Health Foundation Awards $80,000 Grant to Ingredients for Education for KickinNutrition.TV

MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - August 22, 2016) - Ingredients for Education (IFE), a nonprofit organization that uses technology and hands-on experiences to help children develop lifelong healthy habits, received an $80,000 grant from Health Foundation of South Florida to bring IFE's marquee program, KickinNutrition.TV (KNTV) to select Miami-Dade and Broward community schools and after school programs. KNTV is an innovative, evidence-based digital education program that teaches youth, ages 6-13, and families the skills needed to eat healthier, cook at home, and get moving.

The funding enables local community partners, FLIPANY, City of Miami Gardens Parks & Recreation and North Dade Middle School to make KickinNutrition.TV available in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties during the 2016-2017 academic year. They will feature the KNTV program during school and in after school programming in over 30 implementation sites. KNTV, which uses engaging videos featuring diverse, real-life teenage characters, relatable storylines, gamification and online campaigns, strives to reduce health disparities, combat obesity and improve the health and wellbeing of children and families in urban and underserved communities.

According to FLIPANY President and CEO Lynn Kunis, KickinNutrition.TV's digital education approach is a progressive way to work with youth in underserved communities. She added, "The edgy videos and fully developed interactive lessons reinforce critical thinking skills that middle school students need to become health literate." North Dade Middle School Principal Fabrice Laguerre echoes the importance of KickinNutrtion.TV as a way to teach essential skills. He stated, "Our goal is to prepare students for a thirst to exceed their environment and be able to compete in a global economy physically, mentally, socially and psychologically. We need community partners to help us create lifestyle changes."

President/Founder of Ingredients for Education Natasha Lance Rogoff points to the expansion of IFE's work in Florida as a key strategic goal for the organization, after a successful three-year implementation of KickinNutrition.TV in Pinellas County with 14,000 youth. She stated, "With Health Foundation's support and with the work our local partners are doing in Miami-Dade and Broward, we are able to address health disparities and reduce childhood obesity in low-income communities. She added, "Our local partners are the real champions who are implementing KickinNutrition.TV in their communities and bringing our program's demonstrated strategies for success to children and families. The way forward is to empower and engage communities, foster collaboration, and provide the tools to implement and inspire change using everything kids love -- technology, entertainment, cooking, food, and feeling good about themselves."

As an engaging, interactive platform, KNTV makes nutrition education entertaining and empowering through peer-taught lesson videos, cooking demonstrations, original recipes, and more, all designed with digital natives in mind. The lessons learned through KNTV focus on how to choose nutritious foods in the most cost-effective way and to create habits that will lead to lifelong health and wellbeing.

About Health Foundation of South Florida:

Health Foundation of South Florida, a nonprofit grant making organization, is dedicated to improving health in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. By funding providers and supporting programs to promote health and prevent disease, the Foundation makes a measurable and sustainable impact in the health of individuals and families. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $115 million in grants and program support. For more information, please call 305.374.7200 or visit the website, www.hfsf.org.

About Ingredients for Education:

Ingredients for Education (IFE), is a Massachusetts nonprofit organization serving communities, in school and out of school by providing educational outreach using technology and hands-on experiences to foster lifelong healthy habits, leadership, and self-efficacy. Through the distribution of its marquee program, "KickinNutrition.TV" (KNTV) to Title 1 schools and after school programs, IFE provides children and their families with tools, inspiration, and education necessary to take steps to improve health behaviors and lifestyles. KNTV's research-based curriculum and content was developed by a former Sesame Street International Executive Producer, Natasha Lance Rogoff, in collaboration with nutrition and education experts from Boston University, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and advisors from MIT. Its content is evidence-based, tailored for fourth through eighth grade audiences, and works to leverage technology in order to combat health disparities that so often exist in underserved communities. With support from philanthropic foundations, KNTV's program has been adopted by schools, after school programs, and community organizations in New York, Massachusetts, California and Florida, reaching over 25,000 students since 2014. For more information visit: http://www.KickinNutrition.TV or Twitter: @KickinNutrition and Facebook: KickinNutrition.TV.

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