October 3, 2005
YMCA and Madison’s Groundbreaking GO Program Join Forces To Promote Healthy Lifestyles For Kids At “At Risk” Schools
The YMCA Managed Program Aims to Reach at Risk Kids and Families One School at a Time
To help reverse the trends of childhood obesity that are prevalent amongst lower income and at risk schools, the YMCA of Dane Country is launching a pilot project for Huegel Elementary School families that will include a comprehensive kids fitness and activities program, including nutrition education.
The recent announcement is on the heels of Physicians Plus Insurance Corporation’s launch of GO (Get Out), a groundbreaking community-wide effort that targets sedentary kids with incentives, encouraging them to get out of the house and become active. For a litany of outdoor activities, kids earn points with a GO Passport and have chances to win big prizes, including family trips, Schwinn bikes and Rainbow play structures for the backyard. In only a few months, more than 9,000 kids are now enlisted in GO and, most importantly, getting active.
Through the Physicians Plus GO program, the YMCA received a $10,000 grant, which will be applied towards hiring and training staff members that are qualified in nutrition and exercise, as well as the purchase of additional supplies and equipment for the program.
“Using games, toys, sports, computer software and other materials, we’re hoping to engage youth in activities designed to help them develop new skills,” says Sharon Baldwin, YMCA’s Program Development Director. “In addition, we are planning on developing a newsletter with eating tips and a calendar of physical activity events that will be sent to the families. We’re inviting them to special monthly Friday Family Fun Nights, so they can swim and participate in other physical activities. We’ll also be providing a pair of family dinners that will provide the families healthy meal options.”
According to Baldwin, this effort is part of a national campaign to reach lower income families. More than 30 YMCAs from Richmond, Va., to Santa Rosa, Calif., have developed similar programs. According to a recent survey, 34 percent of children in families with income lower than $20,000 are obese, compared to 19 percent of children from households earning more than $55,000 annually. One-third (33 percent) of African-American kids are obese, while 22 percent of Caucasian children are obese.
According to Ron Parton, Physicians Plus vice president and chief medical officer, the widespread epidemic of childhood obesity has put children’s health in extreme danger and is the reason why Physicians Plus has put together such an innovative and aggressive movement. “The largest health risk among children today is the rise of type 2 diabetes. Ten years ago, I would have said this doesn’t occur until after age 40. Today, an increasing percentage of pediatric patients are now being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes,” says Parton. “Just look at the annual hospital costs related to overweight children. It has more than tripled over the past two decades.”
According to Baldwin, the YMCA is planning on expanding its program to all 30 childcare sites in Dane County.
“As a result of joining forces with GO, we really believe that we are helping to raise the stakes in the Madison area’s overall fight against sedentary lifestyles amongst our children,” says Baldwin. “Together, we are going to help kids, especially at-risk kids and families, become physically fit,” said Baldwin.
Watch this program in action, as featured on WISC-TV3.
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