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UNM-LA News:
Any parent or caregiver of an elementary school aged child will tell you that instilling good healthy habits can be a tricky task. This week’s installment of Raising Children in a Challenging World: A Series for Parents, is calledHealthy Habits, will meet 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2.
The six-class parenting series is a joint effort between the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) and the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board (JJAB).
The goal for the series is to help parents address those challenging aspects of raising a child by bringing together a group of experts who will facilitate discussion and provide resources for parents who may need some guidance.
Healthy Habits will focus on how to raise a healthy child while showing parents how to teach their child to be a healthy eater, get proper exercise, and how to motivate them to get up in the morning. Parents will also be advised on how to establish a healthy routine while making time for rest and downtime.
Emily Schmidt will co-present a portion of this week’s session. Schmidt is Certified Health Coach through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, and is also a RYT-200 Yoga instructor, a certified personal trainer, as well as a Bootcamp, TRX and weight training instructor.
Schmidt says she loves to work with busy parents who want to find easy ways to incorporate health and wellness into their families’ lives. She also helps people find sustainable weight loss through sensible solutions. Schmidt emphasizes, “Food isn’t the enemy, it is the solution.”
Also presenting this week is Adam Garcia, a physical education teacher at Aspen Elementary School. Garcia also coaches numerous sports including cross-country, basketball, and track. Garcia says, “The key to raising healthy children is for parents to lead by example.”
The classes meet Thursdays, 6-7:15 p.m. in room 610 on the UNM-LA campus. The cost is $5.00 per class for up to two caregivers, or $25.00 for the entire six-class series. Financial assistance is available.
Parents are reminded that although the series is on its third session, the series will repeat once more this semester, so there is an opportunity to attend any session they missed and they may begin the series at any time.
The Ark will provide free childcare services to parents and caregivers who want to attend the parenting series. Childcare will be provided for a limited number of students, ages 3–10, including 15 minutes before and after each session. Parents should register their students with the Ark by noon on Thursday each week. The Ark can be reached at 505.662.4822. Donations will be accepted.
For detailed class information, schedule, and to register, call UNM-LA Community Education at 505.662.0346 or click here.
