Questions about Childhood Overweight and Obesity Answered

It seems like everywhere you look these days (magazines, television shows, the internet) the issue of childhood overweight and obesity is a hot topic.   With Michelle Obama joining in with her Let’s Move initiative, the issue has never been more popular.  Statistics tell us that 31.9% of kids and teens are overweight, while 16.3% are obese.  These numbers seem to be growing every year.  

As a Pediatric Dietitian at the Center for Family Health in Jackson, MI, I answer many questions about the issue of childhood overweight and obesity on a daily basis.  Some of these questions include:

• “Why has my child been diagnosed as overweight or obese?” 
• “Is childhood overweight or obesity really that big of a deal?”
• “What can I do to prevent or treat childhood overweight or obesity?”

In an effort to clear up some confusion for parents, I’d like to answer these questions.

Question 1:  “Why has my child been diagnosed as overweight or obese?”

Children are diagnosed as overweight or obese based on a calculation that considers many factors including a child’s height, weight, sex, and age.  This calculation is called Body Mass Index or BMI.  This BMI number is then plotted on a chart and the ranking is used to classify kids as either underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese.  Your child’s pediatrician or doctor is the best person to decide if your child is overweight or obese and what, if any, treatment is needed.

Question 2:  “Is childhood overweight or obesity really that big of a deal?”

Yes.  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children who are overweight or obese are at a greater risk for many health problems including asthma, sleep apnea, skin infections, joint pain, high blood pressure, and Type II Diabetes.  Overweight or obese kids are also more likely to be teased which may lead to low self-esteem and poor school performance.  Plus, overweight and obese children are more likely to become overweight or obese adults.  The longer a person is overweight or obese, the more likely they are to experience health problems. 

Some people may argue that every child grows differently, and that no two people are shaped the same.  This is very true.  All kids grow and develop at a different pace, and some people are just naturally smaller or bigger than others.  Your child’s pediatrician or doctor can help you understand whether or not your child is growing at a normal pace.   

Question 3:  “What can I do to prevent or treat childhood overweight or obesity?”

There are lots of things that you can do as a parent to help your child be healthy or get healthier.  Below are a few tips that can help you and your family get on the right track.

• Make some healthy changes to your diet.  A few examples include:
• Offer a fruit, vegetable or both with every meal and snack.  This doesn’t have to be expensive.  Try buying fruits and vegetables when they are in season and least expensive.  Canned fruits (packed in water or light syrup) and vegetables are inexpensive and nutritious anytime of the year.  Check out the new MyPlate guidelines found at www.choosemyplate.org which promotes covering ½ of your plate with a vegetable or fruit. 
• Switch from white bread to 100% whole wheat bread to increase fiber and nutrients.
• Buy low-fat milk (1%, ½%, or skim) instead of whole or 2% milk to cut artery clogging saturated fat and calories without sacrificing calcium, protein, and Vitamin D.  Healthy children over the age of 2 can drink low-fat milk. 
• Offer water, low-fat milk, and small amounts of 100% fruit juice instead of sugary drinks.  One, 12 oz can of soda contains about 10 ½ teaspoons of sugar and up to 150 calories!  Even 100% fruit juice can lead to weight gain if kids drink too much, so most experts recommend that kids not drink more than about ½ cup of juice daily.  Remember, a lot of drinks such as Kool-Aid and Capri Sun may look like juice but are actually just colored, sugar water with added Vitamin C. 
• Be a good role model.  Buy healthy foods and eat them yourself.  Your child is much more likely to eat healthy if you lead by example.

• Make family meals a priority.  Research has shown that kids who eat meals with their families tend to eat healthier, maintain a healthier weight, and do better in school.
• Limit screen time (TV, computers, video games etc…) to no more than 2 hours a day.
• Encourage your kids to play actively for at least 1 hour everyday and make it fun.  Some ideas…dancing, riding bike, hula hooping, jump roping. 
• Check out the website www.kidseatright.org sponsored by the American Dietetic Association for more great information on how to feed kids healthy. 

 Of course, these are only a few ideas for helping you to create a healthier family, but hopefully, they’ll set your kids on the road to lifelong health.   If you have any additional questions about the topic of childhood overweight and obesity, I encourage you to talk with your child’s pediatrician or doctor and a registered dietitian.

