Kids CATCH on to Healthy Habits at St. Charles Park District Programs

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FOR MORE INFORMATION   
Holly Cabel, Superintendent of Recreation    630-513-6200

It’s true that childhood obesity is a national epidemic. But it’s also true that it’s one that can be stopped through the use of three little words:  "Go!", "Slow!" and "Whoa!"

These words lie at the heart of an innovative new program called CATCH—Coordinated Approach to Child Health—that has been introduced into the St. Charles Park District’s Early Childhood curriculum this fall.  Part of a dynamic partnership between the Park District and Cadence Health, this pilot program targets children from 2 to 5 years of age by teaching them that fruit can be fun, that veggies are our friends, and that moving around is way cooler than sitting still.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for us and we’re very enthusiastic about it," says Krista Mulready, Early Childhood, Preschool and Day Camp Supervisor. As an outcome of Kane County’s "Fit for Kids" campaign, the Park District was approached by representatives of Cadence Health in the spring of 2011 and asked to run the CATCH early childhood pilot program for Kane County. Through CATCH, about two hundred children and their families will learn about healthful eating practices and how to increase their opportunities for moderate to vigorous physical activity in both school and home settings.

Supported by colorful posters showing types of healthy foods, combination educational/exercise activities such as "All Aboard the Veggie Train," and language skill lessons featuring characters such as "Tommy the Tomato," children are introduced to the wide range of foods that are good to eat. They learn to refer to them as "Go!" foods, such as apples and broccoli that are good to eat anytime; and "Whoa!" foods, things like cupcakes and French fries that should be consumed only once in awhile; or "Slow" foods, ones that can be eaten very sparingly, like butter added to a muffin or canned fruits packed in syrup. Through this type of positive reinforcement and fun, entertaining activities, children eagerly accept such new information and are more apt to adopt healthy habits.

"The kids have really jumped into the program," says Mulready, who adds that parents are also supporting the program by providing their children with healthy snacks. Using CATCH materials as well as information developed by Cadence Health dieticians, the Park District encourages parent participation by offering easy-to-follow guidelines about the types and sizes of snacks and beverages that support the curriculum. "We’re seeing more fresh fruits and vegetables now," says Mulready. 

And because exercise is a key element in any wellness program, children are encouraged to move around frequently during classroom sessions. Instructors motivate children to vigorously pump their arms when they talk about "Go!" foods and just as enthusiastically push their arms away when they talk about "Whoa!" foods. This helps the visual learner as well as the auditory learner and simultaneously introduces movement into the lesson plan.

In the same fashion, activity is initiated from the time children walk in the door. Instead of sitting on the sidelines waiting for a class to begin, children are prompted to march around the classroom, swinging their arms and clapping their hands. According to Mulready, the main goal is to keep them moving.

"We tell children than when we move our bodies, our hearts beat faster, so we say that our hearts are clapping for us," says Mulready. "Like ‘Go!’, ‘Slow!’ and ‘Whoa!’, the terminology is very age-appropriate. "When the crisis of childhood obesity came to the attention of Cadence Health officials through their participation in the Community Health Needs Assessment survey, which was undertaken in conjunction with the Kane County Health Department and other healthcare and not-for-profit service agencies, Cadence Health officials investigated a number of established programs designed to combat childhood obesity.

Originally part of a nationwide trial/study sponsored by the National Education Program and administered by the National Institutes of Health between 1991 and 1994, the CATCH program was the largest school-based health promotion study ever conducted in the United States, with more than 5,000 third graders from California, Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas participating.

"CATCH stood out because of its growth potential to start with early childhood," says Shannon McCall, Community Health & Outreach Youth Services & Injury Prevention Specialist for Cadence Health. "This is the age when parents are looking for direction and need help sorting out all the information that’s out there."

McCall underwent an intensive, three-day CATCH "train the trainer" certification program and passed on this knowledge to Park District staff responsible for early childhood programs for 2-,  3-, 4- and 5-year- olds that take place at both the Pottawatomie Community Center and Hickory Knolls Discovery Center. "We worked with the Park District programs and trained their teachers on how to present the curriculum and incorporate it into the classroom," says McCall.

"We provided scripting so that everyone is speaking the same language so that from the time kids enter programs at 2 years of age to the point when they graduate from the programs, they’ve been hearing the same message all along the way."

"We have 10 instructors certified in CATCH training," says Mulready. Cadence Health provided the Park District with CATCH curriculum materials that include an activity box with more than 400 structured lesson plans.

Lessons cover everything from nutrition—what a vitamin is and why is it important, for instance—to gardening—how plants grow and where our food comes from. "This is a wonderful fit with the nature preschool’s emphasis," says McCall. A fitness component serves as a mini gym class, with activities that focus on everything from flexibility to endurance.

The program has been enthusiastically welcomed, not only by Park District staff, but by children and their families. "I’ve had a parent tell me that her son pumps his arms at the dinner table when she serves vegetables because he knows they are "Go!" foods," says McCall. "It has been so exciting to see everyone wholeheartedly embracing this program."

For more information about the CATCH-Early Childhood curriculum and programs, contact Krista Mulready at 630-513-4326 or visit the Park District’s website at www.stcparks.org.

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