GROUP THROWS BOOK AT PIZZA CHAIN'S READING REWARD PROGRAM.Byline: Valerie Name Valerie is a common name for a girl in both English and French. Spelt as "Valery" or "Valeri", it is a common male name in parts of Europe (particularly in France and Russia). It means brave and courageous. Kuklenski Staff Writer A group that targets corporate messages to children is taking issue with Pizza Hut's Book It! promotion that rewards young readers with free pizzas. The Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood is asking schools to cut ties with the Dallas-based restaurant chain, saying the incentive program encourages unhealthy eating, uses schools to sell brand-name products directly to kids and undermines their natural interest in reading by tying a prize to the activity. "Any one of these issues is a serious concern," CCFC CCFC Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (formerly Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children) CCFC Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada CCFC Coventry City Football Club CCFC California Cut Flower Commission co-founder Susan Linn linn n. Scots 1. A waterfall. 2. A steep ravine. [Scottish Gaelic linne, pool, waterfall.] said in the announcement. "Taken all together, it's clear that Pizza Hut's Book It! has no place in schools." Pizza Hut responded that participants receive a maximum of one personal pizza per month if goals are met. "The focus of the program is not entirely on pizza, and the success of the program is not because of pizza," the statement said. "Book It! is about praise and recognition for accomplishing reading goals." Under the Book It! program, teachers ask children and parents to keep track of their time spent reading. When they reach certain goals, they receive a certificate for a 6-inch personal pan pizza. With only a cheese topping, the personal pizza has 620 calories and 26 grams of fat, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Pizza Hut nutrition guide on its site. CCFC says that for children ages 3 to 5 -- the youngest target of the Book It! program -- one Pizza Hut personal pizza can contain more than half their daily calorie calorie, abbr. cal, unit of heat energy in the metric system. The measurement of heat is called calorimetry. The calorie, or gram calorie, is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of pure water 1°C;. requirement as well as their entire fat requirement. Pizza Hut also countered the CCFC's contention that Book It! is counterproductive coun·ter·pro·duc·tive adj. Tending to hinder rather than serve one's purpose: "Violation of the court order would be counterproductive" Philip H. Lee. because it teaches an expectation of rewards for reading. "Our research with both teachers and parents has indicated that the rewards of praise, recognition and pizza are motivating ones," the company said. The program reaches nearly 22 million schoolchildren schoolchildren school npl → écoliers mpl; (at secondary school) → collégiens mpl; lycéens mpl schoolchildren school in 900,000 classrooms each year. Valerie Kuklenski, (818) 713-3750 valerie.kuklenski@dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: no caption (kids looking at a pizza) |
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