Ehrlo Early Learning Centre (EELC) is participating in a province-wide program aimed at getting children healthy and active at a young age.

The Gladys McDonald Early Learning Centre is one of five centres in Regina participating in the Healthy Start program.

“The program focuses on both proper nutrition and physical activity for children,” explained Karin Duff, EELC director. “Recommendations that come from this program will be taken into account when we update our menu. Recommendations for improving our physical activity programming may also come from this study.”

Healthy Start, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, is designed for early learning and childcare centres and prekindergarten programs, with the intention to engage directors, educators, and parents and to provide them with resources to teach healthy eating habits and implement physical activity into daily routine.

Health Start will build upon programming and practices already in place at Gladys McDonald and encourage EELC to review their current healthy eating and physical activity practices, set goals for healthy changes, develop an action plan, and to communicate with parents.

Gladys McDonald began program participation in December by closely monitoring and weighing the children’s food intake, and tracking their levels of physical activity using a step counter.

The program, and recommendations that result, will continue to build upon the quality services that Gladys McDonald and all EELC locations deliver, said Karin. During the initial review, it was discovered that of all participants, the EELC was the only one with a designated time slot of extracurricular activity in its programming plans.

“This program assists us, as educators, to offer optimal programming when it comes to physical activity,” said Audra Hammer, supervisor at Gladys McDonald. “Giving children in our care the best start possible, at a young age, sets the path to a healthy lifestyle as they become older.”

“Saskatchewan has the highest rate of childhood obesity (three to five years old), so it’s important that children learn healthy lifestyles,” said Audra. “With times changing and families being so busy, this program gives children the tools they need to be successful, not just in respect to healthy eating but activity levels as well. It’s more difficult to teach adults than it is to educate the young population that we work with.”

Results and recommendations from Healthy Start will be released to the staff at Gladys Macdonald when the program wraps up in July.