Program Overview

Introduction to the Healthy Living Long Island Program

The mission of the Healthy Living Long Island Program is to teach children healthy lifelong habits from an early age. This program was initiated in 2018 by medical students in the Community Service Club at the Zucker School of Medicine, in partnership with the principal at the Barack Obama Elementary School in Hempstead, New York.

Program Overview

The Healthy Living Long Island Program is adapted from Maine's Let's Go! Program and serves as a model for teaching children healthy habits. The program is guided by the nationally recognized 5-2-1-0 guidelines, which advise children to:

• Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables
• Spend no more than 2 hours on recreational screen time
• Participate in at least 1 hour of physical activity
• Drink 0 sugary beverages every day

Program Implementation

The implementation of the Healthy Living Long Island Program includes:

• 2 classroom visits to 3rd graders to introduce the 5-2-1-0 guidelines
• 1 kickoff event at the Zucker School of Medicine with fun and educational activities to reinforce the 5-2-1-0 guidelines
• 1 final reinforcement lesson at the elementary school

Program Duration and Support

The program is now in its third year of existence. The Zucker School of Medicine is committed to supporting Underrepresented Minority (URM) and K-16 students on their pathways to becoming healthcare professionals.

Institutional Policy

Hofstra University, the institution behind the Zucker School of Medicine, is an EO/AA/ADA educator and employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, or religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, physical or mental disability, marital or veteran status in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. Hofstra University admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to its students.