Child care builds active, healthy lifestyle
KidFit60 will open in September
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This article was published 12/03/2018 (2809 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
If you are looking to get your child more active in the next school year, KidFit60 might just have the right program to help you.
KidFit60 is an activity-based child care program that will be open in September at Garden City Community Centre’s soccer complex for children aged seven to 12. The program was developed by two local phys-ed teachers Ryden Marko and Craig Malaschuk.
Kids enrolled in the program will be engaged in a minimum of one hour of physical activity such as games, strength and plyometric exercises from 3:30 to 6 p.m. The activities focus on growth and development while kids have fun.
Malaschuk is a teacher at Seven Oaks Middle School and said they’ve realized kids weren’t getting the required 60 minutes of being active after they left school to their homes or traditional daycare. However, they will also be introducing other values such as team building and self-confidence.
“I’m a parent; I’m thinking to myself ‘Where can I send my daughter to?’ Well, this is a place where you have physical education teachers who are organizing something every single day, and you know that they are going to be active, know that they are going to be doing something that I could see as quality exercise,” he said.
Marko, who teaches at Lansdowne School, commented many of his students have said that sometimes they sit around and only get to use the gym once every week.
“When parents pick them up at 6 o’clock, they know that they had at least an hour of good activity, they have a chance to do their homework as well, and if they need help with their homework, we are teachers.”
The afternoon starts off with a warm-up tag game, followed by plyometric and strength-building using body weight and supplied such as kettle ball and battle ropes. After that, they will work on organized sports such as badminton, soccer, football, and floor hockey.
The teachers will be applying everything that they’ve learned from the 15 years they’ve been teaching at Winnipeg schools.
They said activities will be catered to each child’s athletic level, building confidence on them.
“We love what we do and this is an extension to our day. We believe that that passion will go on to make the kids have a good time,” he added.
To add to the value, KidFit60 will be providing a shuttle service so that parents don’t have to worry about getting their kids to the program. They’ll be picked up at their schools and parents can feel secure that their child is safe and being healthy for two and a half hours.
For those interested in learning more about KidFit60, they are offering a free activity and parent information session on Mon., April 16 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Garden City Community Centre (725 Kingsbury Ave.). This an opportunity for kids and parents to see what a regular day at KidFit60 feels like, with activities and answering questions.
For more packages and pricing and more information on the program, go to https://www.kidfit60.com/