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Child Care News for Parents & Carers
March 29, 2017 |
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Welcome, it's National Playgroup Week, to celebrate we take a look at these wonderful community fixtures to learn why they have been such an important part of the early childhood landscape for so long. Also, the scary statistics on childhood obesity keep on rolling in and we've got some simple ideas to help you set your kids up with a healthy attitude towards food and exercise.
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Celebrating National Playgroup Week
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26 March – 2 April is National Playgroup Week, a campaign to celebrate and raise awareness about this cornerstone of the local community. The role of a playgroup in the community is often taken for granted, but these weekly sessions provide essential connections for both parent and children that take them far beyond the simple realm of playtime.
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| New study highlights the cost of childhood obesity |
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A new study published by the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health has estimated that childhood obesity now costs the taxpayer as much as $17 million per year.
The study found that each obese child cost an average of $367 more in healthcare costs than that of a child of a healthy weight.
Five per cent of two to four year olds are classified as obese, and 20 per cent of Australian children are obese or overweight by the time they start school. Obesity leads to insulin resistance, joint problems, asthma, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as social discrimination and lowered self-esteem. In later life this can lead to cardiovascular disease, heart problems, stroke and diabetes. With one in five of Australian kids overweight, there is a growing call for parents to make an urgent lifestyle change for their children to reverse this worrying trend.
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