Good morning fellow Kiwanians!

What happens when a child is hungry?

Kids who don’t get enough to eat — especially during their first three years — begin life at a serious disadvantage. Hunger hinders brain development. The brain develops rapidly from conception to age 5. Without the right nutrients, the brain cannot develop properly, resulting in long term effects on learning abilities.When they are hungry, children are more likely to be hospitalized and they face higher risks of health conditions like anemia and asthma. And as they grow up, kids struggling to get enough to eat are more likely to have problems in school and other social situations.

Children facing hunger may struggle in school — and beyond. They are more likely to:

•  Repeat a grade in elementary school

•  Experience developmental impairments in areas like language and motor skills

•  Have more social and behavioral problems.

•  Hunger has been observed to cause depression, anxiety and withdrawal, all of which are obstructions to a child trying to focus on education.

(Feedingamerica.org)

I would like to share with you the most recent information on Food Insecurity the U.S.and New England.

FOOD INSECURITY 

(the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food every day)

Statistics:

1 out of 6 Americans are food insecure

1 out of 4 American children suffer from hunger and food insecurity

provided by feedingamerica.org

For each state in New England, if you compare pre-pandemic food insecurity to now,

here are the numbers: 

	Pre-pandemic	Now	Increase
CT	396,000	483,000	22%
MA	569,000	689,000	21%
RI	112,000	126,000	12%
NH	117,000	130,000	11%
ME	170,000	182,000	7%
VT	67,000	70,000	4%
	1,431,000	1,680,000	17.5%

Here’s the current average childhood food insecurity by state:

ME	21.8%
CT	16.9%
RI	15.4%
VT	15.3%
NH	14.6%
MA	13.0%

I hope you will consider doing more projects to help fight food inadequacies in your communities. Support your local food pantries, backpack food programs, organize a food collection, and most importantly, support programs which supply food to children during school vacations and during the summer when food pantries are at their lowest supplies. HUNGER NEVER TAKES A HOLIDAY!

Finally, have you considered holding a meal packing event? This is a great Division Project. Outreach, Inc, offers 10 different meals: tomato basil pasta, apple cinnamon oatmeal, minestrone soup, cheesy rice, Spanish rice, raisin cinnamon oatmeal, apple cinnamon rice, raisin cinnamon rice, Mac and cheese, and rice and beans.

Each serving contains a fortified protein supplement making it more nutritious than store bought packaged food.

Each serving costs $.33 or $1.96 for a packet feeding 6. Meals are assembled on a line with 10 people working on each line. 36 meal packets fill a carton which costs $71.00. Minimally $3300. must be ordered for the activity. Matthew Martin is the Regional Manager and New England Coordinator for the Outreach Program.

Cell: 857-939-3459

email: [email protected]

for more information: visit The New England. Outreach Program

https://www.endhungerne.org/

The Portland Kiwanis Club hosted a meal packing event for Kiwanis One Day on Oct. 27, 2018 held at a local church. I was fortunate to be able to participate.

Over 17,000 servings of apple cinnamon oatmeal were packaged in about 2 hours with much laughter and enthusiasm. The cartons were delivered to local food pantries in the greater Portland area. All participates left with a smile knowing that hungry families would be receiving nutritious food because of our efforts! I hope you will consider organizing a meal packing project!

Great News from KFNE!

The Kiwanis Foundation of New England Board of Directors has approved grant money specifically to support this meal packing program. Each Division may apply for up to $2000 to complete a meal packing event. The Division must have a minimum of 2 clubs participating and must raise $1300 or more towards the project. Each Division may only apply once annually for a grant.

The grant application can be found at kfne.org and can be submitted to [email protected]. All questions must be completed on the application.

If you have concerns or questions, please contact me. And if you do arrange a food assembly project, please invite me. I would love to participate!

Ava Adams, District Chair

Committee on Young Children

New England and Bermuda District

Download the newsletter from the Kiwanis International Committee on Young Children below:

Good morning fellow Kiwanians!

I am the New England District Chair for YOUNG CHILDREN. This program focuses on the needs of young children with an emphasis on infants and youngsters ages 0 to 8.

I have been your District Chair for 10 years, and I am passionate about educating new parents to promote optimal health and brain development in their babies along with preventing trauma in their lives.

