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Community Outreach
Our health education activities champion children by providing a positive, hands-on presence outside the walls of our hospitals and clinics in communities all across the state.
School visits, presentations, developed programs, community engagement activities and targeted partnerships are all designed to deliver effective, evidence-based education relating to wellness, prevention and health promotion. These interactive health education activities encourage children and families to make wise and informed healthy choices now and throughout their lives.
Car Seat Check-ups appointments are scheduled at Arkansas Children's Hospital campus in Little Rock Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., based on the availability of trained staff. A Child Passenger Safety Technician evaluates the car seat currently in use, checks that it is appropriate based on the child's age and weight, ensures correct installation, and answers questions.
For more information, contact Charles Maxwell at MaxwellCT@archildrens.org or 501-364-5655 for additional information.
Arkansas Law and AAP Recommendations
- Children are required to ride in an appropriate child safety restraint until they are at least 6 years of age or 60 lbs.
- All children under 15 years of age must be buckled no matter where they are in the vehicle.
- The Primary Seat Belt Law requires drivers and front-seat passengers to be buckled up at all times.
- Act 811 states that it is illegal to smoke in the car with a child who is less than 14 years old.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children stay rear-facing in their car seats until the age of 2 or until a child reaches the upper weight limits of his car seat. Children should then stay forward-facing until they reach their seat's upper weight and height limits for that position.
Basic Guidelines for Child Safety Seat Usage
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants remain rear-facing until the upper weight limit of a convertible seat (usually 30-35 pounds) as long as they are within the height requirements of the seat. At a minimum, Infants should remain rear-facing in the back seat until at least 1 yr. old AND at least 20 lbs.
- Children may ride forward-facing once they are over 20 lbs. and 1 year of age in a seat with an internal 5-point harness. They should ride in a seat with an internal harness until they reach the weight limit of the harness (usually 40-65 pounds) as long as they are still within the height limit of the seat.
- Once the child weighs at least 40 lbs., the child should ride in a booster seat in the back seat until they are at least 4'9" tall. Booster seats MUST be used with a lap and shoulder belt. NEVER a lap-only belt.
- Before being allowed to use only the vehicle lap & shoulder seat belt, the child should be able to sit up with knees bent at the edge of the vehicle seat, the seat belt shoulder strap should fit comfortably across the chest (not across the neck), and the seat belt lap strap should fit low and tight across the upper thighs.
Babysitting 101 provides young adolescents with the skills to be safe, nurturing and fun babysitters. Targeting both girls and boys ages 12 to 14, this class will help participants become more confident, responsible and prepared caregivers. Babysitting 101 is taught by instructors from Arkansas Children's using the Safe Sitter curriculum and is a great introduction to the basics of babysitting. Choking Rescue, CPR and other important safety topics are addressed, but this one-day class does not include certification in these areas. The fee is $35 (due morning of class) and includes class materials and a healthy lunch.
Arkansas Children's Hospital Classes
- Four classes are held annually in the month of June at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.
- Class dates for June 2020 will be posted on March 1, 2020; registration will begin at that time.
For questions regarding the class, please contact Sarah Harlan at harlanse@archildrens.org or 501-364-6442.
Cooking Matters for Adults
Receive a guided, small-group tour of the grocery store while learning how to read labels, choose wisely, eat healthily and shop on a budget. The store tour is about 90-minutes in length and includes a lot of Q & A.
"This tour was very informative. The tips for buying produce and what's in season gave me great ideas for meals!" - Cooking Matters participant
- When: Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment (Little Rock area only.)
- Registration: Pre-registration required! Contact Charles Maxwell at MaxwellCT@archildrens.org or 501-364-5655.
Six-Session Cooking Course
These free educational cooking classes are designed to empower families to plan, select, purchase and prepare healthy foods on a limited budget.
"This course made me want to eat healthy." - Cooking class participant
About the Class: Participants learn basic kitchen skills and cooking techniques, practice budgeting for meals, and receive tasty and healthy recipes. The classes are hands-on with everyone helping prepare (and eat!) the meal. Class size is generally 8 to 10 people which is ideal for vibrant discussion and active learning.
- When: Generally held on alternating Saturday mornings and weekday evenings (example: Saturday 10 a.m. to Noon & Tuesday 5 to 7 p.m.)
- Registration: Pre-registration required! Contact Charles Maxwell at MaxwellCT@archildrens.org or 501-364-5655.
Pop Up Cooking Matters
This program of nutrition education helps teens learn how to pick out healthy foods on a budget. With a one-time classroom visit from ACH health educators, 9th - 12th-grade students receive a virtual tour of the grocery store with food examples reviewed from various aisles (fruits & vegetables, meat & dairy, bread and grains). Topics include how to shop for healthy items, how to read food labels, and how to budget for meals. There is also discussion on making healthier choices in regard to sugar, sodium, fat, and calories.
- Pop-Up Cooking Matters aligns with many of the Arkansas Department of Education standards for Health and Wellness instruction.
