CATCH
For Health, For Fun, For Kids!
For more than 25 years, the CATCH
platform has been proven to launch
kids and communities toward healthier
lifestyles – plus it’s a cost-effective means
of preventing childhood obesity, in an
environment that’s fun and easy to sustain!
CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child
Health) is a comprehensive community
health program that creates behavior
change in children by teaching them to
identify healthy foods and increase their
moderate to vigorous physical activity
(MVPA) each day.
This health education curriculum uses
terminology for identifying healthful foods
– GO, SLOW, and WHOA – that have
been used colloquially nationwide as a
simple means of labeling food’s nutritional
content. Further, CATCH is designed and
proven to coordinate healthy messages
through the community and fully integrates
the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC)
“Whole School, Whole Community, Whole
Child” (WSCC) model.
The WSCC model focuses on the child to
align the common goals of both sectors
to put into action a whole child approach
to education. As the CDC’s framework
for addressing health in schools, WSCC
is student-centered and emphasizes the
role of the community in supporting the
school, the connections between health and
academic achievement, and the importance
of school policies and practices.
Initially funded in 1988, the original CATCH
study was the largest school-based health
promotion study ever conducted in the
United States. CATCH continues to be
tested and improved by researchers with
the University of Texas Health Science
Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of
Public Health. Today, CATCH community
health programs serve 10,000 schools and
communities across the U.S., in pre-K, K-8,
and after-school programs. CATCH has
proven to decrease childhood obesity by
as much as 11%.
The Early Learning Coalition of Manatee
County (ELC) will administer the CATCH
Early Childhood (CATCH EC) program in
child care facilities throughout Manatee
County. The program is designed to
encourage physical activity and healthy
eating in children ages 3-5. CATCH EC
includes 3 components: 1. “It's fun to be
Healthy!” Classroom curricula consisting
of interactive nutrition and garden-based
lesson plans and activities, 2. Structured
physical activities provided in a CATCH
EC Physical Activity Box, and 3. Family
Education including tips for parents to
incorporate nutrition and physical
activity into home routines. It is a daily
curriculum with lessons and activities
that are approximately 30 minutes each.
The ELC was awarded a $5000 grant
from the Florida Winefest and Auction
to support their implementation of the
CATCH EC program. Sharon Oakes,
ELC Chief Operations Officer, said:
“We are tremendously appreciative
of the continued support from Florida
Winefest and Auction. This generous
grant will enable the ELC to implement
a fun, interactive, research-proven health
and wellness curriculum to preschoolers
and their families in Manatee County.”
The Florida Winefest and Auction,
Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that
provides funding to qualified charitable
organizations for programs assisting
disadvantaged children, youth, and
families in Sarasota and Manatee Counties.
They are celebrating their 29th year of
supporting charities and have awarded
$8.6 million in grants to 87 different
charities since 1991. For more information
visit www.floridawinefest.org today!
WORDS: Jessica Schubick
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/www.floridawinefest.org