FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 25, 2015

SEMINOLE COUNTY HONORS HEALTHY WEIGHT COMMUNITY CHAMPION DURING THE RAISING OF AMERICA FILM PREMIER

SANFORD - The Florida Department of Health in Seminole County (DOH-Seminole) in collaboration with numerous community-based organizations is hosting the premier of the PBS documentary, The Raising of America: Early Childhood and the Future of Our Nation. The premier will take place on Thursday, February 26, 2015 from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the Regal Oviedo Marketplace located at 1500 Oviedo Rd. Oviedo, Florida, 32765.

Elected officials, community leaders and the media are invited to attend The Raising of America documentary premier which focuses on the importance of good child care in learning and preparing for life and career.

During the opening ceremony of the film premier, the DOH-Seminole will be recognizing Mayor Dominic Persampiere and the City of Oviedo as a Healthy Weight Community Champion. The City of Oviedo is one of 65 communities in the state of Florida to be recognized for their implementation of best practice policies with the goal of promoting wellness, physical activity, and improving nutrition within their jurisdiction.

“It is an honor to recognize the City of Oviedo for their healthy weight efforts. They have positively impacted the lives and health of all residents and visitors of Oviedo and they continue to encourage them to lead healthy lives,” said Dr. Swannie Jett, health officer for the Florida Department of Health in Seminole County. “Presenting the premier of The Raising of America in Oviedo is another step that this community is taking in preparing children for success in life.”

The Raising of America is an hour-long movie followed by a panel discussion and call to action on Early Childhood Education in Central Florida. Panelists include: Dr. Swannie Jett , health officer for the Florida Department of Health in Seminole County; Jennifer Grant, executive director of the Early Learning Coalition of Seminole; Nana Robertson, program manager of Seminole State College’s Early Childhood Education Program and Dr. Laufey Yr Sigurdardottir, child neurologist and director of epilepsy services at Nemours Children's Hospital.

Research has shown that early childhood is an important time for developing dietary and physical activity behaviors that support health and wellbeing, and may help prevent obesity. As such, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers Early Care and Education an important setting to implement childhood obesity prevention strategies.

The Raising of America grew directly out of the California Newsreel’s four-hour PBS series, UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? which explores the root causes of our alarming class and racial inequities in health. The Raising of America focuses on the early years, a time when public policy interventions and grassroots efforts can have the greatest benefits. Many experts link investments in maternal health and early child development as critical to building a healthier, safer, happier, more equitable and more prosperous nation.

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