East
Coast News 
West
Coast News
East
Coast News
Arlington
Kids Now Experiencing the Joy of Sports
Thanks to generous support from the Arlington
County Tennis Association (ACTA), Joy
of Sports (JSF)is now offering a year-round
Healthy Kids Club in Arlington County, Virginia
with weekly sessions held at the Carver
Community Center. We are thrilled to
report enthusiastic interest and strong
attendance. JSF has served more than 50
disadvantaged children at the site since
the summer of 2005. Every Thursday a group
of bright, energetic kids enjoy a variety
of on and off-court enrichment activities.
The tennis-based program includes conditioning,
a variety of engaging games, and instruction
in critical life success skills and healthy
living. JSF looks forward to continuing
and strengthening our partnership with ACTA
and expanding our services in Arlington
County.
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Healthy
Kids Expands to DC
Based on our remarkable success in California,
Joy of Sports launched and recently expanded
our Healthy
Kids program to Washington, DC. In an
ambitious initiative, JSF has partnered
with Friendship
Charter Schools to help develop healthy
kids at Woodridge Elementary (NE) and Chamberlain
Elementary (SE). Serving more than 1,000
students at the two sites, we aim to agressively
combat childhood obesity and to make an
improvement in the overall level of health
and fitness of these two school communities.This
innovative program offers in-school PE support,
an after-school Healthy Kids Club, as well
as training for teachers, staff and parents.
In addition, the generous grant from the
U.S.
Department of Education provides funding
to meet equipment and curriculum needs at
both schools. While the entire student population
is benefitting from this program, JSF is
providing intensive services to children
in Friendship's Butterfly/Joey program for
those students demonstrating high risk factors
for obesity. This program has been well
received and enthusiastically embraced in
these traditionally under-served communities
and we look forward to deepening and broadening
our impact in these neighborhoods and throughout
the DC metro area.
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West
Coast News
Healthy
Preschoolers Program Set to Launch in Spring
2006
Based on the success of the Healthy Kids
program and JSF's extensive expertise with
preschool-aged children, JSF is launching
an obesity prevention program for preschoolers.
The Healthy Preschoolers program
is a multi-faceted effort to combat childhood
obesity at the preschool level by providing
physical activity and nutritional education
for children, parents, and Head Start staff.
It is clear that the most influential people
in children's lives are parents and other
adult care givers. Thus targeting children
as well as those people who support and
take care of them is essential to change
behaviors and establish healthy habits.
A comprehensive, community-based approach
is necessary if we are to help preschoolers
develop a healthy lifestyle.
JSF will partner with Head Start Centers
to offer Healthy Preschoolers to
3-5 year-olds from low-income communities
in San Diego County. A high percentage of
these children come from Latino and African-American
backgrounds, with 14.3 percent and 17.5
percent of children ages 0-5 in these respective
communities being overweight. Healthy
Preschoolers will include the following
components:
