Students at Red Bank Charter School joined The Community YMCA to kick off a new Healthy U program to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic.
Press release from The Community YMCA
On Monday, November 11, the students of Red Bank Charter School became part of a state-wide project called Healthy U — an effort designed to teach children ages 3 -13 how to be healthy for a lifetime.
A collaborative partnership between the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance and the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey with the goal of combating childhood obesity through nutrition education, physical education and family involvement, Healthy U uses the CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) curriculum to promote physical activity and good nutrition, while showing kids that eating healthy and being physically active every day can be fun.
Rose Mary Mintz, Vice President of Child Achievement at The Community YMCA, said Red Bank Charter is the first school in the area to incorporate Healthy U into the school curriculum and one of only 24 in New Jersey.
“We are pleased to give Red Bank children and families the support they need for making healthy choices and lifestyle changes,” Mintz said. She noted that the program was introduced in 2008 to Y afterschool programs and has since expanded to YMCA preschool sites and elementary schools during school hours.
Red Bank Charter School Principal Meredith Pennotti said participation in Healthy U provides additional, and complementary, health education to the school, while promoting a culture of wellness that can improve academic performance and increase student health.
“The Community YMCA has been a great partner in helping our students learn, grow and thrive by providing free access at their facility and now through this enriching Healthy U program,” Pennotti said.
Healthy U is made possible through a grant from The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, a division of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield. Since 2008, the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey has invested $3.45 million in the Healthy U initiative.
For more information on this program contact The Community YMCA at (732)671-5505 732.671.5505 or Sue Cornell, Healthy U Director, NJ YMCA State Alliance, at [email protected].
