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For some, the end of summer marks the end of vacation, and for others, returning to school. In the case of the Healthy Start/ Départ Santé team, it’s time to say goodbye to two of our summer students, Nam Nguyen and Karine Ntihinyuka. Coming to Saskatchewan with the program Young Canada Works, it is with a working knowledge of both official languages that the two young students will go back to their respective provinces, Nam to Manitoba and Karine to Québec. Indeed, their time at the Healthy Start/Départ Santé office has allowed them to experience different aspects of the project, like assembling the APE kits, collecting data, translating different texts, etc. Their contributions did not stop there, they organised activities for Réseau Santé en français de la Saskatchewan (the Healthy Start sponsoring organization) for the Fête fransaskoise (treasure hunt and bike ride). The team wishes them the best of luck on returning to their studies.

The following article has been submitted by a local parent and is a firsthand account of Healthy Start in action at home.  For further information regarding best practices for healthy lifestyles in a family setting, please contact us at [email protected] or at 1-855-653-7454. My husband and I work full time and are parents to a 4 year old boy and 3 year old girl.  Our supper meals had evolved into a stressful event.  It was a rush to get home and get a healthy meal on the table and our 4 year old boy had become increasingly picky.  He is also very slight so we started to think, well if he would eat anything that would be good.  Our 3 year old girl was a better eater.  We found ourselves slipping into some bad habits unknowingly.  We compared the two children out loud such as, “Oh, look how much your sister has eaten.”  And started treating food like a punishment and reward such as, “If you have one bite of broccoli then you can have dessert.”  The nights we didn’t feel like fighting over food, we would make two meals (one for the kids and one for the parents) – as if getting one meal on the table wasn’t enough work!  A friend of mine forwarded me some mealtime hints from Healthy Start and we implemented some changes immediately. We recognized our mistakes, such as treating meal time like a performance or a punishment/reward.  We learned how children need to be introduced to food several times before they develop a taste for it.  We also learned how to prepare a no-fail meal.  We started building meals that included at least one item that we were pretty certain the kids would eat and a rule that you have to try everything.  When we remember, we try to put the food on the table and let the kids dish up themselves.  We learned to not spoil their appetites with milk and pre-supper snacks.  If the kids are very hungry and supper isn’t ready – we put out a plate of fresh veggies. I didn’t realize how far we had come until I mentioned we were having tacos for “Cinco de Mayo” and my neighbor asked, “Your kids will eat that?!”  In my head I was thinking, of course they will.  We had prepared taco meat, salad, fresh peppers, and cheese quesadillas.  The kids were guaranteed to like at least some part of that meal! Don’t get me wrong, there is still a loud cheer when we declare we’re making pizza or macaroni and cheese for supper, but there has been a huge improvement in their palettes and lower stress at meal times.  I’m grateful for this information and the suppers we share as a family.

With Working Together, Moving Forward: a forum on healthy children, youth and families all wrapped up, the forum organizers (Healthy Start/Départ Santé, Health Promoting Schools Program, MEND, and Saskatchewan in motion) are very pleased with the participation and sharing that occurred in Saskatoon June 19th and 20th, 2014.  Thank you to the Réseau Santé en français de la Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan, College of Kinesiology for hosting the day and a half event.   The Forum brought together diverse sectors, key stakeholders and decision makers from across Saskatchewan as well as other provinces and focused on informing concrete actions for stronger partnerships aligned with provincial strategies and priorities. Thank you to the more than eighty participants who attended the Forum including provincial and federal government, health region and community representatives! Here are some highlights – a featured motivational address by Dr. Louise Humbert, Associate Dean at the University of Saskatchewan College of Kinesiology gave insight into being physically active in a social media world and explained that being a partner means respect and working together.  Our keynote videoconference by Dr. Cameron Willis, Scientist at Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo, offered his thoughts on complex vs complicated partnerships – the key is measuring the impact of our partnerships.  The presentations by the four provincial organizing initiatives, all considered best practices in promoting healthy weights, helped set the stage on the great work in health promotion occurring in Saskatchewan.  And finally, the opportunity to showcase many unique organizations and their work through the “Pecha Kucha” format, helped stimulate conversation around improving our current practices, partnerships and sustaining our initiatives over the long haul. So where does this forum leave us?  Did we achieve our objectives? We learned that these types of opportunities are a rare occasion; it was great to be able to bring forward such varied groups with common interests in promoting healthy lifestyles together.  We explored how our networks can better inform concrete actions by working together. We learned that working collaboratively and sharing our success stories and best practices across the province is useful and appreciated by all who participated.  We touched on core collective values that mean a lot to those who participated, like collaboration, sharing, empowerment, and transparency. What can we take away? Partnerships should be viewed as a critical success factor. They are messy and complex. We are all advocates. And it’s important to have fun! Again, thank you to all who participated.  We acknowledge the funding support of the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan in motion and the Réseau Santé en français de la Saskatchewan.  For more information on the forum please contact Gabrielle Lepage-Lavoie [email protected] or Amanda Clarke [email protected]. To access PDF versions of some of the PowerPoint presentations from the day and a half forum, please consult the following links: • Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) presentation • Cameron Willis (Propel Centre for Population Health Impact) presentation • Healthy Start / Départ Santé presentation • Health Promoting Schools Program (Poster) • MEND presentation • Saskatchewan in motion (Coming soon!) Also, you can relive the action from the forum via this Twitter feed!

