HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Before some people get up in the morning, the children at the La Petite Academy in Glen Allen are revving things up. The school provides a health and nutrition program called Grow Fit.
"In the morning after circle time, they get up and have a 10-minute break, a physical fitness break," Academy Director Pamela Mayfield-Smith said.
Grow Fit is a health and nutrition program recognized with a prestigious national award from The Partnership for a Healthier America, a non-profit affiliated with Michelle Obama.
Mayfield-Smith called the program a great way to get kids thinking healthy, especially in the fight against childhood obesity.
"In some ways we have a food fight,” Mayfield-Smith said. "It's the good food versus the bad food. Our goal is to encourage them or help them to make a better choice. To choose between an apple or a Doritos."
Through the Grow Fit initiative, the schools focus on making nutrition and physical activity essential elements in helping their children reach their full potential.
"Especially as they get older and get to middle school and high school," Mayfield-Smith said. "If that foundation is laid there, then they'll be successful with their eating habits."