This month I am focusing on materials available from:

KIWANIS PEDIATRIC TRAUMA INSTITUTE (KPTI) at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Materials for Young Children projects will be provided from KPTI at no charge to your club. More information and an order form can be found at: www.kpti.org

A valuable project available from Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute (KPTI) in Boston is:

First Aid/ CPR Chart

This chart is provided by the American Association of Pediatric available  to  KPTI. One side provides Choking/CPR for INFANTS UNDER ONE YEAR and another section covers CPR/CHOKING for children ONE TO EIGHT YEARS. The First AID/CPR Chart is a large 11″ x 17″ wall chart includes first aid guidance on one side – choking/CPR guidance on the other. Topics include burns, scalds, fractures, sprains, head injuries, poisons, skin wounds, stings and bites, and infants/child CPR. For Kiwanis clubs to be distributed to pediatrician’s offices, parenting groups and also can be handed out at club events for the public.

Many more materials are available online at KPTI.org under Community Programs and an Order Form is also available on this website.

And if your Club is currently using materials from KPTI consider making a donation to the Kiwanis Foundation of New England (KFNE) which supports KPTI which pays for these materials. 

I am YOUR District Chair. Please feel free to contact me with questions. And please share with me any Young Children projects you are doing this year.

Finally, I hope to see you at Fall Conference and other District happenings once in the near future.  I have a Young Children table in the exhibit hall with lots of educational materials and project ideas which I hope you will share with your Kiwanis Club. I look forward to meeting each of you in the near future!

Ava Adams,  District Chair Young Children  Committee

Member, Kiwanis international 

Committee on Young Children

Scarborough Maine Kiwanis Club New England and Bermuda District of Kiwanis

email: [email protected]

The Importance of play in early childhood

Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. Play also offers an ideal opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children.

Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development.

Play is an essential and critical part of all children’s development. Play starts in the child’s infancy and ideally, continues throughout his or her life. Play is how children learn to socialize, to think, to solve problems, to mature and most importantly, to have fun. Play connects children with their imagination, their environment, their parents and family and the world.

Play supports the development of self-control which is critical for success later in life. Children play because they have a deep desire to understand the world. Play allows opportunities for them to regulate their feelings, delay gratification, and negotiate with others, all important aspects of developing self-control.

WHAT CAN KIWANIANS DO TO HELP?

• Build or renovate/update a playground in your community park or at a local school.

Kiwanis International has a partnership with LANDSCAPE STRUCTURES INC. which has been creating innovative playground equipment since 1971. Think of the impact your club could make in your community with a playground “build” as a signature project. Ask your members if giving children a place to play is the right project for your club.

For information go to:

landscapearchitect.com

• Provide educational games at your community center or donate them to teachers of preschool programs or kindergarten classrooms.

• Become at advocate for free, quality preschool education in your community.

Every child deserves quality preschool opportunities for maximum brain              development enabling them eventually to become successful functioning adults in society.

For more information on the importance of play in early childhood go to:

Importance of Play in Early Childhood (9 Benefits & Infographic)

https://www.ndehs.udel.edu/play-in-early-childhood/

Below is a link to an informative article on early childhood learning. 

https://hub.jhu.edu/2021/06/28/curious-babies-become-curious-toddlers/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=emai

Ava Adams, District Chair

Young Children Committee

New England and Bermuda District

Member, Kiwanis International Young Children Committee

email: [email protected]

Good morning fellow Kiwanians!

Last month I addressed the importance of swimming lessons for young children to help prevent drowning. This month I continue to promote

DROWNING PREVENTION

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death among children between 1 and 4 years of age, with almost 400 cases reported in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the US, an average of 3,500 to 4,000 people drown per year. That is an average of 10 fatal drownings per day.

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children. Young children aren’t the only ones affected. Overall, it ranks fifth for unintentional injury death in the United States. More than 50 percent of drowning victims who are treated at emergency departments require extended hospitalization or long-term care.

WHAT CAN KIWANIANS DO TO HELP?

Sponsor a Life Jacket Loaner Station.