-Becky Jermeay, MA, RD

Center for Family Health

 

Creating a Bully-Free Preschool

With the ever changing ages, faces, and personalities that walk into a typical child care environment, we at Phoenix Child Care & Academy understand why some people believe that bullying can start surprisingly early, even involving children as young as 3 and 4 years of age!  Recently we experienced a common scenario between a group of young girls that teamed up on another child to cause hurt feelings and tears.  To elaborate, this particular young girl, accidentally woke up a sleeping child at nap time and was made fun of by a group of others to the point where she left the room and wanted to sit alone.  This incident inspired our staff to make efforts towards creating a "Bully-Free" child care center. We knew this effort had to be a combination of not only staff, but children and parents alike.  Our goal was to educate everyone at our center on what actions are considered to be bullying, what a person should do if they feel as if they are being bullied, and how we can prevent acts of bullying in the future.  

To educate staff, parents, and children, we identified specific behaviors that can potentially result in bullying and created a poster illustrating examples.  Our poster included quotes from children (i.e. "you can't play with us", "your hair is messy"), pictures and drawings, magazine cut outs, etc.  We wanted to first make sure that all were aware of what exactly bully is and how it is commonly displayed in a child care setting.

Next, we created and practiced typical bullying scenarios through role plays.  The objective was to teach children how to identify and react when they or someone around them are being bullied.  Some examples of topics we used were name-calling, laughing and sneering at others, and teasing.  It was amazing to see how involved the children became even at their young age!  Not only did they become more knowledgeable on dealing with a bullying situation, they embraced the idea of "looking out for and protecting their peers" from being bullied.  

Finally, to promote prevention, we consistently keep bullying awareness a major topic of discussion in lesson plans and daily operations.  To keep staff and students alike keen to eliminating any actions that may lead to bullying, we implement a variety of related activities.  For example, during free play, staff are admonished to discourage "grouping-up" or  "cliques", and encourage fair play and creating healthy friendships through a number of activities involving team work and positive interdependence.  

Although many more efforts need to be made to better equip our children to identify, deal with, and prevent situations involving bullying, we at Phoenix Child Care & Academy take this matter very seriously and will continue to make every effort towards making sure each and every child at our Center feels safe, secure, and prepared to be productive citizens of society.

Lisa Hunt

I am the owner of Phoenix Child Care & Academy.  My husband, Karl, and I are now in our 3rd year of operations focused on providing opportunities for successful early childhood education and development  I am a proud mother of 4 and a Spanish teacher of 10 years.  Along with my passion for children, experiences within my career shed light on the need for a positive beginning for all children.   My hope and dream is that through our daily efforts our child care facility will offer a foundation for all children to build a Great Start on life leading well into their futures!

Quietly and without much fanfare, Gov. Rick Snyder signed an executive order recently creating an Office of Great Start within the Michigan Department of Education.

This new office will work with Michigan’s Early Childhood Investment Corporation, which operates the Great Start system, to ensure that more children are “school ready” when they arrive in kindergarten.

This is very good news for Michigan. Early childhood development is fundamental to creating great kids, and great kids are fundamental to creating a new version of the Michigan we all know and remember – a Michigan that is economically vibrant and a place where businesses and families move to rather than away from.

Economist James Heckman, the Nobel Laureate from the University of Chicago, offers a formula for understanding why things like prenatal care, preschool, quality child care and more are economically important.

The “Heckman Equation,” as he calls it, says that if we invest in educational and developmental resources for disadvantaged families that develop cognitive skills, social skills, and physical well-being in children early - from birth to age five, when it matters most – and sustain that early leg-up with effective education through adulthood, we gain more capable, productive and valuable citizens who pay dividends to America for generations to come.

Gov. Snyder is a pragmatic, results-driven person. His vision of a cradle to adulthood education system isn’t based on flight or fancy. It’s based on data.

As Professor Heckman said in a letter to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Reform, “Data from economists, social scientists and medical experts conclusively shows that the answer is to invest in comprehensive early childhood development—from birth to age five—particularly in disadvantaged children and their families.”

Michigan’s Office of Great Start is certainly a step in the right direction. The office will combine and coordinate early childhood programs and resources that currently are scattered across multiple state departments.

The office will also work closely with the Early Childhood Investment Corporation to create, as the governor said earlier this year, “a dynamic partnership aimed at maximizing public and private investment in the service of Michigan’s children.”

A major part of that partnership will continue to be Michigan’s Great Start Collaboratives, which operate in every county and are making tremendous strides toward building local early childhood systems starting with a painstakingly built assessment of community needs and assets.

What’s exciting about the Office of Great Start is that in time – and with continued legislative support - we just might be able to see state resources go to communities to make those plans real.

If so, we’ll move from making incremental progress on school readiness in Michigan to leaps.

That will be wonderful news for Michigan and its future.

