54
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. The health education curriculum
uses terminology for identifying healthful
foods – GO, SLOW, and WHOA – that has
been used colloquially nationwide as a
simple means of labeling food’s nutritional
content for young learners.
CATCH is designed and proven to
coordinate healthy messages through
the community and fully integrates the
Center for Disease Control’s “Whole
School, Whole Community, Whole Child”
model; the expanded Coordinated School
Health approach. The CATCH preschoolbased
program is designed to encourage
physical activity and healthy eating in
children ages 3-5.
The ELC’s Community Engagement team
is piloting the program with ten early
learning sites in Manatee County. Their
contributions to the sites include supplying
the CATCH curriculum and materials. As
well as providing training with ongoing
coaching to these educators.
Rachel is thrilled with the results that CATCH
has already shown nation-wide. CATCH is
currently being used in 10,000 schools
and communities across the U.S. and
has proven to decrease childhood obesity
by as much as much as 11%. A CATCH
Rachel Spivey Kerry Gaylord
program in Los Fresnos demonstrated a
28% increase in MVPA in children enrolled
in that community school district.
The program includes three 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 their home routines.
It is a daily curriculum with lessons and
activities that are approximately 30
minutes each.
In addition to the Community Engagement
eet outreach programs and CATCH, the
team works throughout the year on many
of the ELC’s literacy and community
programs, including Deputy Friendly,
Every Child A Reader, BLOCK Fest,
and more.
Rachel is thrilled to be a part of the ELC of
Manatee County and says, “the innovation
happening here is like no other.” “It’s very
exciting that our ELC has this incredible
vision and I am excited to further develop
and expand our programing to support all
of our county’s young learners.”