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Welcome to the first issue of the Kinship Care Newsletter. This quarterly newsletter is put together by the team of Penn State Cooperative Extension Family Living Educators in Northwest Pennsylvania. We hope it will provide timely, useful information on issues that affect you and your family.
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BMI: What is It?
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BMI stands for Body Mass Index. Body Mass Index is a number calculated
from a person's weight and height. You may have seen articles about
BMI or heard it mentioned on the radio or TV. But what is it really,
and what does it mean for you and your family?
How is BMI used?
In adults 20 years old and older, BMI is used to identify possible weight
problems that could lead to health problems. To determine if too much
weight is a health risk, you need to visit your doctor and talk to him
about it.
Calculate BMI by dividing weight in pounds (lbs.) by height in inches (in.) squared and multiplying by 703.
Example: Weight=150 lbs. Height=5'5" (65 in.)
Calculation: [150 / (65x65)] x 703 = 24.96
This person would have a BMI of 24.96.
The chart below gives you some information about how to interpret BMI
numbers.
Is BMI used the same for children and teens as for
adults?
The BMI number is figured the same way for children as for adults, but
it is used differently. The BMI number is plotted on a chart using the
child's sex and age. This is done because the amount of body fat is
different at different ages, and the amount of body fat is different
in girls and boys. The chart below gives a percentile ranking and is
often called BMI-for-age.
What is a BMI-for-age (BMI percentile)?
The percentile compares a child's BMI number to other children of the
same sex and age.
The growth chart shows whether a child is underweight, a healthy weight,
at risk of overweight or overweight. So, if two children are not the
same sex or are not exactly the same age, they may have the same BMI
number but it means something different for each child.
What is the Pennsylvania Growth Screening Program in
schools, and what does it have to do with BMI?
All children enrolled in Pennsylvania schools will now have their height
and weight measured as part of the yearly school health program.
This information will be used to figure their BMI.
During the 2006-2007 school year, students in grades K
- 8 will have their BMI calculated.
In the 2007-2008 school year, all students in grades K - 12 will have
their BMI calculated.
BMI will then be used to decide if students are at a healthy weight
or if they are underweight (below the fifth percentile); overweight
(equal to or above the 95th percentile) or at risk for overweight (at
the 85th percentile to less than the 95th percentile). This information
will be sent home to parents in a letter. Parents are encouraged to
share this information with their child's doctor if a child's BMI is
high or low.
Why is this being done?
The health and wellness of children is a national priority. Being either
overweight or underweight can increase the risk of certain health problems.
Underweight increases the risk of heart problems, loss of bone mass
and anemia. Underweight can be a sign of an underlying eating disorder.
Overweight increases the risk of developing serious conditions including
diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and certain cancers.
These conditions used to be thought of as adult health problems, but
health care providers are now finding them in children.
Your child's health care provider is the best person to decide whether
your child's BMI is in
a healthy range. He will also consider other factors such as sports
participation and family history.
| If an adult's BMI is: | The adult is considered: |
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Below 18.5
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Underweight
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18.5 - 24.9
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Normal
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25.0 - 29.9
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Overweight
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30.0 and Above
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Obese
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| If the percentile for a child is: |
The child is considered: |
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Less than
the 5th percentile |
Underweight
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5th percentile up to
the 85th percentile |
Healthy weight
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85th percentile to less than the 95th percentile
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At risk of overweight
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Equal to or greater than the 95th percentile
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Overweight
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Written by Janice Ronan, Extension Educator, Erie Co.
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EARLY INTERVENTION
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We would like to help you understand some of the terms you may have
heard or read about in connection with early intervention services.
When are children referred for early intervention services? Children
who exhibit a significant delay of at least 25% in one or more areas
of development (physical, social, emotional or cognitive) or who are
at risk are often tested and referred to early intervention specialists.
Act 212: The early intervention system act of 1990 that created an entitlement to early intervention services for children in Pennsylvania.
Assessment: Information-gathering methods used to help find a child's unique strengths and needs.
Cognitive Development: How a child thinks and learns.
FAPE: Guarantees a free and appropriate public education for eligible preschool children.
Individualized Education Plan (IEP): A document prepared by parents and staff (IEP Team) for an eligible child, three through graduation from school that specifies a child's strengths and needs, their instructional goals and objectives, how their progress will be monitored and the nature and extent of the related services.
Learning Support (LS): A school-age special education program based on the regular class curriculum and provided in a regular school setting.
Multidisciplinary Evaluation (MDE): The process initiated by the multidisciplinary team (teachers, specialists, parents, administrators) in which the needs of the child or student are assessed.
Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP):
A written plan for providing early intervention services to a child
from birth to age three and his/her family.
Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE):
The state agency responsible for funding special education services
to children three years of age through graduation from school.
Information on referral agencies may be obtained by contacting your
local county extension office.
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HAVE YOU PUT "ICE" IN
YOUR MOBILE PHONE? |
Eight out of 10 people do not carry any notification information for
their next-of-kin in the event of an emergency. Yet 80% carry a mobile
phone, most of whom have it on them all the time. There is no simpler
way of letting
the emergency services know whom to contact should you be involved in
an accident, than by using ICE.
Standing for In Case of Emergency, ICE will allow ambulance crews and police officers to quickly contact a selected person who can be informed of the incident. To do this:
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Type the acronym ICE followed by a contact name (for example: ICE - Mom or ICE - David) into the address book of your mobile phone.
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Save their phone number.
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Tell your ICE contact that you have selected them.
Other things to consider when choosing an emergency contact
for ICE:
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Make sure your ICE partner has a list of people they should contact on your behalf - including your place of work.
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Make sure your ICE partner's number is one that's easy to contact (for example: a home number could be useless in an emergency if the person works full time).
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Make sure your ICE partner knows about any medical conditions that could affect your emergency treatment (for example: allergies or current medication).
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Make sure that, if you are under 18, your ICE partner is a parent or guardian authorized to make decisions on your behalf (for example: if you need a life or death operation).
For more information, visit the website:
http://www.icecontact.com/
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RESOURCES |
Reading Wizards - Make reading a family affair with two
helpful pamphlets from Cooperative Extension. Reading Wizards: Parents
and Children Reading Together features activities to do with Dr.
Seuss books for preschool children. Reading Wizards: Open the Magic
of Printed Words gives ideas to extend the reading of Harry Potter
books. Request copies from your local family living extension educator.
Did you know that American kids spend more time with media
than they do going to school?
Or that they spend more time watching TV than hanging out with family
or friends, reading for fun, in physical activities or on hobbies? A
2004 study found that 90% of parents think that TV, videogames and music
help make children too materialistic, grow up too fast, use bad language,
or behave aggressively or antisocially. If you are worried about how
TV might be harming your child (or your family as a whole), visit the
following website for some ideas that can help: http://www.parenting247.org/article.cfm?ContentID=83&AgeGroup=3
from Parenting 24/7: University of Illinois Extension
Families can use a number of tools to be selective about
the kinds of TV programs or movies they watch. There are some good websites
that offer reviews or ratings about the content of movies, videos and
DVDs. Although the existing industry ratings can be a useful general
guide for parents, the sites listed on the following website offer more
detailed descriptions of content that can help parents select or discuss
movies with their children. All the sites are free (or have free versions),
and information about the sponsoring organization and the methods they
use to rate content are clearly described.
http://www.parenting247.org/article.cfm?ContentID=639&challenge=12&AgeGroup=4
from Parenting 24/7: University of Illinois Extension
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Northwest Region
Cooperative Extension County Offices |
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| Armstrong County 124 Armsdale Rd., Ste. 112 Kittanning, PA 16201 724-548-3447 ArmstrongExt@psu.edu |
Forest County 2 Highland St. Tionesta, PA 16353 814-7575-3544 ForestExt@psu.edu |
| Butler County 101 Motor Pool Way Butler, PA 16001-3545 724-287-4761 ButlerExt@psu.edu |
Lawrence County 430 Court St. New Castle, PA 16101 724-654-8370 LawrenceExt@psu.edu |
| Clarion County 8 Grant St. Clarion, PA 16214 814-223-9028 ClarionExt@psu.edu |
Mercer County PO Box 530 463 N. Perry Highway Mercer, PA 16137 724-662-3141 MercerExt@psu.edu |
| Crawford County 13400 Dunham Rd., Ste. A Meadville, PA 16335 814-333-7460 CrawfordExt@psu.edu |
Venango County 867 Mercer Rd. Franklin, PA 16323 814-437-7607 VenangoExt@psu.edu |
| Erie County 850 E. Gore Rd. Erie, PA 16509-3798 814-825-0900 ErieExt@psu.edu |
Warren County 609 Rouse Ave., Ste 200 Youngsville, PA 16371 814-563-9388 WarrenExt@psu.edu |
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Northwest Region
Kinship Care Team |
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Janice Alberico Bibiana Chestnut Lynn Clint Matt Kaplan, PhD |
Carole Toubakaris Phyllis Wright Darlene Sansone
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This publication is available in alternative media on request.
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action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.
This page last updated Tuesday, August 8, 2006 17:14
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Please e-mail us with your questions, comments or suggestions at ErieExt@psu.edu.