Tallahassee, FL - Throughout Florida, youth, families and organizations are gearing up for the 16th Annual Florida Children's Week to raise awareness about critical children's issues and programs.

"Children's Week is the largest statewide civic education event for children and families in Florida," says Children's Week coordinator Jason Zaborske.  "With events happening in all 67 counties and thousands of families traveling to Tallahassee to participate in the Children's 'Capitol for a Day', it is the one time during the year that students have the opportunity to come together with one voice for children.”

From now through April, more than 75 statewide partners and organizations including Comcast, Nemours, The Pearson Foundation, United Healthcare, Florida KidCare, United Way of Florida and dozens of non-profit organizations are teaming up to host a multitude of events and activities designed to promote the education, health, safety and well-being of children and families across the Sunshine State.

During the next ten weeks, communities will host children's activities and events including:

• Children in schools and child care centers throughout Florida will design and color more than 100,000 paper cut-outs of their hands that will be hung in the Capitol Rotunda on Sunday, April 3 at 12:30p.m.
  
  
• The "Capital Steps for Kids" program presented by Nemours provides Children’s Week local event coordinators with 10,000 pedometers to organize walks and promote healthy and active lifestyles, where steps will be tracked.
  
  
• N.I.E Civics Essay Contest – Students have the ability to put their thoughts into action in essay form, focusing on problems in their community, why such problems need to be solved and ways to address the issues at hand.  To find out more information on how students can take part, visit – www.childrensweek.org.  Essay submission deadline is March 12, 2011.
  
  
• The "Children's Capital for a Day" is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5 from 9a.m. to 3p.m. at the State Capitol.  The day includes free walking tours of the Capitol, hands-on educational activities for children, and legislators reading and distributing books to children.  Free healthy boxed lunches will be provided by Crispers to all who RSVP by March 25, 2011.
  
  
• The "Teens Only" Town Hall Meeting and Youth Commission provides a forum and voice for students from across the state to work together with Florida's Children and Youth Cabinet to address important issues relating to children's services.  Deadline to nominate a middle or high school student to participate is February 20, 2011.
  
  
• The Pearson Foundation will host the legislative reading corner, where all children attending will receive a free book.

For a complete listing of local events taking place in your area, click here.

Additional information on activities taking place during Children's Week at the Capitol is available at http://www.childrensweek.org.

All activities are free and open to the public.

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