Celebrating Children’s Healthy Habits and Well-Being at Healthy Kids Day®
On July 31, the Summit Area YMCA hosted Healthy Kids Day® at the Berkeley Heights Community Pool at the YMCA and the Springfield Community Pool.
The event took place outdoors where over 100 participants and families enjoyed the nice, summer weather while taking part in activities that stimulate their children’s mental, physical, and social well-being while creating healthy habits to practice in their everyday lives. Events included swimming, a relaxing session of family yoga, an energizing class of Zumba, writing letter to Seniors, scavenger hunts in the pool to teach children how to spell, and express their creative side with tie dye, fruit, bubble and jellyfish pastel art!
"The Y hopes to use the day to get more kids moving and learning, creating healthy habits they can continue while they're away from the classroom. We had an amazing turn out this past Saturday for Healthy Kids Day®! Kids and families enjoyed all the activities and we were so happy to have the community enjoy this event," said Allison Zeimann, Summit Area YMCA, Youth and Sports Director.
The Y strives to enable children’s development and find ways to express themselves while they continue to grow. Summer is a fun time for kids as they are out of school for a few months, but we encourage our youth community members that learning and being healthy is fun too! It’s important to use every moment in a child’s life as a teaching moment to better their mental and physical health as they grow into adulthood in years to come.
Thank you to our volunteers and staff for helping with this wonderful event and those who donated to our event that the children enjoyed tremendously, especially the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance, who funded our activities through a grant that came as a result of their partnership with the New Jersey Department of Health to re-grant funds received through the CDC.
Healthy Kids Day®, now in its 29th year, is the Y’s national initiative to improve health and well-being for kids and families. It is celebrated at over 1,500 Ys across the country by over one million participants. When kids are out of school, they can face hurdles that prevent them from reaching their full potential. Research shows that without access to out-of-school learning activities, kids fall behind academically. Kids also gain weight twice as fast during summer than the school year. Following a year filled with numerous changes and uncertainty, Healthy Kids Day® is a reminder to families that we can help ensure all children have access to the key ingredients to reach their full potential, even during out-of-school time. We hope you can join us again next year.
To learn more about Youth Programs at the Summit Area YMCA, visit www.thesay.org/youth-programs.
SUMMIT AREA YMCA
BERKELEY HEIGHTS YMCA | SUMMIT YMCA | THE LEARNING CIRCLE YMCA
In 1886, we were founded as the Young Men's Christian Association, but today, we are The Y. An association that values, and is made stronger by, its diverse people. We stand for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility — For a better us. We are committed to creating equal opportunity for all regardless of gender, age, disability, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religious affiliation. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive culture in which our four core values — responsibility, honesty, caring and respect — are integral to everyday operations.
Each year, as one of the area’s leading 501(c)3 charitable organizations, the Summit Area YMCA serves more than 15,000 individuals with our free and fee-based programs and services in an area spanning the New Jersey communities of Berkeley Heights, Gillette, Millburn, New Providence, Short Hills, Springfield, Stirling and Summit. Our history is rooted in working side-by-side with our neighbors to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. Through the generosity of our members, donors, and partners, we are able to offer financial assistance for our programs and services to those in need.