YMCA and BayCare Kids Power offer a fun approach to nutrition and exercise education

This fall, YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg will implement its first structured afterschool care class centered on exercise and nutrition developed by BayCare. BayCare Kids Power is a focused approach to helping children learn about various concepts of health and wellness, while using the USDA MyPlate Guidelines. Baycare Kids Power will be implemented at five different elementary schools throughout the Greater St. Petersburg area through the YMCA Before-and-Afterschool Program, with plans to expand to other schools in the future.

The BayCare Kids Power Program was developed to be fun-filled and interactive, while educating children on various topics related to nutrition and exercise. The program will be led by YMCA staff who will address topics such as the importance of daily physical activity and staying healthy, mystery fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and delicious dairy.

The overall goal of BayCare Kids Power is to assist children in developing healthy habits, an active lifestyle and to improve their physical well-being. Program classes are designed to be taught during a 12-week period, and will start over with a new cohort of children in the next 12 weeks. The children will learn the role of exercise in their daily routine, and how it promotes muscle growth and development through games. Teaching the children how to do push ups and playing parachute are just a few of the ways YMCA staff plan to incorporate fun into fitness.

According to Kieran Gabel, Director of Community Health for YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg, “the BayCare Kids Power program is such a fun way to introduce kids to healthy food and physical activity. The kids will be bringing home knowledge of a new lesson every week and sharing it with their families. That is the goal, to inspire families to make healthy changes.”

Christina Sakacsi, Community Health Program Manager at YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg taught classes from the BayCare Kids Power program during the YMCA’s summer camp at Lealman Exchange. One of the classes included information on the USDA MyPlate Guidelines and a kit of sliced vegetables and tortilla. The activity encouraged kids to make face shapes with the food, while learning about the importance of the different vitamins and minerals contained in each vegetable. The lesson on mystery fruit included taste testing slices of exotic fruits such as a starfruit. 

Including small prizes, such as a tiny foam dumbbell when learning about building muscle, adds a fun element to the lessons. Small prizes will serve as conversation starters, with the intention of involving family members in positive conversations about the daily topic discussed. During classes involving healthy foods, kids will be able to experiment with new foods while having hands-on experience creating their own snacks. 

“Every time I teach, the kids receive a snack when picking apart MyPlate,” said Sackacsi. “They’ve loved trying the mystery fruits and taking home prizes. The kids always have a good time.”

BayCare offers other adaptations of the BayCare Kids Power program for the community. Requests for classes to be taught throughout the community or at your specific elementary school can be sent through the designated link here.