Visit http://www.greatstartjackson.org/ to learn how you can be involved in the work of your local Great Start Collaborative or contact Sheri Butters at sbutters@caajlh.org.

Many Kids are Eligible for Low-Cost or Free Health Insurance Coverage

Health and insurance to pay for care are primary concerns for all families.  It is a good thing that they are not alone in dealing with these basic needs.  As a society, we give priority to the wellbeing of children—the members of it who are most vulnerable to economic status and a family’s financial security.  Some families may not be aware of health insurance programs administered by the federal and state governments designed for children.  They cover doctor visits, prescription drugs, emergencies, vision, hospitalizations, hearing, vaccinations, and dental.

It is estimated that around one/seventh of a million children in Michigan are without health insurance.  Research shows children with health insurance are more likely to get preventive care and receive treatment for chronic illnesses, such as asthma. Children who are covered are less likely to miss school because they are sick, which boosts their performance in the classroom. It also means fewer lost work days for parents and guardians.

Since November, I have been serving the Jackson area as a Community Navigator and my service is as a member of AmeriCorps.  I perform outreach to educate families and organizations about HealthyKids and MIChild, Michigan’s low-cost and free health insurance, and assist families with enrollment in those programs.  My host organization is the Center for Family Health.  Helping children without insurance is rewarding, I can be confident the families I enroll will have access to care, but finding them can be a bit like a scavenger hunt. 

Contact me to find out if your children are eligible, or let me know how you can help me get the word-out.  Aaron Seagraves--#517-899-9525, or aaron.seagraves@mpca.net

Seekng a High Quality Child Care Program

ABC Academy has always strived to provide a high quality program for the families that we serve. We utilize the Program Assessment Tool (PQA) to assess each of our classrooms to help guide our staff in our quest to provide a high quality program. Approximately ten years ago we challenged ourselves to strive for higher quality standards and elected to become a NAEYC Accreditation Applicant. Collectively our teaching teams worked very hard gathering evidence of their performance and making improvements to ready our programs for the validators visit, achieving our goal of becoming an accredited program.  Programs maintain their accredited status through annual reporting to the National Association for the Education of Young Children and must reapply every five years. During that time they must complete the full accreditation process; Enrollment in Self- Study; Becoming an Applicant; Becoming a Candidate; and finally demonstrating to a validator that the center meets the NAEYC Program Standards. Recently our Laurence St. center was approved for Candidacy for Accreditation by NAEYC.  This location had completed the accreditation process five years ago, maintaining accredited status during this period. It is now time for the center to reapply for accreditation. During the past five year period NAEYC has restructured the guidelines set to become an Accredited Program or to maintain the status as one. The NAEYC Governing Board brought together a panel of national experts in early childhood education, curriculum, early childhood special education, family involvement, leadership and administration and child health. Their task was to develop explicit early childhood program standards and researched based accreditation criteria to establish the measure of quality for the reinvented accreditation system. Many of the criteria had changed in the process. Our agency has spent the past several months collecting evidence to demonstrate that it meets the ten standards and accreditation criteria set by NAEYC under the new accreditation process.

Standard 1: Relationships

Program Standard: The program promotes positive relationships among all children and adults to encourage each child’s sense of individual worth and belonging as part of a community and to foster each child’s ability to contribute as a responsible community member.

Standard 2: Curriculum

Program Standard: The program implements a curriculum that is consistent with its goals for children and promotes learning and development in each of the following areas: social, emotional, physical, language and cognitive.

Standard 3: Teaching

Program Standard: The program uses developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and effective teaching approaches that enhance each child’s learning and development in the context of the program’s curriculum goals.

Standard 4: Assessment of Child Progress

Program Standard: The program is informed by ongoing systematic, formal, and informal assessment approaches to provide information on children’s learning and development. These assessments occur within the context of reciprocal communications with families and with sensitivity to the cultural contexts in which children develop. Assessment results are used to benefit children by informing sound decisions about children, teaching and program improvement.

Standard 5: Health

Program Standard: The program promotes the nutrition and health of children and protects children and staff from illness and injury.

Standard 6: Teachers

Program Standard: The program employs and supports a teaching staff that has the educational qualifications, knowledge, and professional commitment necessary to promote children’s learning and development and to support families’ diverse needs and interests.

Standard 7: Families

Program Standard: The program establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with each child’s family to foster children’s development in all settings. These relationships are sensitive to family composition, language, and culture.

Standard 8: Community Relationships

Program Standard: The program establishes relationships with and uses the resources of the children’s communities to support the achievement of program goals.

