Everyone is discovering CATCH

Health and wellness program is a hit with ECC, youth and staff at the Alliance

Activity is key in the CATCH program.In the past four months Discover CATCH has become deeply embedded into the curriculum and daily activities of the David C. Isenberg Early Childhood Center (ECC) as well as the growing after-school program at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. The children in both programs have grasped the concepts and seem to like it more than we could have hoped. From September to now, the ECC has created a theme for each month that teaches the children new CATCH vocabulary and focuses on different skills in their physical activity class. The youngest community members are learning the importance of healthy eating and maintaining active lifestyles and having fun while doing it!

Discover CATCH – Coordinated Approach to Childhood Health – nurtures a love of physical activity in children ages 3-5 and encourages them to develop lifelong healthy eating habits. Children learn to have fun while exercising and developing locomotor, non-locomotor and manipulative skills in a series of age-appropriate, non-competitive activities – all accomplished through a Jewish lens.

The Alliance staff has carried the message of Discover CATCH beyond the ECC. Every day during the after-school program students participate in a 45-minute physical activity session. Each month is focused on a different theme such as parachute games, jump ropes, hula hoops, basketball and many more. Changing the theme each month ensures that students stay engaged and the games do not become repetitive. Since the beginning of the year many students have become much more involved in the physical activity portion of the curriculum. It was evident that some children do not participate in sports or do not get enough exercise in general on a daily basis. One student in particular who would sit out after the warm-up and hesitate to participate in games is now the first one ready and in line when it is time for CATCH. The goal is to make exercising fun and not seem like a chore to children at such a young age so they grow up learning to love it. Because snacks are provided for the after-school program, it is much easier to teach the students how to make healthy snack choices and steer them away from sugary treats.

CATCH is not only engaging our youth. The Alliance staff is participating as well. Through the basic premise of Discover CATCH, the employee wellness program assists the Alliance staff to lead healthier lifestyles. To start off this challenge, Alliance staff members shared some of their favorite healthy fall dishes. One huge component of the Discover CATCH program is nutrition and the CATCH team wanted to see how many of our staff members, the ones implementing these values, are following GO, SLOW, and WHOA foods that make up the CATCH program. Many of the recipes are excellent and healthy so we shared them on the CATCH bulletin board in the fitness center and tried one of the recipes at a staff meeting. See page 12 for some of the recipes we’ve enjoyed. These recipes might help community members with their New Year’s wellness goals. An employee challenge was created for the physical activity component. Staff members had from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 to fill a 30-space stamp card by completing an orientation at the fitness center, having a nutrition consultation, working out in the fitness center, working with a personal trainer, attending a group exercise class or swimming laps in the pool. With more noontime group exercise classes, employees are able to engage in physical activity during the workday, which was a huge success.  All of the participants who completed their stamp card were entered into a raffle with two winners chosen. The challenge will continue into the new year with more events for employees.

The Discover CATCH program is teaching young and old the language and importance of staying healthy.

ANGELA SULLIVAN is Youth Programming and Sports coordinator at the Jewish Alliance.