Thanks to a $50,000 grant, Sacred Heart Hospital is partnering with two Pensacola elementary schools to promote healthy behaviors and lifestyle habits among children.

The hospital's parent company Ascension funded the grant, which pairs the hospital with O.J. Semmes and Holm elementary schools. The effort will provide resources, program staffing and educational materials.

According to a news release, the schools were chosen based on student need, school ranking and prior relationships with the hospital, including a student mentorship program Sacred Heart has with O.J. Semmes.

Semmes is ranked a D school according to state standardized test data and 100 percent of the students there are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, typically used as a marker of poverty in a school's community.

Holm is ranked a C on state standardized test data and has a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 88 percent.

“Healthy habits begin at a young age,” said Henry Stovall, president of Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola. “Initiatives such as this are important not just for keeping our kids healthy now, but for helping them to remain healthy well into adulthood.”

The effort is based on a Florida Health Department program, "5-2-1-0 Let's Go!" That campaign serves as shorthand for healthy behaviors to strive for daily: five fruits and vegetables, two hours or less of “screen time” in front of electronic devices, one or more hours of physical activity and zero sugary drinks.

Why is the campaign important?

Data from the state Health Department shows that in Escambia County, 30.6 percent of middle and high school students are considered overweight or obese. Only 23.6 percent of middle and high schoolers were active for 60 minutes a day on all of the past seven days.

Those figures take a toll on the community's overall health profile.

The Sacred Heart program will feature:

— Educational tools, resources and activities to assist faculty, students and parents in learning more about developing healthy habits. 

— A nutrition- and physical-activity-focused curriculum called “Play While You Learn,” including lesson plans and activities for teachers to use in engaging with students.

— Healthy snacks available to students during standardized testing days.

— A video series to lead students during exercise breaks.

— Treasure boxes, which reward students in healthy, non-food-based ways, such as with extra recess or reading time or options to listen to music while working on class assignments.

— “Champion” teachers at each school to provide feedback on how the tools and resources were used.

— Field trips for students at Sacred Heart’s Miracle Camp, where they may learn about healthy behaviors requiring little or no resources so that students are better equipped to stay healthy over the summer and throughout their lives.