Author: Lynnette Allen
Planning Unit: Breckinridge County CES
Major Program: Youth Fruit & Vegetable Access
Plan of Work: Improving community wellness through nutrition, physical activity and safety
Outcome: Long-Term Outcome
Childhood obesity continues to be a concern in Breckinridge County. School staff and healthcare providers report an increase in the number of youth with diabetes or pre-diabetes and high blood pressure. Because of this the need for nutrition education continues to be a priority. In effort to address these health issues, the Breckinridge County Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent partners with the Breckinridge County Head Start program to provide the LEAP (Literacy, Eating and Activity for Primary) program. The program is provided once a month during the school year to Head Start classrooms (3 and 4 year olds.) The program is in 4 schools (9 classrooms, approximately 180 students). The children are read a story from the LEAP curriculum and engaged in active listening with questions about the nutrition and physical activity themed stories. All students participate with the lesson in hands-on learning experiences that may be food-sampling or craft activities. Each month a newsletter is sent home with the children to highlight the story and to provide a healthy recipe and activities for the family. Oral review questions evaluate the student’s understanding of the materials. Teachers report that students are more willing to try new foods due to the program. One young student even reported his mother bought him kiwi at the grocery because he tasted it and liked it at the LEAP program. LEAP encourages the development of healthy eating and physical activity habits at a young age. Habits that can lead to a healthier life for years to come.
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