BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — For the month of June, Kern County Public Health's Grounded in Health initiative is focusing on children's health. With summer break approaching, parents might be concerned both about how to keep their kids active and how to avoid summer gap learning loss.
Kern County Public Health Director Brynn Carrigan says that 1 hour of exercise can decrease anxiety, help control weight, and reduces the risk of developing chronic health issues.
"It is recommended that our children and adolescents get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day. Currently, according to the CDC, nationwide less than a quarter of our children actually reach that recommendation," said Carrigan.
"We really want to encourage our children to put down the electronics, to put down the video games, and to engage in other mentally stimulating activities and physically stimulating activities," said Carrigan.
Carrigan says that by engaging in activities over the summer, kids are more likely to get better grades once they go back to school in the fall.
Stacy Kuwahara, director of Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, says she understands that summers can be stressful for families everywhere, and wants people to remember that the key to success is balance.
"Being at home and having the kids all summer can be a lot of work. It can be very exhausting, so balance what we need to do as parents to keep our kids active and engaged and entertained," said Kuwahara.
Additionally, summer educational programs are available to help ensure kids' success. Programs like Engineering for Kids, which might be the answer to many parents' worries. According to program co-owner Mack Hunter, it's a year-round program that offers both creative and educational activities.
"When they come to Engineering for Kids, your child is not just doing arts and crafts, but they're doing something that the see how it relates back to the real world," said Hunter.
Hunter says their program is for kids ages 5 to 14 and offers experiences in a variety of interests, including coding, robotics, and design, even incorporating Minecraft to teach basic engineering skills.
"Our curriculum [meets] the national standards for STEM education. We were the first program to actually earn a Continental certification," said Hunter.
Hunter says their programs are also inclusive toward parents, adjusting their times to better fit parents' schedules.
Engineering for Kids started 8 years ago, and in the time since Hunter says the most rewarding part of his program has been seeing how engaged kids become, especially after they leave.
"He could not stop talking to his mom about how excited he was 'cause he learned. 'Mom, we learned this today! Mom, we did this today!'" Hunter recalls about one of his students. "He was so excited to share with his mom what he learned that day, and that means a lot to me."
As a way to ensure that kids stay focused, Hunter also says they only hire college students majoring in STEM programs to be mentors to the kids.
"When you find somebody that is passionate about something, they will do a better job at teaching it and they want to see other people go into their profession," said Hunter.
Engineering for Kids will have 2 different summer programs available starting in early June and going on until late August. For more information or to register, please visit their website.