Four provincial health promotion groups – Healthy Start/Départ Santé, Health Promoting Schools Program, MEND, and Saskatchewan in motion – are extending their dialogue to key actors involved in health promotion. The aim is to increase opportunities and strengthen collaborations for healthy active children, youth and families in Saskatchewan and beyond. Through the use of a keynote address, “Pecha kucha” presentations, exhibits/display booths, and small and large group structured discussions, the forum will focus on informing concrete actions supported by stronger partnerships aligned with provincial strategies and priorities. The forum’s main objectives include: Exploring synergistic opportunities for greater impact on the health of children, youth, and families Working together around provincial and local priorities on healthy active living Moving forward, growing and sustaining momentum for the health of our communities into the future For more information, please consult the following links: Invitation to Working Together, Moving Forward Forum Registration Forum Program Call for Pecha Kucha presentations Location Maps – Thursday | Friday

Healthy Start wouldn’t be possible without the tireless effort, dedication, enthusiasm, and leadership offered by early years directors, educators, and cooks. As such, in this feature we would like to recognize some of the great work going on at one of our proud Healthy Start centres – Tisdale Tiny Tornadoes Daycare. Since completing the Healthy Start training last January, staff at Tiny Tornadoes have been energized and motivated to keep their kids moving and eating healthier. Tiny Tornadoes has made leaps and bounds, demonstrating their strong commitment to healthy children. When it comes to food, not only has Tiny Tornadoes revamped their menu to more closely reflect guidelines from the Canada Food Guide, but they have started a weekly event dubbed “Cooking with the Kids” where they find inspiration from various Food Flair (LEAP BC) recipes. For example, they recently created their very own fruit pizzas (featured in the March Healthy Start Sampler) with great success; the kids loved both helping out with food preparation as well as trying out their very own creations. While Tiny Tornadoes draws inspiration from Healthy Start resources, they have gone beyond the book pages and found creative ways to spice up food time. Every week, Tiny Tornadoes selects a different cultural theme, encouraging the children to explore new foods. During a recent ‘aboriginal week’, for example, children got to try their hand at preparing baked bannock and salmon burgers (LEAP Food Flair, pp. 148 & 176). To support physical activity, Tiny Tornadoes has taken initiative, appointing one staff every day to be in charge of coming up with a new activity or fun way to keep the children moving. But what happens when it’s raining outside, or what about long Canadian winters? No problem! Tiny Tornadoes has created an indoor space in their daycare dedicated to keeping kids active at any time of the year. With a quick glance at their ‘active space’, one can easily spot hula hoops, floor hockey and bowling equipment, a parachute, balls, and much more! But fancy equipment isn’t a necessity. The children have really enjoyed taking part in even the simplest of games, such as freeze dance (LEAP HOP, pp. 34-35), as well as making their very own play equipment out of coat hangers and knee high stockings (LEAP HOP, pp. 118 & 145). In Tisdale, the energy has been contagious, going well beyond the walls of the Tiny Tornadoes daycare centre. For the past month and a half, Tiny Tornadoes has been getting together with two other Healthy Start-trained daycare centres on a weekly basis to partake in a collaborative program they call “Move to the Music”. Not only is “Move to the Music” a great way to get the children together and moving, staff are enthusiastic about getting involved as well, modelling and motivating the children to keep moving. To top off this great partnership between daycares, the centres all joined in for a friendly physical activity community challenge; coming home with the ‘Golden Shoe Award’ was none other than the Tornadoes.  So what’s next? The Tiny Tornadoes are currently looking at developing a weekly preschool program which will continue to partner with local daycares and provide fun activities and obstacle courses for the kids. The great stories coming out of Tisdale are, in large part, a result of staff collectively taking up the torch and committing to healthy living. They have embraced the need for physical activity and healthy eating, not only in the lives of their children, but in their own daily activities as well. Staff are now making sure to take the time to sit down with the children at snack and mealtimes, joining in and trying new foods with them. In addition, several staff have recently joined a gym to help them along on their journey towards healthy living. It is important for caregivers to lead by example, modelling healthy behaviours in their day-to-day. Heather Storey, an early years educator at Tiny Tornadoes sums it up quite nicely, “We believe if we are enthusiastic about living a healthy lifestyle, we will be role models to our children and [we] hope they will be just as passionate living a healthy lifestyle.” Healthy Start wishes to thank Heather Storey and Tisdale Tiny Tornadoes Daycare for taking the time to share their inspiring stories and successes – you are truly amazing “Healthy STARS”!