A Message from the
Executive Director
It is hard to believe that September
is upon is. While we might still be enjoying the last warm
rays of the summer sun, we know that the crisp air of autumn
is around the corner. It is important at the beginning of
the school year to establish routines for children including
time set aside for play, homework and family time. It is also
of vital importance to ensure that our children are eating
healthy foods while at school. Nutritious foods fuel both
the body and the mind!
For us here at Investing in Children,
fall means that our many programs are gearing back up. Our
Leadership Camp will take place October 6-9 at Stevenson Children’s
Camp with hundreds of students from across the Thames Valley
area participating in leadership and team building activities.
Our Community Service clubs will be deciding on how they can
make a difference in their communities and our “ In
the Know Tutoring” clubs will be helping area students
with their academic skills. Family literacy, the arts and
nutrition will continue to be an area of focus for Investing
in Children.
Thank you to our community for
supporting Investing in Children and the work that we do for
children and their families. It is going to be an exciting
year ahead!
Sincerely,
Anita Gilvesy
Executive Director
Book Camp
London 2008
Book Camp London took place from
August 11-15, with 40 students working with professional writers
and illustrators to practice and develop their skills. Investing
in Children and our partner the London Public Library would
like to thank Canadian Language & Literacy Research Network,
Friends of London Public Library and Sights and Sounds Productions
for their support of Book Camp London.
FamilyInfo.ca
FamilyInfo.ca is a fabulous website
coordinated by Investing in Children that provides information
on programs, services and events for children aged 0 to 6
in London and Middlesex. Since 2003, the website has been
providing updated information to parents, caregivers and professionals
on a variety of topics including child care, recreation and
leisure activities, and health and safety.
Visitors to FamilyInfo.ca can
search alphabetically or geographically, or enter their postal
code to generate a listing of programs in their neighbourhood.
The listings including full program details and directions
from Google Maps.
A community advisory committee
monitors the site on an ongoing basis to ensure that key issues
for parents and caregivers are captured. Data analysis coordinators
for the Ontario Early Years Centres update the data on an
ongoing basis. This project is supported by the Ministry of
Community, Family and Children’s Services through their
support of the Ontario Early Years Centres.
FamilyInfo.ca has been increasing
by leaps and bounds; with over 300 visits to the site per
day and the average length of visit over 30 minutes. This
past quarter from April 1 to June 30 there were 28,711 visits
to the site. This reinforces the need of such a site in the
community! To get started just visit the site at www.familyinfo.ca.
For more information on Familyinfo.ca please contact Lisa
Nixon at Investing in Children at 433-8996 x:233 or familyinfo@investinginchildren.on.ca
Children's
Nutrition Network
It’s back to school time
and the Children’s Nutrition Network will be working
hard to ensure that schools have the available resources to
support their nutrition programs. We would like to thank Start
Communications, London Lawyers Feed the Hungry and the Ministry
of Children and Youth Services for their support. Here are
some statistics from the Ontario Student Nourishment Program
and helpful hints from Breakfast for Learning:
- Children and adolescents
who are breakfast eaters (whether school breakfast or breakfast
elsewhere) are less likely to be overweight. (Rampersaud
et al., 2005; Afenito et al., 2005).
- Skipping breakfast is more
prevalent among girls, low-income children, older children
and adolescents, and among some Black and Hispanic adolescents.
(Rampersaud et al., 2005).
- Children’s brain function
is diminished by short-term or periodic hunger or malnutrition
caused by missing or skipping meals (Tufts University Center
on Hunger, Poverty & Nutrition Policy, 1994).
- Research shows that there
is a clear link between good nutrition and school performance
(Papamandjaris, 2000; National Association of State Boards
of Education, 2000).
- Nutrition, particularly in
the short-term, is believed to impact upon individual behaviour,
(e.g. concentration, activity levels). These behaviours
have the potential to affect school performance and interaction
with peers, and to compromise self-esteem. For example,
lack of thiamin (Vitamin B) in the diet appears to have
causal relationship with behavioural problems in adolescents,
such as irritability, aggressive behaviour and personality
changes.
Some helpful hints:
- Get a head start each day
with a healthy breakfast. Breakfast should include one item
from at least three food groups, like whole grain cereal
with skim milk and sliced fruit.
- Post a copy of Canada's Food
Guide to help remind children and youth to get their daily
recommended servings of each food group.
- Pack nutritious lunches for
school and keep a variety of healthy food options readily
available for breakfasts and snacks on-the-go, including
fruit, pre-cut veggies, or yogurt in squeezable tubes.
- Encourage students to choose
healthier cafeteria options, such as water and milk instead
of soft drinks, or veggies and dip instead of fries.
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