Standard 9: Physical Environment

Program Standard: The program has a safe and healthful environment that provides appropriate and well-maintained indoor and outdoor physical environments. The environments include facilities, equipment, and materials to facilitate child and staff learning and development.

Standard 10: Leadership and Management

Program Standard: The program effectively implements policies, procedures, and systems that support stable staff and strong personnel, fiscal, and program management so all children, families, and staff have high-quality experiences.

As we wait for our visit from the NAEYC validator and learn if we have successfully demonstrated that our program meets the new standards to retain our accreditation status we are certain that setting standards for high quality will help many more people recognize the value of early childhood education.

Kathy Hoszkiw is the owner of ABC Academy and a founding member of Jackson's Great Start Collaborative.

Jackson County Prenatal Task Force

The Jackson County Prenatal Task Force (PNTF) was created in 2003 as an ongoing partnership between local health and human services groups and individuals, to function as the Action Team for the Jackson County Fetal Infant Mortality Review Team.  The mission statement of the PNTF is: “We empower women and families to make healthier choices for themselves and their babies before, during and after pregnancy.” Our goals are to reduce infant mortality, eliminate racial disparities in infant mortality rates, and improve appropriate preconception and prenatal care.  The PNTF is led by Allegiance Health and the Jackson County Health Department, additionally, many Jackson County organizations are represented on the PNTF’s Advisory team and provide assistance during trainings and educational opportunities including: AWARE(domestic violence) Shelter, Community Action Agency, Center for Family Health (a federally qualified health center), Allegiance Tobacco Treatment and Behavioral Health Services, Born Free substance abuse services, Great Start Collaborative, LifeWays mental health services, United Way of Jackson County, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, Partnership Park Neighborhood Association, Planned Parenthood, Safe Sleep Coalition, local obstetrics/gynecology providers, local pediatricians, Jackson Community College, Family Services and Children’s Aid, Jackson County Court System, Department of Human Services, Talk Early and Talk Often, faith community representatives, parents and other concerned Jackson residents.  Since its inception, the Prenatal Task Force has been very successful in coordinating community resources, educating women, and collaborating with service providers. 

Infant mortality is often used as a measure of a community’s overall health and well-being because it reflects multiple, complex and inter-related issues such as a community’s environmental conditions, access to health care, social/living conditions, and poverty rates.  Infant mortality also reflects personal health indicators such as maternal and infant medical conditions, maternal substance abuse and poor nutrition, domestic violence, maternal education levels, and maternal knowledge of safe infant care.  Additionally, infant mortality is one of the best predictors of the health status of a community’s next generation.

Despite efforts to improve prenatal care and advances in medical science and technology, maternal and infant health in the United States has improved very little in the last few decades.  One factor that contributes to adverse pregnancy outcomes is the start of prenatal care late in the first trimester and sometimes after the first trimester.  This delay in care allows little or no opportunity to prevent serious maternal and infant health problems, which often begin in the earliest stages of pregnancy.

There is evidence that improving women’s health before pregnancy is important for optimizing pregnancy outcomes.  However, many women continue to enter pregnancy in less than optimal health, which increases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.  Making preconception care services available to women and couples is expected to significantly improve maternal and infant outcomes, particularly for women at risk of adverse outcomes.  Since nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, it is necessary to make education about preconception health and access to preconception health care services the norm for women and couples during their reproductive years.  Clinical guidelines often recommend that healthcare professionals should involve patients in decisions about screens, treatment, and other interventions, to help them to arrive at informed choices.  Preconception care should be an integral part of routine primary care and serves as an opportunity to screen for current and future health risks, to provide health promotion messages and education, and to offer interventions that address identified risks.

In addition to the clinical services that constitute preconception care, the PNTF wishes to emphasize the importance of efforts to improve the overall health of women of childbearing age and their partners.  Increasing awareness of reproductive health risks and enabling individuals to have reproductive life plans, for example, are as important as clinical services that can improve preconception health and pregnancy outcomes.  Improving preconception health for the approximately 65,269 women and men of childbearing age in the Jackson community will require multiple strategies and multilevel actions.  Change is needed in consumer knowledge and demand for preconception services.

