February is Heart Health Month, but YWCA Minneapolis Child Care Classrooms are Moving All the Time!
Learning Healthy Habits Early
Even though February is Heart Health Month, YWCA Minneapolis has a year-round focus on physical activity for children. According to the American Heart Association, the best way to raise healthy children is to teach them healthy habits early in life. One of the places they can begin building these habits is in their child care center. At YWCA Minneapolis, we work with both children and families to support healthy eating and physically active lifestyles.
How do we keep our hearts healthy all year long?
Outdoor Playtime
In YWCA’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program there are many ways we keep our children busy. Each Children’s Center has at least one outside playground, and children have the opportunity to go out to play for 30 minutes twice a day; weather permitting. In addition, children may take field trips to get outside and enjoy the nice weather. The children wear little orange YWCA Minneapolis vests for safety and are easily spotted out in the community.
Indoor Activities
If the weather does not allow for outdoor activities, children can still keep moving indoors. Each Children’s Center has dedicated indoor space for children to participate in large muscle and motor activities and just get their bodies moving.
Swim Lessons
Some of our child care locations even offer swimming lessons, teaching children an important life skill early in their childhood. Preschoolers are provided with a half-hour swim lesson once a week.
Family Fitness
All families who enroll in the YWCA Minneapolis Early Childhood Education Program receive a free one-year family gym membership to YWCA Minneapolis (three fitness locations), making it convenient for everyone to stay active. Parents are able to set positive examples for their children by staying active and demonstrating the importance of regular physical activity.
Active Families, Active Kids
When it comes to creating a platform for healthy lifestyles and families, YWCA Minneapolis is a great place to start. From the healthy beginning we give children in our Early Childhood Education Programs, to the many families who are moving and grooving in our fitness centers, being active is the way we work at YWCA Minneapolis.