Every year, Kid Healthy Week is celebrated in the last week of April, recognizing health and wellness efforts made by schools and their community partners to improve nutrition and physical activity habits in youth. There is a link between health status and learning. Those who engage in regular physical activity and make nutritious food choices tend to more attentive in class and earn better grades. Obviously schools play a major role in providing health promotion programs for their students, but how can community partners, organizations, and families support these efforts?

Child care providers are other entities that have a major impact on the lives of children. In the past couple years, Panhandle Health District has worked hard with many child care providers on improving best practices for physical activity and nutrition based on the five goals of Let's Move! Child Care: increase physical activity, reduce screen time, improve nutrition practices, promote zero sugary beverages, and support infant feeding. Child care providers serve as role models with children in their care so it's important to reiterate best practices for children and adults, which we do in the Let's Move! Child Care Workshops held at Panhandle Health District. Parents and guardians looking for quality child care are able to reference the Let's Move! Child Care website (www.healthykidshealthyfuture.org) to find providers who are following best practices of Let's Move! Child care providers and other organizations not only serve as role models for children they care for, but also act as liaisons to families. They can relay and encourage parents to follow best practices at home. Color Me Healthy is another resource that Panhandle Health District, in partnership with the Idaho Community Foundation, has offered child care providers. Color Me Healthy is a fun, interactive curriculum educating four and five year olds about nutrition and physical activity.

What can parents and families do at home to support a healthy environment? With planting season right around the corner, now is a good time to educate children on where food comes from, how it grows, and how to prepare it. Involving children in the growing process of a garden and age-appropriate food preparation encourages children to try fruits and vegetables they might not have tried otherwise. For physical activity, skip screen time and try a walk, hike, or bike ride as a family.

For families needing special assistance in providing sound nutrition can look to community resources such as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC staff provide individualized nutrition counseling to families and offer vouchers for nutritious food packages such as fresh fruit and vegetables and/or baby food to fit clients' needs. Registered dietitian nutritionists are also on hand to counsel those who are at nutritional risk. In addition, breastfeeding moms can connect with peer counselors for support and education to ensure infants receive the benefits of breastmilk. Pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum woman, or children under the age of 5 may qualify for WIC benefits. Income restrictions apply. Clinics are located at Panhandle Health District in the five northern counties with a new location opening in Post Falls which is accepting appointments now starting in July. Call WIC at (208) 415-5130 for more information and to schedule your appointment.

Habits start early in life and the older we get the harder it is to change habits. This is why it is crucial to plant healthy habits in our youth from the beginning. Here's to every kid healthy!

The WIC Program is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Kimberly Young, MS, RDN, LD, is the WIC Coordinator at Panhandle Health District and a graduate of the University of Idaho Dietetic program.