StartSmart: Review and Share

We are grateful for the participation of our thirty pilot schools. Without their participation, their valuable information and sharing, we might not be able to assess the feasibility of interventions, which aimed at promoting healthy eating and physical activity in the preschool setting, nor could we compile the thirty cases into this book to share with joy with our readers.

We have found that the pre-primary institutions that joined the StartSmart@school.hk Pilot Project have all been enthusiastically cultivating among their pupils the habit of eating healthily and exercising regularly. Making use of the school-based experience of the pilot schools, these institutions conducted different kinds of educational activities that helped children live out certain health messages in a vivid way.

We are glad to see that the pilot schools have implemented the necessary administrative/ ancillary measures and realised the importance of parent-school collaboration; as a result, the knowledge in question transformed into children’s good daily habits of healthy diet and physical activity. In formulating the healthy school policy, some schools even set up sustainable objectives which cover the curriculum, administrative operation, etc. in order to promote a multifaceted healthy lifestyle promotion among their pupils. Examples include: arranging topic studies that last several weeks, re-designing the menus, and organising healthy birthday parties that offer fruit and healthy sponge cakes.

As for the schools’ ancillary measures, the pilot schools were able to make use of the community resources effectively; some of them even rented facilities in community centres nearby to enable children and parents to exercise together after school. In such a way, they made good use of time and facilitated the formation of regular exercise at the family level.

As for parent-school collaboration, the pilot schools distributed news regularly to parents, and posted the learning experience of the children on internet websites for sharing. Moreover, some schools invited parents to participate in voluntary work within the schools. Some also organised seminars for parents. All these measures encouraged parents to get the messages of healthy diet and regular physical exercise across to other families. Results were successful.

We hope this book can be a good reference for all staff of pre-primary institutions. Teachers can adapt the sharing, comments and advice of the pilot schools to their own circumstances in order to work towards a healthy campus.

We hope this book can help parents understand and appreciate the effort made by the schools in educating young children. Through parent-school collaboration and examples as set by school staff themselves, a supportive environment is constructed for children to cultivate a habit of healthy eating and regular exercise. With healthy dietary habits and an active lifestyle, they will become more resistant to diseases and lead a healthy life hopefully for the rest of adulthood.

We also hope that this book can call for the awareness of healthy and active lifestyle for children.

Let us strive for the health of our future pillars of society!

The Central Health Education Unit

Spring, 2012