Kosciusko Community YMCA is holding a free community event to inspire more kids to keep their minds and bodies active. On April 26, YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day® is planned at the Y on Smith Street from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Y’s national initiative to improve families’ health and well-being features activities, demonstrations, a fun run, arts and crafts and more to motivate and teach families how to develop a healthy routine at home. YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, celebrated at nearly 1,600 Ys across the country, aims to get more kids moving and learning, so they can keep up the habit all summer long – a critical out-of-school time for kids’ health. Research shows that without access to out-of-school physical and learning activities, kids fall behind academically. Kids also gain weight twice as fast during summer than the school year. “One in three U.S. children is obese. This statistic, coupled with the fact that once summer hits, children will be more idle, demonstrates why it’s important to help families develop healthy habits now,” said Tonya Douglass, Kosciusko Community YMCA senior program director. “As part of the Y’s commitment to healthy living, through YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, our goal is to improve the health and well-being of kids and inspire habits they can continue into adulthood.”