For more information, contact Charles Maxwell at MaxwellCT@archildrens.org or 501-364-5655.
OrganWise Guys (K - 2nd)
This program offers the evidence-based OrganWise Guys curriculum for K - 2nd-grade students at elementary schools across the state. A brief, one-time training is provided to the classroom teachers and then a fun kickoff assembly is held for the students to introduce the OrganWise characters! 8 to 12 classroom-based lessons are completed throughout the year. Lesson objectives are reinforced with activity sheets, Wisercise activities, and a Food of the Month Club implemented in the school cafeteria.
Students learn to name and locate body parts and understand how each relates to their overall health and quality of life. This comprehensive nutrition and physical activity program enhances the school's efforts to create a healthier school environment and helps improve the health status of participants through regular education and activity. Hospital health educators visit the school multiple times throughout the school year to provide classroom lessons. The classroom teacher provides the remaining lessons during the year.
For more information, contact Sarah Harlan at HarlanSE@archildrens.org or 501-364-6442.
Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH)
This program targets 6th - 8th-grade students with proven strategies to decrease obesity and improve nutrition knowledge. In addition to the classroom curriculum, the promotion of an overall healthy culture in school, at home, and in the community is equally important. Schools statewide are eligible to receive this program, which involves 8 total classroom lessons, posters for the school cafeteria, and a newsletter celebrating healthy life principles. Impact messaging from CATCH will help create behavioral change by enabling young people to identify healthy foods and by increasing the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity they engage in each day. Hospital health educators visit the school four times throughout the school year to provide classroom lessons. The classroom teacher provides the remaining lessons during the school year.
- CATCH lessons align with many Arkansas Department of Education standards for Physical Education and Health & Wellness instructions.
- CATCH creates behavioral change by enabling children to identify healthy foods and by increasing the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity children engage in each day.
- CATCH activity boxes and PE training provide educators the tools needed to incorporate physical activity into lessons.
For more information, contact Darla Henry at HenryDA@archildrens.org or 501-364-4544.
Tobacco Prevention Program
The Project Prevent Youth Coalition is the statewide youth tobacco prevention program, encompassing middle school, junior high and high school students. Its membership includes students in local chapters across the state. Project Prevent offers several projects and activities to engage students throughout the year, including a statewide youth conference. The activities address one of three focus areas: Prevention, Education, and Leadership. While most of the chapters involved with Project Prevent focus primarily on tobacco and nicotine, several chapters address other health issues as well. There is no cost to form a Project Prevent chapter, and some may receive resources, teaching aids and even funding to further their efforts in tobacco prevention.
For more information, contact Laura Taylor at TaylorLB@archildrens.org or 501-364-3883.
In addition to providing important health education across the state, the Community Outreach Department also leads hospital efforts in local community engagement activities. These include:
- Leading the annual Earth Day Recycling event each Spring.
- Coordinating the annual Food Drive each Summer.
- Participating in local Neighborhood Association meetings and activities.
- Helping connect employees to community volunteer opportunities.
- Serving as a partner in education with nearby King Elementary.
- Leading the Community Garden project in cooperation with the Arkansas GardenCorps and the Central High National Historic Site.
- Coordinating on-going food insecurity work with the nearby Helping Hand food pantry and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance.
Partner In Education
Arkansas Children's Hospital is proud to be a Partner in Education with King Elementary School, located just two blocks from ACH. Employees participate in a variety of activities each year such as judging science fairs and art contests, cheering on students at the King Walk, and providing cooking classes in the afterschool program. Many employee volunteers also serve as tutors for students through MLK Reads, a program coordinated by another school partner, Second Baptist Church downtown. This one-on-one tutoring program is designed to provide extra reading time for students who are reading below grade level so they might improve their skills to reach grade-level reading or above. Studies have shown that a student who can't read on grade level by 3rd grade is four times less likely to graduate high school than a child who does read proficiently by that time.
ACH Community Garden
The community garden on the campus of ACH was established in 2015 and is tended by a part-time garden manager along with a small but growing band of community volunteers. Last year, more than 4,000 lbs. of fresh produce was grown and harvested including tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, greens, potatoes, corn, peas, onions, carrots, beans, okra, watermelon, strawberries and blackberries. Everything grown is donated directly to Helping Hand pantry which is located close to ACH.
Interested in volunteering at the garden? Contact Scott Allen at AllenSB@archildrens.org or 501-364-6440.
Circle of Friends
Circle of Friends is a group of people who help change the future for children. Volunteers work with Arkansas Children's to help fund better treatment methods, to find research breakthroughs faster and to help ensure every child in every community of the state knows how to keep themselves as healthy as possible - because healthy children are essential to healthy communities.
With over 700 members statewide, there are many opportunities to open the door to a new perspective – join a chapter, volunteer your time or donate to champion children.
Circle of Friends Contact Information
Administrative Assistant
Magnolia, Faulkner, Texarkana, Union Co Chapters
Garland, Jonesboro, Jefferson, Arkansas River Valley Chapters
NWA, Harrison, Fort Smith Chapters