Healthy Kids

The Healthy Kids Work Group is working to improve the physical, mental and social well-being of Douglas County children and youth so everyone has the opportunity to thrive in a community that fosters resiliency, creativity and wellness.

During the past three decades, childhood obesity rates have tripled, and today, nearly 1 in 3 children in America are overweight or obese. Many of these children face mental and physical health problems like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, asthma and depression.

We are working to reverse the trend by promoting physical activity, supporting school and community gardens, nutrition education, social connectedness and family work and life balance.

The Work Group supports efforts to:

• Assure implementation of strong wellness policies and practices in Douglas County schools, before and after-school programs, child care homes and centers
• Advocate for continued implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
• Create or maintain school and early childhood gardens across Douglas County
• Establish practices that result in greater use of fruits and vegetables from gardens that serve children birth to 18
• Cultivate school wellness champions within schools including PE teachers and the community
• Increase school participation in Let’s Move in Kansas Schools or programs designed to promote movement in the classroom
• Establish requirements for child care and early childhood education programs to improve physical activity standards
• Ensure that all students in grades K-12 have adequate opportunities to engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day, through approaches including:  
  • active transport to school programs
  • intramural sports and activity programs
  • active recess
  • classroom breaks
  • after-school physical activity programming
  • integration of physical activity into curricula lesson plans

LiveWell Annual Celebration Breakfast Awards

As part of its annual celebration, on Friday, November 19, 2022 the LiveWell Douglas County coalition awarded Culture of Health Action Awards to both coalition members and community partners whose efforts have helped improve the health and well-being of Douglas County residents.

Eudora Schools Foundation has been engaged in a number of efforts to promote health among school-aged youth in Eudora. Shanda Hurla and Lauri Kuntz were at the celebration to accept the Culture of Health award on behalf of the foundation for their efforts to create the Bird’s Nest, a school-based pantry that provides snacks and take-home foods.

Resources

• Well Commons' Kiddos Page
• Healthy Sprouts

For more information about joining, go to Get Involved.

Work Group Leadership

• Chair: Emily Brinkman, Wichita State University, Center for Public Health Initiatives - emilysbrinkman@gmail.com