As Los Altos and Mountain View children head back to school - to sitting at their desks for six or more hours a day - parents may be seeking additional ways for their children to stay active before, during and after school.
Experts agree that school-age children need to be moderately to vigorously active for at least 60 minutes a day. While increased focus on academic testing has led to many academic after-school activities, the rise in childhood obesity and the elimination of physical education at many schools make it increasingly important for parents to strike a balance between academic enrichment and playful, recreational activities for their children.
The El Camino YMCA offers after-school programming for youth at Almond school and Oak school in Los Altos and in Mountain View at Bubb Elementary, Castro Elementary, Huff Elementary and Landels Elementary.
“YMCA programs focus on developing the whole child by supporting children’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual development,” said Elizabeth Jordan, chief operating officer of the YMCA of the Mid-Peninsula. “Our programs do not emphasize academics exclusively at the expense of time spent socializing with peers and engaging in games and activities in the gym or on the playground.
“We aim to build self-esteem through programs that focus on the abilities of youth rather than their shortcomings and provide the tools they need to be happy and productive in life.”
YMCA programs are designed to help youth develop communication, negotiation, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills that make learning easier. And, because YMCAs focus on a holistic approach to children’s learning, their programs are often better able to attract youth who are disenchanted with school, harder to reach or who do not excel in traditional ways, Jordan said.
“Nonacademic does not have to mean noneducational,” Jordan said. “Activities that strengthen, expand and provide real-life context to information learned in the classroom are important to children’s learning.
“For example, soccer helps to develop an understanding of geometry, cooking projects help to teach fractions and journal writing helps to improve writing skills and stimulate creative thinking.”
Nationwide, more than 80 percent of YMCA school-age programs are located at schools, and 71 percent of YMCAs collaborate with elementary schools. YMCAs have been stepping in to provide recreational programming and physical education for home-schooled children and at schools affected by budget cuts.
For more information about the YMCA’s afterschool programs, call 969-9622.
