks, children in after-school programs participate in educational activities that emphasize healthy eating and physical activity. They learn to make simple, nutritious snacks and engage in exercises like volleyball, jump rope, and frisbee. This holistic approach ensures that children not only learn about nutrition but also appreciate the importance of physical activity, fostering healthier lifestyles.
To implement Healthy Happy Kids at your school, please contact us.
HEAL United
To achieve our transformational goals requires partners who believe in our mission of making good health simple, and are driven to work alongside us to make it a reality. One of the organizations improving health in our state, together with Live HealthSmart Alabama, is Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) United.
Since 2007, HEAL United has sought to improve children’s health through education and the practice of healthy lifestyle behaviors. Over the years, HEAL United built a support system for children that advanced with them through each grade—empowering them to take an active role in the health of their household and community. Learn more about our partnership.
Community & Teaching Farms
Teaching farms—which highlight our education and good nutrition keys—are as unique as the communities they serve. Based on need, we’ve assisted neighborhoods with developing and maintaining their gardens as a way of creating hands-on learning opportunities.
In Selma, we established a collaboration with Jones Valley Teaching Farm to bring sustainable, food-based education to local school, Sophia P. Kingston. To achieve this goal, we empowered teachers with the knowledge and tools to integrate gardening and culinary learning into their classrooms, creating opportunities for students to engage with food in a more meaningful way. Each session focused on tangible, transferable skills, which include how to build and manage a school garden, conduct culinary lessons, deliver outdoor curriculum, and adapt existing classroom content to hands-on, food-centered learning.
Vocabby's World
To help support vocabulary and literacy among Birmingham children, we connected ArtPlay—the basis of UAB Arts’ mission to make arts accessible—with like-minded partners that contribute to the implementation of Vocabby’s World. This no cost vocabulary program for pre-K kids and their guardians, provides hands-on learning and activities. Attendees receive free books, curriculum, and art materials to take home—further solidifying the day’s teachings. Throughout the month, kids can also visit select community partners to participate in the Passport Program word scavenger hunt.
Community Leadership Academy
The Community Leadership Academy, one of the ways we encourage people join our transformational movement of making good health simple, offers a custom leadership curriculum funded by Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED. Over nine sessions, participants develop skills in personal strengths, public speaking, effective communication, team building, and conflict resolution. The program is geared toward community members who are passionate about addressing local issues related to prevention and wellness, education, good nutrition, and physical activity.