Regional YMCA's After School Program Curbs Childhood Obesity

The Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut announced recently that it has received a $25,000 grant from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation to support its 2015-2016 Students Can Run and Move (SCRAM) program.

“One in four Connecticut children is overweight, and as many as 40 percent of Danbury public school students are considered overweight/obese by the time they reach 6th grade,” they wrote in a press release. “To help stem the tide on this childhood obesity epidemic, the Y created the SCRAM afterschool fitness/nutrition program to get elementary-age children moving and eating right. SCRAM is currently offered in five Danbury schools: Ellsworth, Pembroke, Hayestown, Park Avenue and South Street.”

The program runs in conjunction with the Danbury Public Schools’ Extended Learning Program and is available from early October to late May. Each day after school, SCRAM students are offered a healthy snack and 45 minutes of physical activities. Students also receive a weekly nutrition lesson. At the end of the 28-week program, the Regional YMCA says that SCRAM participants are shown to have increased their fitness skills by as much as 60 percent as well as improved their nutrition knowledge by as much as 95 percent. Students are also shown to have stabilized or improved their BMI rates.

This is 6th program year for SCRAM which is endorsed by the CDC and members of the Danbury-area Coalition for Healthy Kids. Members of the Coalition for Healthy Kids include Western Connecticut Health Network, United Way of Western CT, and Western CT State University.

SCRAM is funded in part by donations and grants from the United Way of Western CT, private foundations and corporations, including Anthem Foundation.

“Early intervention programs like SCRAM are proven to prevent obesity, promote fitness and healthier eating in young children,” said Marie Miszewski, President and CEO, Regional YMCA. “Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation Grant is a leading advocate for children’s health and wellness, and we are thrilled that they have chosen to support our efforts here in greater Danbury this year.”