HEALTHY WEIGHT COMMITMENT FOUNDATION AND DISCOVERY EDUCATION EXTEND REACH IN FIGHT AGAINST CHILDHOOD OBESITY WITH LAUNCH OF SPANISH VERSION OF POPULAR TOGETHER COUNTS™ WEBSITE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Lyndsey Grubbs, Discovery Education
240-662-2572
lyndsey_grubbs@discovery.com

Emily Cullum, HWCF
202-295-2316
ECullum@whwg.com

— ‘Juntos Contamos’ Provides Spanish Resources to Help More Families Lead Active, Healthy Lives —

— Additional Pre-K Resources Bring Active Healthy Living Awareness to a Younger Audience —

Silver Spring, Md. (May 22, 2013) – The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation and Discovery Education are reinforcing their commitment to deepen active, healthy lifestyle resources with the launch of a Spanish language version of the popular Together Counts™ website. The new site, Juntos Contamos, will host neutral Spanish versions of school, home, and community resources on how to live a healthier life from TogetherCounts.com.

According to the US Census Bureau, 52 million Hispanics accounted for 16% of the total US population in 2011. This Latino community is continuing to grow and also experiencing an increase in obesity rates year after year. Acknowledging these statistics and ensuring that language isn`t a barrier to active and healthy living, Juntos Contamos addresses the undeniable need to provide educational, active and healthy living resources for the Hispanic community. The site complements its English counterpart by offering resources for both the home and school. Spanish-speaking families can utilize the resources to lead active, balanced lifestyles and connect what children are learning at school to their lives at home. Spanish-speaking classroom can also take advantage of free Spanish versions of the entire K-5 Energy Balance 101 lesson plans featured on the English language site.

“We want to be able to reach families all across our community when educating about healthy living, and we have a large number of Spanish-speaking parents and students” said Kristine Meurer, executive director of Student, Family and Community Supports for Albuquerque Public Schools. “The partnership between Discovery Education and the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation will offer one more tool we can use to reach more people and spread awareness about the need to stay active and follow a healthy diet.”

The Together Counts initiative is a national campaign that promotes active, healthy living through energy balance – balancing the calories we consume with the calories we burn. The program focuses its efforts on two critical areas – families and schools. It provides tips, tools and incentives for parents, teachers and school health professionals to use in encouraging energy balance.

Together Counts also announces the addition of preschool resources available this fall. The Pre-K offering, also in English and Spanish, will tap into new territory providing health and wellness content for those with young children. The program will offer developmentally appropriate activities with two broad thematic units, “Me and My Choices” and “Give It a Try!” highlighting the need for early adoption of healthy lifestyle choices.

“We are very proud to broaden our reach to the Spanish speaking community and to pre–schoolers by providing them with the same award winning curriculum that has already been so helpful to students and teachers across the country,” said Lisa Gable, President of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation. “Energy balance has been a hallmark of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation and we are happy to be able to continue to build on the success of the Together Counts™ initiative.”

“Discovery Education is continuing its commitment in the fight against childhood obesity. Expanding our Together Counts initiative to reach Spanish speakers and Pre-K students will give even more people the important tools needed to make health and wellness a priority,” said Mary Rollins, vice president, Discovery Education.

For additional information on Together Counts, visit: www.togethercounts.com.

About Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation
The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a CEO-led organization is a national, multi-year effort designed to help reduce obesity–especially childhood obesity–by 2015. It1s a first-of-its kind coalition that brings together more than 200 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods and insurance companies, trade associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and professional sports organizations. The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) promotes ways to help people achieve a healthy weight through energy balance–calories in and calories out. It focuses its efforts on two critical areas—families and schools.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content that supports the implementation of Common Core, professional development, assessment tools, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Available in over half of all U.S. schools, community colleges and in 50 countries around the world, Discovery Education partners with districts, states and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that accelerate academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Explore the future of education www.discoveryeducation.com.

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