Description
For more than 50 years, the Robert Crown Center for Health Education (RCC) has been the largest provider of health education to school-age children and youth in the Chicago region. Founded in 1958 as the Hinsdale Health Museum, the RCC educates children and families around the major themes of Human Growth and Development, Obesity Prevention, Addiction Prevention, and General Health. More than 100,000 students, teachers, and parents take advantage of Robert Crown programs every year at our campuses in Hinsdale, Chicago, and Aurora, and on-site in schools.
Our programs target health risks most pertinent to the children’s age, gender, and community. The research based content of our programs helps students increase their understanding of how their body works and how to avoid these health risks. As a child’s understanding of his or her body and it systems deepens, he or she is better prepared to make healthy choices about substance abuse, healthy eating, and sexual behavior. Programs are delivered by a team of health education experts, all of whom are trained in the latest educational techniques and use the latest findings in health research to present the information to the children. For some of the children we serve, particularly those from schools in low-income areas, the Robert Crown Center may be their only resource to learn about health and the body. Our programs include:
The "Linda" and "Michael" puberty education programs for fifth and sixth graders, in which a same-gender instructor discusses reproductive anatomy, hygiene, and respect for others.
Human growth and development programs in which students learn age-appropriate information on the male and female reproductive systems and discuss the risks and consequences of teenage sexual activity, including teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Drug abuse prevention programs, in which students learn about the effects of drug use and abuse on the developing body and mind, learn how advertising, media, and peer pressure can affect their decisions about drugs, and discuss prescription and over-the-counter drug use and abuse along with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs.
General health education programs, such as "The Incredible Machine" for grades 4-6, which reviews the body and its systems, illustrates the effect of diet, exercise, and tobacco and other drugs on the body, and includes information on healthy lifestyle choices.
The new FIT Campaign obesity prevention program for elementary school students, which promotes healthy dietary choices, stresses the importance of exercise and sleep, and discusses correlations between obesity and Type II diabetes. This multi-session program, developed by Robert Crown health educators, uses an original cartoon character and includes time for physical activity after each session.
