Schools + Parents
LiveWell Kids

Launched by Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) in 2007, LiveWell Kids is a comprehensive school well-being program developed specifically for elementary school students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The program was originally created in response to a high rate of obesity – 20 percent in 2007 among Redondo Beach elementary school students. Since the program’s inception, there has been a 60.5% decline in RBUSD student obesity. 

After a brief pause in data collection due to COVID-19, BCHD resumed its annual Body Mass Index (BMI) assessments throughout Redondo Beach Unified School District (RBUSD) elementary schools. The 2021-22 childhood obesity rate for participating RBUSD elementary students was 7.9%. While this is a slight increase from 2019 (6.4%), obesity rates among RBUSD Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd and 5th grade students have been declining since 2007, and are far below the county, state and national obesity rates.

The LiveWell Kids program includes both garden and nutrition education. It is comprised of six interactive lessons focused on educating students about the process and benefits of growing their own food, improving nutritional knowledge and making healthy eating choices. All lessons are delivered in the fresh air of the school gardens by trained volunteers. Funded by BCHD, the gardens are maintained by a dedicated group of Garden Angel volunteers.

2022-2023 Lessons

Lesson 1: The Importance of Water for People and Plants

Lesson 2: Planting Cool-Season Crops – From Garden to Pizza

Lesson 3: Soil, Sodium and Minerals All Living Things Need Nutrients

Lesson 4: Pollination and Seeds

Lesson 5: Harvesting Cool-Season Crops and Enjoying Fresh Garden Foods

Lesson 6: Planting Warm-Season Crops & Creating Balanced Meals

Try some of these healthy and delicious LiveWell Kids Recipes!

Volunteer Supplements:

Garden Resources:

Nutrition Resources:

Childhood Obesity Decline in Redondo Beach 

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in partnership with Beach Cities Health District. Recent Trends in Childhood Obesity Prevalence in the Redondo Beach Unified School District: A Case Study; June 2020. 

Palacios, C., Simon, P., Steward, A., Garner, T., Hameed, H., & Shetgiri, R. (2022). Impact of an Elementary School-Based Wellness Initiative on Child Obesity Prevalence: LiveWell Kids. Health Promotion Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399211065717
 

 

LiveWell Kids Program Reports

Education Standards

LiveWell Kids aligns with the [1] National Health Education Standards (NHES), [2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curricula using the 2021 Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT), [3] California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and [4] Common Core State Standards (CCSS). For more information, please view our Nutrition and Garden Standards.

For more information, please contact:

Mishell Balzer
School Health Programs Coordinator, Garden
Mishell.Balzer@bchd.org
310-374-3426 ext. 8264

Tami Kachel, MPH
School Health Programs Coordinator, Nutrition
Tami.Kachel@bchd.org
310-374-3426 ext. 8354

Garden Angel volunteers maintain the school gardens. Interested in becoming a Garden Angel volunteer for the LiveWell Kids Program? Apply today!