Welcome to the Healthy Kids Challenge

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Registered, licensed dietitians, members of the American Dietetic Association, have provided responses to the FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) in the areas of school, family, and community. See each of these sections for easy, fun ideas and information to help create healthy C.H.A.N.G.E. (Connect Health And Needs, Get Excited)

What is Healthy Kids Challenge?
Everywhere kids go, Healthy Kids Challenge helps create healthy solutions to address the obesity crisis! How does that happen?

Workshops, written materials and healthykidschallenge.com provide:

Fun, easy ideas to teach and practice healthy eating choices—from the classroom to the school cafeteria; out into the home and community; and back to school again—a circle of good health!
Classroom activities that can be integrated in core subjects
Classroom ideas that incorporate physical activity
Guidelines and suggestions to form school/program/community teams (we call them KidLink™ teams) for change

The Distance Assistance Program brings this all together for schools and programs; our sponsors and donations provide funding! Participants receive additional ideas through newsletters!

Consulting and training allow schools, programs, and communities to learn and practice using the Healthy Kids Challenge model for change.

School

FAQ: How do I get my school involved in creating healthy change?

Answer:

The obesity crisis won’t be fixed overnight. It is a huge problem that can look overwhelming unless CHANGE is created step-by-step.

The solution starts with one person, you,and grows with others who have a common interest in the health of kids. Use the "Getting Started" documents to begin a process of healthy change

Healthy Kids Challenge materials, consulting, and training help with the process of identifying:

What types of CHANGE options will work best for your situation
How to collaborate and take actions without expending a lot of resources

Family

FAQ: My child is overweight. Where should I start?

Answer: The first step starts with awareness combined with love and care. The best stage for healthy change is one that is guilt-free, develops a child’s self-esteem, and focuses on healthy choices rather than weight.

Start by checking with a doctor…
It may be helpful to have the professional guidance of a registered dietitian to help provide ideas that will work with your life-style and eating preferences. Or, there may be health problems that require special needs.
Begin at home…
Make healthy eating choices and physical activity easily available and appealing. Show-by-doing---make healthy choices a habit for the entire family.
Take it to school and into the community…
Kids spend so much of their time at school; school plays a key role! Healthy Kids Challenge helps make healthy choices available at school and EVERYWHERE kids go. Share How to Take the Challenge with a teacher, school nurse, or principal.

Community

FAQ: Can we use the Healthy Kids Challenge process to get the whole community involved or apply for a grant?

Answer: YES! Healthy Kids Challenge is built on the principle that kids need healthy options everywhere they go, so getting the whole community involved will increase the opportunities for success! Developing a “process” for change can be very expensive in terms of time, money, and energy. With HKC, there is no need to “reinvent the wheel!” The HKC process for change is identified as the

Hear, See, Do, Model for Healthy CHANGE

HEAR the message—Develop awareness and enthusiasm
SEE how to make change— Provide education and hands-on practice
DO (make) the change—Create environmental and behavioral changes over time

Healthy Kids Challenge provides materials, consulting, and training that helps with ideas for schools, programs and communities to:

Find the support of local community/school role models to show healthy choices
Identify healthy eating and physical activity programs, projects, policies, and resources that already exist in the school and community
Create a plan to develop new opportunities without using expensive resources
Develop fun and easy ideas to create and sustain the changes
Plan marketing and school meal promotion
Involve the students in menu choices
Identify resources to incorporate healthy eating/activity messages into the classroom

Healthy outcomes:

Increased opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity
Linking that creates community involvement and ownership
Leadership, self-esteem, and healthy habits for kids