Singapore Heart Foundation Launches Project Heart Sprouts to Nurture Heart-Healthy Habits from Preschool

The newly launched initiative comprises a series of three children’s books, which introduces preschool children to knowledge of heart-healthy living, starting with the first book titled “I Can Eat a Rainbow!” to encourage heart-healthy eating habits through storytelling, play-based learning and family participation.

Singapore, 16 July 2026 – Recognising that the preschool years are a critical period for encouraging heart-healthy dietary habits, physical activeness and the readiness to respond effectively during a cardiac emergency, the Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF) has launched Project Heart Sprouts, a new preschool-focused children’s book initiative that aims to achieve these objectives, starting with the first instalment titled “I Can Eat a Rainbow!”.

Officiating at the launch of Project Heart Sprouts today at PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ Boon Lay was Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Education and Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration.

Giving Young Children a Head Start on Heart Health

Healthy eating habits are cultivated from a tender age and they play a vital role in influencing a person’s lifelong heart health. The preschool years are therefore the formative years in developing heart-healthy eating habits. However, there remains a gap to be filled in this aspect of preschool education, and that is where Project Heart Sprouts’ new “I Can Eat a Rainbow!” children’s book can make a meaningful difference.

Through a combination of storytelling, interactive classroom activities to choose heart-healthier foods, as well as a take-home activity for the young children to engage their parents to put together a heart-healthy lunchbox, the initiative aims to reinforce simple, practical eating habits in the minds of young children with the objective of shaping the way they choose their foods.

This complements SHF’s longstanding school outreach efforts by extending heart health education to the youngest school children, supporting the Foundation’s continued emphasis on preventive health through education and early intervention.

“Young children are at an ideal age to develop healthy habits that can shape their heart health for life and equip them with the confidence to respond in a cardiac emergency. Through Project Heart Sprouts, we aim to make heart health messages fun, relatable and easy to remember. By partnering with preschools, early childhood educators and parents, we hope to nurture a generation of little ones who will grow into lifelong heart health advocates,” said Mr Geoffrey Ong, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Heart Foundation.

A Story That Resonates with Preschoolers

The first instalment of Project Heart Sprouts, “I Can Eat a Rainbow!” was written by local children’s book author Jolene Yeo and illustrated by established Singapore illustrator, Celine Chia, who has a growing profile in children’s books and educational illustration.

Designed for K1 and K2 children, the story introduces heart-healthy eating habits through lively and colourful storytelling that encourages young children to enjoy fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods as part of a balanced diet. To reinforce learning beyond the classroom, every child will also receive a smaller-sized version of the storybook with a sticker activity pad to encourage them to build balanced meals together with their family members, based on SHF’s Heart Smart Eating Plate concept.

The remaining two storybooks will be introduced in the two years to follow, and they will focus on physical activeness and cardiac emergency preparedness to broaden the children’s understanding of heart health.

PCF Sparkletots as the Launch Pad

Recognising that PCF Sparkletots is Singapore’s largest preschool operator with a network of 285 preschools offering classes for K1 and K2 preschool students island-wide, SHF is excited to be in this partnership to kick-start Project Heart Sprouts to reach out to thousands of K1 and K2 preschool children at its initial stages.

At its pilot stage, SHF has already rolled out the “I Can Eat a Rainbow!” children’s book to 103 PCF Sparkletots preschool centres to date and helped shape the dietary habits of more than 4,400 K1 and K2 preschool children, while engaging more than 300 early childhood teachers.

“We are excited to partner with the Singapore Heart Foundation in launching the “I Can Eat a Rainbow!” children’s book to help young children develop heart-healthy eating habits that can also be easily reinforced at home. By making healthy eating enjoyable and reinforcing these lessons at home, we hope this inspires our preschoolers to make positive choices that can last a lifetime. We look forward to seeing them put what they have learnt into practice with confidence and enthusiasm,” said Ms Angela Yang, Director, Professional & Education Development, PCF Sparkletots Preschool.

As SHF continues to work closely with PCF Sparkletots, it also welcomes other preschool operators to participate in Project Heart Sprouts, so that more young children in Singapore will be empowered with the knowledge to lead a heart-healthier life as they grow up.

Not Just Kids’ Play

Young children may be the first beneficiaries of Project Heart Sprouts, but parents are whom the initiative targets too. With parents involved in the take-home activity to build a heart-healthier lunchbox together with their child, the preschoolers will have the opportunity to put what they have learnt to practical use. In turn, parents are also likely to become more heart health-conscious when preparing meals for their child over time.

Ms Wong Woan Yun, 49, parent to Yin Ya Ruey, 6, who attended the launch ceremony, welcomed the newly launched “I Can Eat a Rainbow!” children’s book. “My daughter was really excited about sharing what she has learnt with the rest of the family, and the initiative has sparked new conversations about balanced meals and healthier food choices. With more young children exposed to this initiative, I believe that this will create a ripple effect that will benefit our entire community, in time to come,” she opined.

For more information on Project Heart Sprouts, contact the Singapore Heart Foundation at bp_initiative@heart.org.sg or call 6354 9378 (Ms Desiree Lee) or 6321 8630 (Ms Niki Ng).