Posted on: Tuesday, January 21st, 2020
Healthy Weight & Your Child – Enrolling in North Attleboro & Bellingham
Empowering kids to reach a healthy weight and enjoy a healthier lifestyle—with the support of their families
Our upcoming session of Healthy Weight & Your Child (for ages 7-13) begins at the end of February—offered at either the North Attleboro Y or at Stall Brook Elementary School, Bellingham. Participants and their parent or guardian will meet twice weekly for the first 15 weeks and then once weekly for the final five weeks. This impactful program offers education and physical activity and is available at no cost to the first 10 families who enroll at the Bellingham site, thanks to the generous support of Stop and Shop’s Our Family Foundation. The charge in North Attleboro is $100 (member) or $150 (non-member), with financial assistance available to those who qualify.
Healthy Weight & Your Child (HWYC) emphasizes three elements: healthy eating, regular physical activity and behavior change. We will engage the whole family so that together you can learn about factors that influence choices, with the goal of achieving a healthier weight.
Made up of groups of eight to 15 children and their parents/caregivers, the program creates a safe, fun, and active environment for children and their families to explore and adopt proven methods to living a healthier lifestyle. The program is an evidence-based model, developed by leading child health and weight management specialists using the best available research, as well as clinical and government guidelines. The sessions are facilitated by trained content and activity leaders who are committed to engaging the whole family.
Interested families should contact Marykate Bergen at phl@hockymca.org or call 508-339-4053 to register to attend the sessions.
Information Sessions Will be Held as Follows:
- February 10, 2020 at the North Attleboro Y (300 Elmwood Street, North Attleboro) at 5:30 p.m. (learn more about the Monday, Thursday 5:30 pm sessions that will run Feb. 24-June 11)
- February 11, 2020 at the Stall Brook School (342 Hartford Ave, Bellingham) at 6:00 p.m. (learn more about the Tuesday, Thursday 6pm sessions that will run Feb. 25-June 11)
- no meetings during the week of April 19
The Hockomock Area YMCA has been involved with youth obesity prevention since 2007, which marked the start of the Healthy Futures Initiative designed to create healthier communities. Healthy Weight and Your Child is a 25-session program, which includes 20 sessions delivered two times per week, followed by five weekly sessions. Sessions are two hours in length with the first hour delivered in a classroom setting and the second hour focusing on physical activity. A family Y membership is provided for the duration of the program.
To be eligible for the program, each child must be between the ages of 7 and 13, have a body mass index greater than or equal to the 95th percentile, be cleared for physical activity by a health care provider or school nurse, and be accompanied by a parent or caregiver at every session.