This program began in 1997 in Alaska to reduce the number of drownings on boats. It has expanded to beaches, lakes and anywhere where families and children gather near the water. Families borrow a life jacket, use it, and put it back when done. The station costs approximately $1,500 unless donations are received to reduce the cost. Many of these stations have lumber donated by Lowe’s or Home Depot with private builders donating their labor. Some of the stations have been built by the parks and recreation departments of the county. West Marine gives a deep discount on the life jackets, costing approximately $14 per jacket with 20 jackets per station. They are replaced approximately every 7 to 9 months.

The sign above the station indicates that “Kids Don’t Float, Give Them Something That Does.” An additional sign lists the donors of the station. 

Kids life jacket are available in three sizes…infant(0-30 lb.), child (30-50lb.), and youth (50-90 lb.) at $19.99 available at West Marine.

https://www.westmarine.com/stores/portland-me-84

This project is popular in Florida, especially in Collier County. To learn more about Collier County’s life jacket loaner stations, go to 

https://watersmartcollier.com/lifejacket-loaner-program

This new project provides an excellent opportunity for your

Kiwanis Club to apply for a Kiwanis Foundation of New England (KFNE) grant for up to $1000. This is a new and innovative project. You can find the application at www.kfne.org. You must complete the specific questions as indicated in the application.

I hope you agree that this is a valuable and relatively easy project to complete. For a small investment many lives may be saved.

Ava Adams, District Chair

Young Children Committee

New England and Bermuda District

Member, Kiwanis International Young Children Committee

email: [email protected]

Good morning fellow Kiwanians!

Every day about ten people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14 or younger. Drowning ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury/death in the United States.

• From 2005-2014, there were an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States — about ten deaths per day. An additional 332 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents.
  • About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.
  • More than 50% of drowning victims treated in emergency departments (EDs) require hospitalization or transfer for further care (compared with a hospitalization rate of about 6% for all unintentional injuries). These nonfatal drowning injuries can cause severe brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (e.g., permanent vegetative state).

                   www.cdc.gov

The Florida District of Kiwanis has established EVERY CHILD A SWIMMER PROGRAM . (ECAS)
The “Every Child a Swimmer” program teaches children 5-11 years of age the basics of swimming over the course of 4 weeks. This program is best suited for children that do not have much swim experience.

The link below has specific information and videos explaining the program and how Kiwanis Clubs can help promote swimming education to young people in our communities.
http://everychildaswimmer.org/contact.shtml
10 REASONS WHY EVERY CHILD (in the U.S. and the global community)SHOULD LEARN TO SWIM ( modified from ECAS)

• As a part of the recreational sports spectrum, the ability to swim is a basic right for all citizens.
  • During their grade school careers, our school systems provide  students the opportunity to learn various forms of sport; no other sport can save a person’s life throughout their entire life.
  • The time to learn to swim is early in each person’s life since child drowning is an ever-present threat.  Bodies of water are literally everywhere so this life-skill is a necessity, just like wearing seat belts while traveling in a car!
  • Throughout every person’s life, there will be frequent occasions where water in some form will be nearby.  Accidents of this type happen daily.  Swimming is a life-skill that once learned, is never forgotten.
  • Globally there are many lakes, ponds, rivers, swimming pools and watering holes. Giving children this basic life skill is a responsibility, not an option.
  • In every state families have backyard swimming pools. While there are all types of regulations requiring barriers to entry, done of them are foolproof.
  • The only secure way of minimizing accidental drownings in the 0-4 age group is by preventative measures, not mechanical devices or barriers which can provide a false sense of security.
  • It would be rare for an accidental drowning to occur when the child or adult already knows how to swim and has competent water safety knowledge.
  • Aquatic exercise for people of all ages and abilities generally is not an option unless the person has basic swim skills.
  • Swimming is a fun, healthy form of exercise and is a family-style form of sharing happiness together!

DEFINITION OF SWIMMING:  “To be as comfortable and to move as easily in deep water as on land.”

I encourage you to take the time to investigate the ECAS link above.

Kiwanis Clubs can partner with the Red Cross, YMCA, United Way, Boys & Girls Clubs, and other community groups to establish this program. No child deserves to drown or be harmed because they do not have access to basic water safety and swim lessons.

Ava Adams, District Chair
Young Children Committee
New England and Bermuda District
Member, Kiwanis Young Children International Committee
[email protected]