The Friday Five – Every Kid Healthy Week

Follow and join the conversation with #EveryKidHealthyWeek and #EveryKidHealthy.

One in three kids in the U.S. are overweight or obese. If the trend continues, this generation will be the first in our history to live shorter lives than their parents. In an effort to combat this bleak outlook, Action for Healthy Kids (@Act4HlthyKids) has taken matters into their own hands by hosting Every Kid Healthy Week, an annual observance created to celebrate school health and wellness achievements. Observed the last week of April each year, this special week shines a spotlight on the great efforts schools are making to improve the health and wellness of their students and the link between nutrition, physical activity and learning. The week also provides an opportunity for everyone in the country to get involved in a celebration to help support sound nutrition, regular physical activity and health-promoting programs in schools. Our Friday Five lists some ideas to help you get informed, take part in this worthy celebration and show your support.

Game On
Action for Healthy Kids offers a plethora of resources for schools, parents and community members to support their mission. One such example is Game On, a flexible and adaptable online program that supports America’s schools in creating healthier school environments for students, staff and the communities they serve. This no-cost online guide provides all the information and resources you need to host a successful school wellness program in your school with the ultimate goal of getting your school nationally recognized as a health-promoting school. Whether you are a part of the school staff, a parent, or a community member, you can make a difference!

Show Your Every Kid Healthy Week Spirit…and Win!
Action for Healthy Kids is running a contest now through May 4th and contestants can win one of 15 $100 prizes by showing the organization the impact celebrating student health has on your school community. Participants are encouraged to submit any of the following, multiple entries accepted (maximum of 10 per school), to be entered into a random drawing to win. Be sure to include your school name and an event description.

• Your best photo(s) of the Every Kid Healthy Week fun
• A short (1-2minute) video from your event (Please send as a YouTube link.)
• Student drawings and/or stories about their experience, especially trying something new (share as jpgs or PDFs)
• An inspiring volunteer/parent engagement story

AFHK will post their favorites on social media so send your school’s Facebook and Twitter handles along with your submission if you’d like to be tagged, .

2018’s Best & Worst States for Children’s Health Care
Raising a child in America is extremely expensive, costing the average parent over $230k, and health care accounts for a big chunk of the bill. WalletHub (@wallethub) therefore compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 30 key indicators of cost, quality and access to children’s health care. Our data set ranges from share of children aged 0 to 17 in excellent or very good health to pediatricians and family doctors per capita. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

Scroll over the map to find out where your state ranks.

Team Healthy Kids: 2018 TCS New York City Marathon
One of the best ways to encourage kids to build healthy habits is for adults to lead by example. Make a difference for yourself AND kids all over the country by joining Team Healthy Kids for the 2018 #NYCMarathon. Besides guaranteed entry to the race, you’ll also get a free 20-week training program & more. Check out the details, and sign up today!

Every Kid Healthy Week – Not Just for schools
While the main focus of Every Kid Healthy Week is to promote health and wellness in our nation’s schools, that doesn’t mean only schools get to have all the fun. Any company or organization that wants to host a health-promoting event for employees during Every Kid Healthy Week can register their event with Action for Healthy Kids through a SurveyMonkey questionnaire to show their support for the movement.

ICYMI – Our other Friday Fives.