The ChooseWell Healthy Community Awards celebrate the efforts and achievements of communities and wellness champions across Alberta in promoting healthy eating and active living and creating conditions where the healthy choice is the easy choice. Recently, the AHS North Zone Public, Population and Indigenous Health team was recognized by ChooseWell in the ‘Providing Health Education’ category for their creation and distribution of children’s health tool kits across the region.
After the Wildfire of 2016, Public Health recognized that most childcare centers and days homes in the region had lost many of their toys, resources and teaching materials due to smoke or fire damage. They also recognized that one of the identified vulnerable populations following a disaster is the 0-5 year old population. Public Health decided to create a ‘tool kit’ for distribution to day homes and child care centers and turned to the Northern Lights Health Foundation for assistance and funding.
The tool kits were created by the AHS North Zone Public, Population and Indigenous Health team thanks to funding from the Canadian Red Cross. They are large wheeled totes containing a variety of fun and interactive mindfulness, physical activity, and healthy eating tools. Fifty tool kits containing breathing balls, activity mats, parachutes, play food, mirrors, balls and other items were created and distributed across the region.
The tool kits also contained a teaching aid outlining a number of activities for different ages and a step by step guide on how to facilitate learning from a play perspective using the tools. Day home and child center operators also attended a training session on how to use the tools effectively.
We all know that resilience is one of the most important qualities you can instill in young children and is imperative in healthy functioning for all and resilience can be learned and shared. The ChooseWell Health Education and Skill Development Award acknowledges the work of Public Health to raise awareness about health issues and healthy behaviours and their use of the Healthy Tools for Healthy Tots kit to develop health knowledge, skills and attitudes in caregivers and young children.
Congratulations to AHS North Zone Public, Population and Indigenous Health on receiving this award and thank you to our funding partner Canadian Red Cross.