Building Healthier Children Through Education

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. - April 29, 2015 - PRLog -- The YMCA of Riverside County is launching a new community healthy initiative to combat childhood obesity, which affects 38.2% of children in the County.The program is called Earn a Bike and its purpose is to increase the amount of physical activity performed by elementary school-aged children and improve nutritional content of their diets in order to lower the rate of childhood obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in our community.

The eight week program, which is offered at Lakeland Village School in Lake Elsinore,  consists of exercises & physical education classes (3x per week) including team sport skills, yoga, soccer, and obstacle courses, and nutrition classes (1x per week) for both participants and their parent. All exercise activity is charted and milestones are recognized on a weekly basis. The program culminates with a graduation ceremony where students who completed the program requirements receive a new bicycle, helmet, and lock to continue physical activity at home and in their community. 30 children started this program on April 20^th, 2015.

Childhood obesity continues to rise in our communities, with lower-class economic groups being highly affected by this epidemic. Many of the schools selected for this program have had their physical education courses cut down to as little one hour every two weeks. Lack of physical education and opportunity for physical activity in schools, especially low income schools, is contributing to the obesity and health epidemic in our communities and in our country.

This program is funded by caring organizations such as Edwards Life Sciences Fund, the Salah Foundation, and the Pacific Life Foundation.

“The YMCA of Riverside County believes that these solutions must be community-wide collaborations and consider cultural and environmental factors such as poverty, access to parks and recreation, access to healthy foods, advocacy for proper funding of physical education in schools, and cultural differences in food preference or traditions” says Jeff McBride, the YMCA of Riverside County’s Chief Executive Officer.

The YMCA of Riverside County operates as part of the YMCA of Orange County. Learn more about the YMCA of Riverside County at www.ymcarc.org