KidShape Geared to Help Children

A weight-management program called KidShape for children between the ages of 6 and 14 is now seeking registrants throughout McKean County to participate in a nine-week session.

KidShape is a program for children who are in the 85th percentile for their body-mass index or above. The family-based program also requires a parent or guardian to attend each class for added support and reinforcement of what’s taught.

“The activities are fun and designed to promote healthy behavior changes such as increasing activity and choosing more nutritious snacks, drinks and meals,” says Mariann Kahle, Bradford Regional Medical Center’s worksite wellness coordinator who thought it was necessary to make KidShape available to overweight children in the county.

“When I saw this program I knew we had to bring it here,” she says.

KidShape is made possible through funding provided by Highmark Healthy High 5, an initiative of the Highmark Foundation.

The first nine-week KidShape session will be held Thursday, Jan. 21, to Thursday, March 18, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Salvation Army at 111 Jackson Ave. The $10 registration fee is for a child and their parent or guardian to attend.

Other nine-week sessions for new participants will be held April 1 to May 27, and Sept. 23 to Nov. 17 at The Salvation Army.

“KidShape helps children choose healthy foods, enjoy an active lifestyle and learn to feel good about themselves,” Mrs. Kahle says, a registered dietitian who’s one of the program’s instructors.

“This is a very interactive program. It’s not a program where children just down and are lectured by instructors,” Mrs. Kahle says.

“There will be lots of fun activities and games. Goal setting and incentives are the focus,” she notes.

Along with her, other instructors are: Claudette Haner, a registered nurse at BRMC, who’s the program’s site coordinator; Marc Fernandes, a mental health professional with BRMC’s Bradford Recovery Services; and Mark Kelley, director of the Sports Medicine Program at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

“Our staff is comprised of high-energy individuals who are very positive and children-focused instructors,” Mrs. Kahle says.

“This will be a very positive and beneficial experience for those children who attend,” she adds.

Those interested in registering for the first nine-week KidShape session should call Mrs. Kahle at 362-8383 by Dec. 21.

Pictured, Mariann Kahle (center), Bradford Regional Medical Center’s (BRMC’s) worksite wellness coordinator and an instructor for the new weight-management program KidShape, holds a flier to promote the program’s start in January. With her are program instructors Marc Fernandes, a mental health professional with BRMC’s Bradford Recovery Systems, and Claudette Haner, a registered nurse at the hospital.
(Photo courtesy of BRMC)