GREAT BAY--Collective Prevention Services (CPS), the Department of Sport, the Division of Public Education and Stichting EGO have launched a back-to-school awareness campaign aimed at encouraging healthier daily habits among children and families across St. Maarten.
The campaign focuses on five practical themes: Eat Smart, Drink Water, Sleep Well, Move More and Less Screen Time. The messages are designed to turn findings from the St. Maarten Child Monitor 2025 into simple actions that families can incorporate into everyday life.
The Child Monitor identified opportunities to improve nutrition, physical activity, sleep and overall well-being among primary school children. The campaign also emphasizes the connection between healthy lifestyles and children’s concentration, energy levels, behavior and performance at school.
Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Melissa Gumbs said improving children’s health requires involvement well beyond Government.
“Promoting the health and well-being of our children is a shared responsibility. As government, we have an important role to play, but we cannot do this alone. Parents, schools, healthcare providers, businesses, community organisations, and families all have a part to play in helping our children develop healthy habits. When we work together and make healthy choices part of everyday life, we create an environment where our children can grow, learn, and thrive,” Gumbs said.
Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Claret Connor also stressed the importance of establishing healthy routines early in life.
“Healthy habits established during childhood are an important foundation for lifelong health. By encouraging children to eat well, drink water, stay active and get enough sleep, we support their well-being today while helping to prevent health problems in the future,” Connor said.
The collaborating organizations said the campaign is intended to make health information practical and accessible to families rather than leaving the findings of the Child Monitor as statistics alone.
Small changes such as replacing sugary drinks with water, encouraging children to be physically active, establishing consistent sleep routines and reducing unnecessary screen time can contribute to better health while also supporting learning and development.
The campaign will begin with a short awareness video and the first of five posters. Each of the five themes will then be introduced separately over the coming months through posters, flyers, social media, schools and community outreach activities.
Campaign materials will also be distributed to schools, daycare centers, healthcare providers and other community locations. Parents and caregivers will receive the messages through the communication channels of the participating organizations.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts to use locally collected information to strengthen preventive health programs and create healthier environments for children at home, in schools and throughout the community.
CPS, the Department of Sport, the Division of Public Education and Stichting EGO said their collaboration brings together expertise in health promotion, education, physical activity, prevention and child development, with the common goal of supporting healthier children and families across St. Maarten.
For additional information, persons can contact Collective Prevention Services at +1 (721) 542-1570 or via email atCPSHealthPromo@sintmaartengov.org
