Child Health Day

Child Health Day is a day to focus on the health of children. It raises awareness of what parents and other adults can do to help improve the health of their children. The day focuses on a range of child health issues such as prenatal care; adolescent health; the impact of daycare on a child's development; preventing injuries; healthy eating; lifestyle choices; and immunization.

Each child deserves to be the healthiest he or she can be. From the food they eat to the words they hear, children require support and opportunities to grow. Parents often worry about chronic disease, accidents or childhood illnesses. At the same time, they focus on a child's mental health and general health. Whether it's their environment, the food they eat, or how much TV they watch, the day is an excellent opportunity to support the physical, mental, social, and intellectual health of all the children in your life.

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), about one in six children between 2 and 19 in the United States is overweight. This is a risk factor for serious health consequences including asthma, diabetes and heart disease. Some people don't have the information they need to choose healthy foods. Others don't have access to healthy foods, or can't afford to buy enough food. Public health interventions that focus on helping everyone get healthy foods are key to reducing food insecurity and hunger and improving health. Strategies and interventions to help people choose healthy foods can help reduce their risk of chronic diseases and improve overall health.

Physical activity can help prevent disease, disability, injury, and premature death. Preschool-aged children should be physically active throughout the day, including a variety of activity types, to enhance growth and development. Strategies to promote physical activity at home and at child-care centers can also increase activity in children, such as the physical activity goal for Healthy People 2030 to increase the proportion of child-care centers where children do at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

Sources include:

* https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/child-health-day

* https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-child-health-day-first- monday-in-october/

* https://nationaltoday.com/national-child-health-day/

* Health Resources & Services Administration

* Healthy People 2030

* Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition

* A Second Chance

Spotlight on a few of our newest employees!!

Braxten Tauilili - Prior to working at Up-to-3, Braxten's most unusual job was with the Utah County Mosquito Abatement. During the summer in college she would work for them. Her job was to bike around the county and drop mosquito larvae pesticide in storm drains. She ended up biking 20 miles a day.

She loves that Up-to-3 is focused on supportive families and children in their natural environments. She has a lot more flexibility to work on what is important to them. Her favorite part about working for Up-to-3 is building relationships with people from different backgrounds and cultures.

The greatest challenge Braxten has had to overcome is finishing her last year of graduate school while pregnant and giving birth to her daughter.

The most important thing she's learned in the last five years is to ask for help. Life is hard and we all need to lean on each other. Her biggest pet peeve is when people put dishes in the garbage disposal side of the sink. Her favorite foods are those that normally have gluten but have been made gluten-free, since she has celiac disease.

She grew up in Mapleton, Utah. After graduating high school, she lived in St. George, Utah, Rochester and Buffalo, New York, Mesa, Arizona, and Logan, Utah twice.

Kylee Hansen - When working for Up-to-3, Kylee absolutely loves being able to sahre in the victories our familes have. Watching the families learn and progress is so exciting and makes everything we do worth while.

The advice she would give prospective Up-to-3 candidates is that this job can be challenging, but is SO rewarding. Mostly Kylee likes working with really great people. She immediately felt welcomed as a member of the team and she feels like she has a lot of great support.

The best vacation she's every been on is to Kauai, Hawaii. So much beautiful culture and history. She loves the ocean and mountains there. Loud chewing is her biggest pet peeve.

One random fact about Kylee is that she has 18 siglings! A mix of full, half and step siblings. Her favorite foods are cheeseburgers and salad. Finally, Kylee is happiest when she's outside with her fiancé and her cat.

Brianne Oronoz - Before working at Up-to-3, Brianne's most unusual job was cooking at an assisted living home. She said it's not very unusual, but it was a lot of fun to get to know the residents and hear their life stories. She has loved working with Up-to-3 families in their homes and seeing the kiddos in an environment that they are comfortable with.

She was originally drawn to Up-to-3 because she knew she loved working with kids from her past job as a NICU and pediatrics dietician at the hospital, but she was looking for a job closer to homme. It's been a lot of fun to not just work with sick kiddos, but kiddos who are pretty healthy and just need help to gain weight.

Brianne's best vacation was to Disneyland with the nieces and nephews. It was really fun to see everything through a child's eyes. She also loves learning about the ancient cities (Greece, Rome, Mayan). It would be cool to be able to see the cities back before they fell.

Her favorite food is peaches. She's lived in California and Virginia. And her bucket list includes an African safari.