Yvette Rodriguez, right, director of ABCD Head Start and Children's Services, presented community engagement awards to President Joseph E. Aoun and Robert Gittens, center, the university?s vice president for public affairs. Gittens accepted Aoun?s award on the president?s behalf. At left, Sharon Scott-Chandler, executive vice president, ABCD, Inc. Photo by Casey Bayer.
Action for Boston Com?mu?nity Devel?op?ment, a local orga?ni?za?tion that empowers com?mu?nity mem?bers to over?come poverty and achieve their poten?tial, hon?ored North?eastern on Friday for the university?s long-??standing sup?port for ABCD Head Start and Children?s Ser?vices programs.
At the event, Yvette Rodriguez, director of ABCD Head Start and Children?s Ser?vices, pre?sented com?mu?nity engage?ment awards to Pres?i?dent Joseph E. Aoun and Robert Git?tens, the university?s vice pres?i?dent for public affairs. Git?tens accepted Aoun?s award on the president?s behalf. The awards honor those who have sup?ported ABCD Head Start in its efforts to pro?vide ser?vices to area fam?i?lies; they were pre?sented at an annual breakfast?held this year in the Curry Stu?dent Center?that rec?og?nizes par?ents for their vol?un?teer ser?vice to the?program.
North?eastern has part?nered with ABCD Head Start and Children?s Ser?vices through the university?s Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures pro?gram, which was founded in 2009. Co-??sponsored by Boston Children?s Hos?pital, the pro?gram aims to pre?vent early child?hood obe?sity by sup?porting healthy envi?ron?ments for chil?dren at home, in school, and in their com?mu?ni?ties. Pres?i?dent Aoun and Git?tens have served in crit?ical roles in estab?lishing, sup?porting, and growing the pro?gram, which includes research by North?eastern fac?ulty in the Bouv? Col?lege of Health Sci?ences aimed at curbing child?hood obe?sity in Boston?s neighborhoods.
?The part?ner?ship with ABCD has been ter?rific for North?eastern Uni?ver?sity,? Git?tens said in his accep?tance?speech.
Over the last four years, Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures pro?gram?ming has reached more than 500 Head Start fam?i?lies and staff mem?bers. These efforts include the Farm to Family pro?gram, which pro?vides low-??income fam?i?lies with fresh pro?duce; an annual Walk Chal?lenge; the Open Gym pro?gram that gives par?ents and their chil?dren a weekly oppor?tu?nity to engage in phys?ical activity together; and a variety of nutri?tion?classes.
ABCD Head Start and Children?s Ser?vices serves about 2,500 low-??income chil?dren and their fam?i?lies each year, offering a variety of early child?hood edu?ca?tion, health, and case man?age?ment ser?vices at sites throughout the?city.
At Friday?s break?fast, Git?tens stressed the cru?cial role parental involve?ment plays in helping chil?dren grow and suc?ceed. ?Parental engage?ment is what makes Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures suc?cessful and the work of ABCD Head Start suc?cessful,? he explained. ?It really is key to the future accom?plish?ments of your children.?
Rodriguez praised par?ents in atten?dance for helping ABCD Head Start rack up more than 5,000 hours of vol?un?teer ser?vice last year. She also empha?sized the impor?tance of devel?oping strong part?ner?ships with North?eastern and other local insti?tu?tions in an effort to make an impact in local communities.
?This is a true example of a suc?cessful part?ner?ship that serves fam?i?lies,? Rodriguez said. ?ABCD is extremely pleased with our involve?ment in the Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures part?ner?ship and the work we?ve accomplished.?
Source: http://www.northeastern.edu/news/2013/05/head-start/
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