WEST COAST NEWS.

HEALTHY KIDS PROGRAM REDUCES OBESITY IN OCEANSIDE SCHOOL
The childhood obesity epidemic has been reversed—at least at one elementary school in Oceanside . A formal evaluation just completed by a Harvard professor indicates obesity is on the decline and physical activity and healthy eating are on the rise at Del Rio Elementary School . Del Rio is the site of the Healthy Kids 2005 project, provided by the Joy of Sports Foundation.

Healthy Kids 2005 is a multi-faceted project funded primarily by the California Endowment. The project aims to increase the amount and quality of time Del Rio students spend in physical education, raise their nutritional literacy, and help them build healthy eating habits. It also provides educational opportunities and information for parents and teachers. Del Rio , located in a low-income, heavily Latino neighborhood, serves a population that is particularly at-risk for obesity and other health problems.

The evaluation report was conducted by Dr. Myra White of Harvard Medical School. She found that 22% of Del Rio children who were overweight at the beginning of the 2003-04 school-year had a Body Mass Index (BMI) in the normal range by the end of the school-year. According to Dr. White, “There was a highly statistically significant drop in the average BMI for all children. This finding is particularly impressive because the BMI of children increases with time as they grow.” In addition, Dr. White found that students had adopted more active lifestyles, increased their cardiovascular fitness, and were eating more fruits and vegetables and less candy.

Healthy Kids Program Wins Award
Del Rio Elementary School in Oceanside, CA, the pilot site for our Healthy Kids program, recently won the Gallup Robinson award for having the best physical activity program in San Diego County. The award was bestowed by the California section of the prestigious American Association for Health, Physical Activity, Recreation, and Dance (CAHPERD). For the past two school years, JSF has provided Physical Education classes at Del Rio. We have also provided training to Del Rio teachers in how to integrate phsysical actvity and nutrition into classroom activities. In addition, we have provided an intensive Healthy Kids Club after-school program and summer camp to more than 60 children selected on the basis on having high risk factors for obesity and poor health. We are proud that our efforts, along with those of Del Rio's great Principal and teachers, have won this recognition,. JSF looks forward to having the opportunity to partner with many more schools to bring children the health and academic benefits that come from our Healthy Kids approach.

Bay Area Children Find The Joy In Sports
The foundation was able to bring Star Power for Preschoolers and Tennis Plus to over 500 children at 25 sites during the 2002-2003 school year. The 2003-2004 school year already looks promising with over 175 children being served this fall in 9 different classes. Locations currently include Richmond, Berkeley, and San Francisco. We are grateful for the generous support of local foundations and organizations such as the San Francisco Foundation, Wayne & Gladys Valley Foundation, Morris Stulsaft Foundation and the Western Athletic Clubs which have made these programs possible.

Parent Training Breaks New Ground for JSF
The Star Program for Parents of Preschoolers is finishing up its first year, with 350 parents trained to teach their preschoolers life skills like self esteem and concentration while they teach their child the basics of soccer. The families also enjoy Star Power exercises together, along with stretching and positive parenting skills. First 5 Commission of San Diego (Prop 10), the funder for this program, recently notified JSF that they are pleased with our progress in our first year and will fund an additional year of parent training programs. JSF looks forward to another year of serving San Diego County families with this unique approach to parent training.

EAST COAST NEWS.

JSF Brings Tennis Plus To Southeast DC
Through a new partnership with the Concerned Black Men (CBM) of Washington and the Southeast Tennis & Learning Center, Joy of Sports is offering a Saturday afternoon program of tennis, life skills, nutrition education, and academic tutoring to kids in Ward 8, an economically disadvantaged area of the District of Columbia. CBM members are serving as mentors for the kids, creating an excellent adult:child ratio. The off-court program is the most comprehensive JSF has offered in the DC to date.

Star Power Still Shines In DC
Our Star Power program uses physical play activities to help children develop in five key areas: concentration, cooperation, relaxation, imagination and self-esteem. Since 1997, Joy of Sports Foundation has served more than 140 child care centers training over 550 teachers and directly reaching over 5,000 children in the Washington, DC area. With our training model, child care providers are able to continue to teach Star Power to the children in their care for years to come. Recently, we launched Star Power at 5 new centers serving 171 disadvantaged children in metropolitan Washington, D.C. As always, the program is proving to be a winner with the children and the staff at the centers.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Happy Hours & Restaurant Nights
Joy of Sports periodically partners with local establishments for fund-raising evenings where a portion of the money spent goes to JSF. We will post information on our home page to announce upcoming events.

If you would like to help out at any of these events or sponsor an event, please visit Become a Partner or contact Jonathan Wright at jonathan@joyofsports.org or 202-548-0185.

For any questions on special events, please contact our Development Director Rick Bates at 202-548-0187, rick@joyofsports.org.

Thanks for your support!