Family Event Focuses On Food and Fitness for Young Kids

Good health habits start early. To make sure young kids have the tools they need to grow up healthy, it is important that parents have the information they need to make the best choices for their family.



Joanne Makielsky speaks to parents about nutrition and fitness  at the February playgroup

On Tuesday, February 18^th, families came together to learn about food and fitness at a playgroup organized by Verde Valley Healthy Families and Parents as Teachers, which are both free home visiting programs for families with children ages five and under and funded by First Things First. Through these programs, families receive visits from a home visitor, who partners with them to support the health and development of their young child by providing information, activities, and referral to other community resources. Families are also invited to monthly playgroups like this one where they can learn and socialize.

There’s a reason the programs both focus on the early years. “90% of a child’s brain connections are made before the age of five,” said Susan Lacher, Supervisor of Verde Valley Healthy Families, a program of the Verde Valley Medical Center. “The experiences parents provide and the habits they teach during this time are laying the foundation for their child’s future.” 

At the February playgroup, held at the Verde Valley Baptist Church, Lacher invited Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Joanne Makielsky to lead a discussion with parents about early childhood nutrition. Makielsky works with Fit Kids, a program of the Verde Valley Medical Center that works to prevent and treat obesity in children. As the children ran and played nearby, parents learned tips on infant, toddler and preschool-age nutrition, what foods to encourage and avoid, and how to teach their kids healthy eating and fitness habits.

Parents are a child’s first and most important teachers, and Makielsky said that children learn their health behaviors by watching their parents. She urged parents to make fitness and healthy eating a whole-family matter. ““We all want to support the early health of children,” Malkielsky said. “Health habits start early, and parents are children’s most important role models.”

 

Verde Valley Healthy Families and Parents as Teachers are free programs for families with children ages five and under and are funded by First Things First. For more information about Verde Valley Healthy Families, please contact Susan Lacher at (928) 639-6566. For more information about Parents as Teachers, a program of Arizona’s Children Association, please contact Rainee Crabtree at (928) 443-1991 X 2021.