Pacific ECEs striving to be heart healthy

November 11 2011

Four Pacific Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centres in the Hutt Valley are working together with the Heart Foundation to promote heart healthy messages to their children.

Fetu Ao O Pomare A’oga Amata, Tamaiti Ole Pasefika Educare Taita, Naenae A’oga Amata and Matiti Tokelau Akonga Amata have been working with the Heart Foundation to complete the Healthy Heart Award programme.

The centres gained Hutt Valley DHB HEHA Māori and Pacific Community Action Projects funding, which helped them to plan and implement quality physical activity programmes.

Heart Foundation Pacific Early Childhood Coordinator, Sefulu Calvert says the main goal was to increase physical activity for the children and families, and the HEHA funding added value to the Heart Foundation’s Healthy Heart Award programme.

“The funding also helped to increase accessibility to a variety of essential physical activity equipment and enhance the experiences for the children,” says Sefulu.

The Heart Foundation’s Healthy Heart Award is a free programme that supports early childhood centres to fulfil a heart healthy environment, which promotes nutritious foods and physical activity for under 5s and their families.

“Projects are always more sustainable if communities take control from the start.  The Healthy Heart Award aims to set the children on the path to healthy active lifestyles throughout their lives,” says Sefulu.

The A’oga Amata physical activity projects include a cycling and scooter skills programme and climbing activities.  Sefulu says activities like these are the building blocks which help children with eye development, understanding how the body moves, muscle growth, concentration and learning.
Naenae A’oga Amata Supervisor, Ma’a Simo says the children were really excited to see the new equipment being unpacked and couldn’t wait to use it.
“Our parents were very pleased with the wonderful resources and the new opportunities that these would give their children.  The geodesic climber has been very popular with our kids,” she says.

Joy quickly turned to sadness and dismay for Tamaiti Ole Pasefika Educare Taita, when burglars stole their new bikes, scooters and safety mats.
Head Teacher, Keiti Liko says the teachers and children had been so pleased when the equipment arrived.
“Thieves even tried to lever permanent playground fixtures and tagged our playhouse.  We are thankful for the support of our staff, families, community and Police,” says Keiti.

The four centres will continue to work together to compete in an Inter-ECE event showcasing some of the new equipment and skills learnt, plus share curriculum-linked learning stories as part of their accountability plan for the HEHA funding.

Find out more about the Healthy Heart Award for ECE's