Georgia Kids Enrichment and Activities

The American College of Sports Medicine released a summary of a study in which children were offered varying choices in toys to play with.  Those with the most choices played longer and with more physical activity than those who were only offered one toy to play with.

The conclusion that the study reported was that children are more likely to be active when they have lots of toys

“More is better when it comes to children’s toys, according to research presented today at the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) 58th Annual Meeting and 2nd World Congress on Exercise is Medicine^®. Providing choices is the key, experts say, to encouraging children – especially girls – to be physically active.

A University of Buffalo research team recently studied the effects of three toy quantities –one toy, three toys and five toys – on the activity levels of 36 children. Children, all ages 8-12, were sorted by gender and divided randomly among the groups. Researchers observed the children’s behaviors and monitored their heart rates and activity counts.

“Research has shown that increasing the variety or choice of foods a child is exposed to increases their overall energy intake,” said Denise Feda, Ph.D., lead author of this study. “Whether or not this variety principle applies to physical activity has been largely unstudied, however. Our team wanted to determine if increasing the number of active toys a child can choose from increases their physical activity.”

After 60 minutes of free play, researchers found that overall play time increased dramatically – by 95 percent – when children had three or five toys to play with. Most interestingly, by looking at heart rate data, researchers found providing choice of active toys appears to increase the intensity of play in girls more than boys.

“The results of this study are significant, considering the epidemic of childhood obesity plaguing this country,” said Feda, a postdoctoral associate at the University of Buffalo. “Adults looking for effective ways to increase their child’s exercise time should take a look at toy variety. Adding an active toy or two could help, especially for girls. Girls can be motivated to engage in equal physical activity as boys by simply providing them with a greater choice of active toys.”

ACSM and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that children and adolescents participate in at least one hour of physical activity each day.

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 45,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine.

The conclusions outlined in this news release are those of the researchers only and should not be construed as an official statement of the American College of Sports Medicine. Research highlighted in this news release has been presented at a professional meeting but has not been peer-reviewed.”

Head Start and Georgia Pre-K meet the early education needs of thousands of Georgia’s children. This fact sheet from Voices for Georgia’s Children is designed to provide information about the basic operations of Head Start and Georgia Pre-K and to promote continuing collaboration between the two programs.

Head Start is a federal program that provides grants to local public and private nonprofit and for-profit agencies, Indian tribes, and local school systems. The grants are used to provide comprehensive education, health, nutrition, parent involvement, and family support services to low-income children and their families. Since its inception in 1965, Head Start has aimed to meet the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs of more than 27 million children across the United States. In 1994 the reauthorization of Head Start, already serving children from age 3 to 5, added the Early Head Start program for children from birth to 3 as well as pregnant women.1 Children may be served in home-based or center-based programs or a combination of the two. The minimum length of service is 160 days per year. During the 2009-2010 program year, a national total of 1,117,687 women and children were served in Head Start and Early Head Start.

Georgia Pre-K is a lottery-funded program that aims to prepare four-year-olds for a successful transition into kindergarten. The program began as a state-funded pilot program serving low income children in 1992. It became the first universal program in the nation during the 1995-1996 school year when it opened to all children regardless of income. Through a competitive grant process, Bright from the Start, Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning, awards operating funds to program providers. The Georgia Pre-K program can be offered in a number of venues, including public and private elementary and secondary schools, postsecondary institutions, military bases, private and nonprofit child care centers, and Head Start program sites. The program served its 1 millionth child during the 2009-2010 school year.

Resources:

Bright from the Start: GA Dept. of Early Care & Learning
http://decal.ga.gov
404-656-5957

GA Head Start Association
www.georgiaheadstart.org
478-240-0925 Ext. 204 or 404-929-2457

National Head Start Association
www.nhsa.org
703-739-0875

Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, Office of Head Start
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov
866-763-6481

If your child is below the age of 8 then they need to be riding in a booster seat; it’s the law. On May 9th, 2011, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law a bill which changes the current requirements on child safety seat.

The prior requirements were that booster seats were only required until a child reached age 5.  Under the new law, booster seats are required until age 8, or until the child is taller than 4’9″.

The law is in response to studies showing that children younger than 8 were more often injured when using just a seat belt.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued recommendations for children riding in vehicles.    The NHTSA recommends parents select a car seat based on your child’s age and size.  Its important to choose a seat that fits in your vehicle and that you use the car seat every time you drive with your child.  The NHTSA also recommends that a child uses the car seat until the child outgrows the seat.  Riding in the back seat through the age of 12 has also proven to be the best practice.  The following recommendations are based on age:

Birth-12 Months: Always ride in a rear-facing car seat.  There are several different types of rear-facing car seats designed for various child sizes.  It is important to consider your child’s height and weight before purchasing a car seat.

1-3 Years: As recommended, it is best to keep your child in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible.  Once your child has reached the hight or weight limit then a new forward-facing car seat should be considered.

4-7 Years: Keeping your child in a forward-facing seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by the manufacturer.  Once your child reached the limits it is now time to consider purchasing a booster seat.

8-12 Years: It is recommended that you keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. Keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. In order to properly fit your child to a seat belt, the lap belt must lie firmly across the upper thighs and not the stomach. The shoulder belt should fit across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face. And always remember, your child should continue riding in the back seat since it’s safer there.

• Georgia ranks 42nd nationally in indicators of child and family well being, better than the 1991 ranking of 49th, but still in the lowest 10 rankings of all states.  (2010 data).
• Georgia’s current system of service delivery for children in need or at risk of out-of-home placements involves multiple systems with differing mandates, missions, funding, strategic visions, and information systems.
• Families continue to voice concerns about their inability to navigate the complex systems of care throughout Georgia.
• Currently no centralized organization coordinates and focuses the work of child-serving agencies.
• Research shows that the most effective strategies for protecting and nurturing children begin by creating strong families and healthy communities.