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May is Early learning and childcare month!

Healthy Start/Départ Santé would like to salute the Saskatoon Federation of Early Learning for highlighting this important month at their launch Friday, May 1st at the Royal West Collegiate. Having Don Morgan, Minister of Education and Mayor Don Atchison in attendance was a testament to how important this event has become! Both politicians recognized the vital role that early learning practitioners have in shaping the formative years of young children.   Keynote speaker, Kim Newlove, engaged in early learning and education for many years, shared her passion and reflections surrounding young children and their care. If there is one take-home message, it is that we should all reflect on continuing to strive for excellence and continuous improvement in early learning settings. We can all learn a little from the Reggio Emilia philosophy which emphasizes the importance of community connections and keeping children and families in mind when creating spaces in our communities! Finally, Ms. Newlove’s call to action and final message – make early childhood development and investing in our young children a key discussion topic in upcoming provincial and federal elections.   All children have potential to excel, and through this month, we thank all those involved in Early Learning; you provide the lessons and support that they need to succeed!

New to Healthy Start!

At the end of February Healthy Start/ Depart Santé was happy to welcome two new Project Coordinators to the team in Saskatchewan.  Erica Stevenson, who has previously worked with Saskatoon Tribal Council in the Early Learning Centre and then in a 24 hour emergency home.  Mindy Bodnarchuk, brings a wide array of experience from working at Canadian National Institute for the Blind, as a Community School Coordinator with the Catholic School Division, as well as a head start program working with newcomers to Canada.   When asked what she enjoyed most about being part of the Healthy Start/Départ Santé project, Erica indicated that ‘being proactive and helping childcare centres and in the end families to lead healthier lives.’ She adds, “Children learn habits at a young age.  Teach them healthy habits to carry on into adulthood.”  She used to work in two child care centres most recently in a 24 hour emergency home.  Erica is a Mom to an (almost) 3 year-old. She has enjoyed putting the LEAP BC TM – Food Flair resource into practice with her family, especially concepts from the Feeding Relationship where “the adult provides and children decide”. Erica has found that there is no pressure around mealtime in her household.  She explains, “My son has always been a big eater and rarely dislikes foods he tries.  He is so proud to serve himself his own meals. It also gives us, as a family, a chance to talk about food and to work on table manners with him.”   Mindy likes that Healthy Start/Départ Santé is striving to increase healthy eating and physical activity in Saskatchewan, especially with childhood obesity in the province being on the rise. She appreciates that the project works with remote centres where access to nutritious food can be an issue, and recognizes that each community and centre has its own unique culture. Mindy enjoys working in partnership with each centre and their established strengths to form healthy eating and physical activity goals that fit within the community.  Sharing information is an important part of her position, and she finds that both Food Flair and HOP (Healthy Opportunities for Preschoolers – LEAP BC TM) to be very user-friendly. Having a niece and nephew, she recognizes the importance of exposure to these initiatives at an early age.   Welcome to Mindy and Erica!

Spring 2015

Check out this month’s Healthy Start Sampler for a feature on legumes and lentils, and to learn how to make meal preparation a family affair!

The Connection – March 2015

Welcome to the first edition of The Connection | Connexions. This is Healthy Start/Départ Santé’s vehicle to communicate with partners, collaborators and stakeholders. It will be a twice annual publication highlighting new people, videos, and materials from HSDS, as well as keeping everyone informed with what is happening in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick with evaluation and outreach.

Thank you to Allysha Larsen!

It is with sadness that we announce Allysha Larsen’s (Project Coordinator) time with the Healthy Start (HSDS) project has come to an end. She worked for the Réseau Santé en français de la Saskatchewan (RSFS) / Saskatchewan Network for Health Services in French for over 4 years and in that time Allysha left an undeniable mark on the organization, as well as on Healthy Start. She contributed immensely to the development of the Healthy Start program, early in Phase 1, by gathering equipment, identifying resources and guiding work on creating standardized implementation for centres. Allysha defined precise steps and procedures, revised and edited the HSDS Implementation Guide and was instrumental in building the training program, connecting with centres and expanding the project throughout Saskatchewan. As a colleague, Allysha brought so much to the team with her professionalism, focus and Zen demeanour. On behalf of the Steering Committee, partners of HSDS and the whole team, we would like to sincerely wish you much success and happiness in your future endeavours!

Giving kids a Healthy Start

Global Saskatoon did a feature on us on December 12, 2014. Check it out! http://globalnews.ca/video/rd/371583043958/

Surviving and Thriving the Holiday Season

During the holidays, routine can become a less important part of our lives! With visiting family and friends, we tend to eat more. We don’t always know how to keep the children busy. Here are a few ideas to stay active and maintain healthy eating habits over the holidays:

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Active Video Games

Active video games are often thought to be an easy way to move around while having fun with your family or friends. Some people think that they are a good solution for children who do not get enough physical activity.

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Terrific Turkey Tacos

What you need: 1 corn tortilla 2 tbsp. cooked ground turkey, finely chopped 1 tbsp. shredded cheese 2 tbsp. shredded lettuce 2 tbsp. chopped tomatoes 2 tsp. salsa How to: Wash tomatoes and lettuce. Spin lettuce or dry with towels. Shred cheese and lettuce. Chop tomatoes. Place turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and salsa on tortilla. Fold soft tortilla in a U shape to eat. Serves one child. *Reference: LEAP Food Flair, Legacies Now, p. 162.  

Stir Fry

What you need: 1 cup firm tofu, diced into half-inch (1 cm) cubes ½ cup teriyaki sauce 1 tsp. brown sugar 1 carrot, sliced 1 medium green or red pepper, sliced 1 cup broccoli florets 1 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 can (8 oz/250 ml) pineapple chunks, drained) 3 cups cooked rice (white or brown basmati) How to: In a medium bowl, gently toss tofu cubes with teriyaki sauce and brown sugar until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Cut up carrot, pepper and broccoli. Heat oil for one minute in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully put the carrot and pepper into the skillet and cook for one minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the tofu and sauce, broccoli and pineapple chunks. Stir and cook one minute more or until broccoli is tender. Serve over rice. Serves 12 children. *Reference: LEAP Food Flair, Legacies Now, p. 172.    

Pumpkin Soup

What you need: 1 can (16 oz/540 ml) solid pack pumpkin, unsweetened 1 tbsp. soy sauce 2 tbsp. honey* 1 tsp. garlic salt ½ tsp. powdered ginger 3 cups milk or soy milk * Do not serve to children younger than 12 months old. How to: Put the pumpkin, soy sauce, honey, garlic salt, ginger and milk into a saucepan. Stir soup together well with a whisk. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Serves 10 children. *Source: LEAP Food Flair, Legacies Now, p. 144

Crock Pot Applesauce

What you need: 8-10 large apples 1 tsp. lemon juice ½ cup water ½ tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. nutmeg How to: Choose naturally sweet apples such as Golden Delicious or Gala. Peel apples, core and slice thinly. Combine apples, lemon juice and water in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for four hours or until apples are very soft. If you don’t have a crock pot, simmer in an uncovered saucepan for about 10 minutes. Add cinnamon and nutmeg. Serves 10-12 children. *Source: LEAP Food Flair, Legacies Now, p. 125.

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