Serving
the Whole Child
The
demands of the 21st
century require an approach to education and enrichment that considers
the needs of the whole child.
All
children in afterschool and summer programs deserve to be healthy,
safe, engaged, supported, and inspired to do their best.
Download this Infographic in
PDF format
Watch this video about
Hunger in Iowa:
An
innovative way to increase attendance:
Students in the pilot program improved more than just attendance rates.
Teachers surveyed saw that:
95% of participants showed increased motivation in class
95% of participants were more likely to participate in
extracurricular activities
95% of participants interacted with peers and enjoyed school
more
89% of participants got good grades
Is there a link between a child's ability to learn and how
they eat?
The Tufts University Center on Hunger, Poverty and Nutrition
Policy shows a link between nutrition and cognitive development.
Cognitive development can be defined as the ability for the brain to
develop so that learning becomes easier. Their statement includes these
points:
•Undernutrition (not getting enough to eat on a regular basis) and
being poor can delay brain development and ability to learn. –
The longer a child does not get enough to eat, the greater the chance
of learning delays.
•Iron-deficiency anemia (low iron in the blood), which affects
nearly 25% of poor children, is linked with impaired ability to learn.
•Poor children who attend school hungry perform worse on
standardized tests than poor children who attended school well- fed.
•Improved nutrition can change the effects of not getting enough
to eat early in life.
The
Effects of Hunger on Education:
The sad truth is that hunger can have physical and
psychological effects on young people that make learning substantially
difficult.
Food is the fuel necessary to get through a normal day. Calories in
food provide energy to carry out regular day-to-day activities. Without
an adequate amount of this energy, students may fall asleep in school
or lack the energy to pay attention to an entire day of classes.
The brain, like the lungs, heart, arms and legs, is a part of the human
body. It requires energy to function properly. Children experiencing
hunger are more likely to have problems with memory and concentration
because they do not have the energy to carry out these functions.
Malnutrition can tamper with sleeping patterns as well, making a child
too tired to get anything out of a full day of school.
Additionally, the brain develops rapidly at a young age. Without the
right nutrients, the brain cannot develop properly, resulting in long
term effects on learning abilities.
Malnutrition makes children more susceptible to illnesses. Certain
vitamins and minerals are needed to maintain a strong immune system,
but, many times, poverty cuts off an individual’s access to these
nutrients.