Food, Fitness and Fun, Childminders Celebrate a Healthy Start

The National Childminding Association (NCMA), which promotes quality home-based childcare for the benefit of children, families and communities, and the British Heart Foundation (BHF), are joining forces for National Childminding Week 2006 (17-24 June). The Week - entitled Food, Fitness and Fun - will raise awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle for children from an early age.

Liz Bayram, NCMA’s Chief Executive, said
Registered childminders provide childcare and early education for over 360,000 children in England and Wales and one of the important ways they do this can be by encouraging the children to have a healthy lifestyle. By working with BHF, this year our National Childminding Week will mean NCMA’s 50,000 members (both childminders and nannies) will receive lots of new and fun ideas on fitness and food, to help them in this important aspect of their work.

We are delighted to be working with the BHF and, thanks to their expert input, we will be producing guides on fun exercise activities and healthy eating, as well as proposing "get active" communities events our members can organise for children and their families. Children deserve the best start in life and research shows that good health in childhood is an important building block for good health in later life. Childminders and nannies play an important part in ensuring this healthy start and National Childminding Week 2006 celebrates this.

Nicki Cooper, Head of Education at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said:
Everyone who influences a child’s health, from parents to childminders, has a crucial role in looking after their heart health. With a further 440,000 UK children predicted to become overweight or obese in the next two years(1), we are passionate about tackling this threat to future generations.

We are delighted to be sharing our resources promoting healthy eating and active play to make these essentials a fun and easy part of everyday life for kids and adults alike. During National Childminding Week 2006, hundreds of local events will be organised by NCMA members and the children and parents they support. This year children will be encouraged to join in with fun walks, toddles and special sporting events. Healthy eating will be promoted with picnics and cookery fun using activity books that can be used by both parents and children.

For ideas on healthy food visit Organix.

National Childminding Week is part of National Sure Start Month.