Brunswick, ME— More than 50 childcare providers from the Midcoast region recently gathered to learn how to promote healthy eating and physical activity at their sites. The first Midcoast Healthy Kids Training was held on Saturday, March 23, at the Bath Area Family YMCA.
The training included skill-building workshops that focused on promoting Let's Go! 5-2-1-0, offering healthyoptions for children, and talking with families about making healthy choices at home. Hands-on activities included how to grow an onsite garden, preparing and serving healthy snacks, and a moving with Zumba class provided by Kathy Lamothe from Tony’s Zumba and Fitness Studios.
The free training was given by Mid Coast Hospital, Access Health(the local Healthy Maine Partnership), the Midcoast Community Transformation Grant Program, and the Bath Area Family YMCA. Local daycare providers enjoyed a healthy lunch and earned continuing education certificates for attending. “This has been a win, win, for us,” exclaimed one participant. “Having a local training that is offered free of charge is extremely beneficial to our staff.”
Area schools have been promoting the Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 message for almost five years when Mid Coast began collaborating with them to create healthier environments for students. 5-2-1-0 focuses on four positive health behaviors that are recommended to increase physical activity and healthy eating including: eating five fruits and vegetables per day, limiting screen time to two hours per day, engaging in one hour or more of physical activity per day, and limiting sugar sweetened beverages to zero.
The next Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 community-wide event is a Storywalk® at Curtis Memorial Library on April 18, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The event is free and open to the public and will feature the Wild Animal Alphabet Storywalk, based on the book by popular Maine author and illustrator, Dahlov Ipcar. Find out more information at kids@curtislibrary.com
For more information about the Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 initiative within the Mid Coast area, contact Jessica Loney at (207)373-6592, or jloney@midcoasthealth.com
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