For more information about the Prenatal Task Force (PNTF) or how you can help please contact Kara Beer, (517)841-7498 or kara.beer@allegiancehealth.org

Words of Wisdom from a Great Start Parent

Being a wife and a mother of 6, has its ups and downs just like any family. Believe it or not my children argue but I think every family does now and again. With ages ranging from 8 to 4, the only thing that might be different from my family compared to a smaller one is that I get to wonder which ones are going to argue today. A small argument can easily get out of control. I have had to remind my older children that I am mom and I will handle the problems. I have had to learn and still work on reminding myself to stay calm.  It makes a big difference in how the kids react.  If I am not calm about things, I can’t expect them to be. By no means have I figured this out completely, I am sure by time they all are grown and moved out maybe I will. Other things that are challenges for us are going out finding things to do, or places to eat, which can always be so costly. We look around for opportunities to take the kids out like the library, the YMCA and restaurants that have a kid’s specific special. For example we have attended an activity night at the YMCA that only cost a dollar for our family. I now receive emails and newsletters from the YMCA and the library that keep me updated so I always know what other opportunities are available.

If I hear advice from someone with a problem I have I take it and try it. Something I have heard that has always stuck with me is, that the wife/mother is a thermostat or a thermometer, the choice is hers. The difference is a thermometer states the temperature (or the mood) and a thermostat actually controls it. I have put that to the test many times, it not only affects the children and my husband but anyone who comes in when it is that temp. I strive to remember that if I stay cool and relaxed then everyone else will be also and we all get along so much better when we are. I try not to sweat the small stuff if no one is hurt or nothing is badly damaged then it will be ok. I have actually used the phrase “Don’t cry over spilled milk,” in reference to spilled milk.  I have been lucky to be a part of Head Start especially when I was a new parent and wasn’t sure how to encourage early learning. They still help me now when I have behavior problems or questions with my older ones. The teachers, family advocate, and staff have helped me through a lot. I also kept my eyes open to be able to find other families because you can learn a lot from others, what they been through and how they handle things. When my friend told me about Great Start Parent Coalition, I was more than eager to join. It has been a great opportunity to learn from others parents and have the children playing with other kids at the same time.

I have always wanted a big family; I love the idea of being so close. Now I don’t mean just in age, the older ones are always watching out for the younger ones. I enjoy watching them interact, playing, or just talking back and forth. They learn quickly from one another. There is a lot they do together from reading books to playing games, to running around outside. They have learned how to share and usually do it without being asked (although sometimes they still need to be reminded). There is never a dull moment at my house. I enjoy the excitement that comes with having 6 kids come home from school and all at the same time want to tell me what they did at school and show me all their papers. They are always proud of their accomplishments as well as their dad and I. Anyone who walks in my house can see all their papers and art work hanging on my walls. I love to be able to see how much they have grown both together and as individuals. I get asked a lot how do I do it, and I don’t always have an answer right off hand because we’ve added different parenting skills we have learned over time. So my thoughts to anyone would be not to expect changes to happen overnight. Just like when you are teaching your children to walk it takes time, love and a lot of patience.

Jenny Scott is actively involved in local Great Start efforts and is a busy wife and mother of six young children.

Great Books for Your Child

Sara Tackett
Jackson District Library

Looking for great books to read to your child?  The American Library Association announced their award winners of the best of last year’s books.  www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants.


The Caldecott Award is given each year since 1938 for its illustration. This year’s winner is “A Sick Day for Amos McGee” written by Philip C.  Stead and illustrated by Erin Stead.  Amos McGee, a friendly zookeeper, always made time to visit his good friends: the elephant, the tortoise, the penguin, the rhinoceros, and the owl.   But one day--'Ah-choo!'--he woke with the sniffles and the sneezes. Though he didn't make it into the zoo that day, he did receive some unexpected guests.

The Robert F. Sibert Award honors  the most distiquished informational book. This years winner introduces us to the world’s strangest parrot in the “Kakapo Rescue” by Sy Montgomery and photographs by Nic Bishop. On remote Codfish Island, off the southern coast of New Zealand, live the last 91 kakapo parrots on earth.  Originally this bird numbered in the millions before humans brought predators to the islands. Now on the isolated island refuge, a team of scientists are trying to restore the kakapo population.

Looking for a great beginning reader?  Check out Theodore Seuss Geisel award winner “Bink and Gollie” by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile.  Two roller-skating best friends--one tiny, one tall--share three comical adventures involving outrageously bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion.

The Coretta Scott King Award for new talent this year highlights “Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace”  by Jen Cullerton Johnson.  A biography of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner and environmentalist Wangari Maathai, a female scientist who made a stand in the face of opposition to women's rights and her own Greenbelt Movement, an effort to restore Kenya's ecosystem by planting millions of trees.

These books and more can be found at the Jackson District Library (www.myjdl.com)

Sara Tackett, Youth Service Coordinator at the Jackson District Library and mother of four readers.  Sara is also a member of Jackson’s Great Start Collaborative.