Category Archives: Education

Modern career day: Using technology to connect with students

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Dr. Thakar connects with a seventh grade class via Skype.

Dr. Thakar connects with a seventh grade class via Skype.

Recently, with the help of Skype, I met Gloria Roschke and her seventh grade class from the Milwaukee Academy of Science. The students attending this magnet school are on a path to pursue higher education in the field of science. As a class project, they were learning about childhood diseases and asked if I would speak to them as a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

I was impressed by their questions, from “What is the most common cancer in kids?” to “What is chemotherapy and does it hurt?” These …Continue reading →

Video: The dangers of button batteries in toys

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As parents, we know to keep coins away from children as they could – and do – swallow them. There is another item the size of a coin that could be much more dangerous if swallowed: button batteries. Many of us have them in our car remotes and other small remotes used around the house. …Continue reading this post

Being a “Water Watcher” means undistracted supervision of children

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It’s a warm summer day and you’re at the pool with your kids. Your cell phone rings and you answer it, shifting focus from your kids to the phone conversation. Good idea? Not at all. It could even be deadly. Most kids were under an adult’s supervision just before they drowned.

Active supervision is the most important precaution for drowning. A supervised child is in sight at all times …Continue reading this post

I’m 18 Now!!

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Where did the time go? This is what we as parents ask ourselves as our child turns 18. An adult – no way – but not a child either.  The new adult often feels empowered, anxious to make decisions, and to determine their own course. For example, having to sign a release of information to allow mom and/or dad to talk to the doctor is a real eye opener for both the adult child and for parents.

As in all of life, adulthood is not an event but a process that starts way before age 18.  By slowly giving and trusting your child with age-appropriate responsibilities, turning 18 becomes just another step in growing up. However, there are some big time legal changes that all teens need to be aware of.  Below is a short list of suggested discussion points about adult rights and responsibilities. Good Luck!

  • You are legally responsible for your actions – please think before you act.
  • You can own things; a car, a credit card – money is needed to pay for these things.
  • You can vote – a right many other countries do not have.
  • If you break the law you will pay the fine or perhaps go to jail.
  • Risk taking behavior is part of early adulthood – be aware.
  • I am here to help you make good choices – I will listen.

The State of Wisconsin Bar Association is revising its publication, On Being 18. You can currently only find it on-line.

~ Darcia Behrens, LCSW, supervisor/clinician, Family Services, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

All about whole grains

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Eating whole grains can reduce risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, constipation and colorectal cancer. Whole grains are rich in antioxidants that help prevent damage to the body. The fiber in whole grain foods helps you feel full faster and regulates bowel functions.

Whole grains have fiber, vitamins, minerals and more. Good examples of whole grain foods include:

  • Whole-grain pasta.
  • Whole-grain bread.
  • Whole-grain crackers.
  • Brown or wild rice.
  • Barley.
  • Low-fat popcorn.
  • Oatmeal.

A good way to see if food contains whole grains is to look for a whole grain stamp. This stamp means the food has at least half a serving of whole grains.

If you can’t find a stamp, check the product’s ingredient list. Food with whole grain listed as the first or second ingredient can be good for you. Don’t be fooled by products that include enriched flour at the beginning of the ingredient list – these are not whole grain!

According to the Whole Grains Council, an average person eats less than one serving of whole grains per day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s choosemyplate.gov recommends at least three servings or more of whole grains each day. Encourage your family to eat healthier by gradually introducing more whole-grain products. The benefits will do you a whole lot of good.

~ Heather Fortin, RD, CSP, CD, clinical dietitian specialist, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin with Stacy Brand, RD, CD, manager, Patient Services, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

Help get your portions under control

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Sometimes a child can eat all of the right foods but still gain weight. This is when parents should examine portion control. From a young age, kids can become conditioned to eat all of the food in front of them, whether they’re hungry or not. Serving appropriate portions to children helps them eat only what they need. Here is a general guideline about how much kids should be eating:

  • Toddlers should eat approximately one quarter of an adult-sized portion.
  • Children age 4 to 8 should eat one-third of an adult-sized portion.

Even when portion sizes are in check, the ratio of food groups offered can lead to weight gain. According to the “plate method,” one-half of a child’s plate should be vegetables, one-quarter should be starchy sides (including corn, potatoes and peas), and one-quarter should be lean protein. Fruit and low-fat dairy servings may be added. If a child asks for seconds, offer more vegetables.

~ Jennifer Crouse, RD, CD, CDE, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

Home visitation programs help break cycle of abuse

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I was a single mom with two babies under age 1. This is a struggle in itself, and I had a past that was pulling me in the wrong direction.

I am a survivor of child sexual, physical and emotional abuse. My mom spent several years in prison for selling cocaine and for having firearms. Despite this, I loved my mom and was devastated when she left one day and didn’t come back for three years. I was 12 at the time, so I had to help my grandmother raise my sisters and brother.

It wasn’t uncommon that I looked for love in the wrong places, finding myself with two kids and no parenting skills or family support. I was overjoyed to hear of a program that would help me become a better parent. I became involved in the Healthy Families program, a home-visitation program supported by the Child Abuse Prevention Fund at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. These programs work.

Healthy Families taught me how to set goals. The program taught me how to discipline my children in a positive way. I learned what behaviors to expect from my kids at different ages. My support worker, Shirley Wehmeier, was my mentor and coach. She taught me I could do anything.

I got my High School Equivalency Diploma and went to college for a year. I got my driver’s license, a car and a job in an office.

My family is a product of the Healthy Families program. My kids excel at school and are involved in sports and activities. I provide free credit and budget counseling services to people through La Casa de Esperanza and United Way of Waukesha County. I am a bilingual certified tax preparer, a certified notary and a certified housing specialist, doing pre- and post-purchase counseling for first-time home buyers and foreclosure prevention counseling. I also volunteer my time to help build a stronger community. Most importantly, I was able to break the cycle of abuse and my children are happy and healthy.

The Safe at Home campaign raises money to support home visitation programs like Healthy Families. Help families like mine. Visit safe-at-home.org.

~ Gina M. Sanchez

e-Learning is a Smart Choice!

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As a public health professional in Milwaukee, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Children’s Health Education Center in some capacity over the last decade. I recently transitioned to the private, nonprofit sector and serve as director of Health & Life Skills for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.

One of my primary functions is to assess needs and develop health programming for more than 30,000 youth members. The Health & Life Skills department is one of five core service areas that educates youth about key issues that affect our community. We cover topics such as childhood obesity, teen pregnancy prevention/sexually transmitted infection, substance abuse awareness and healthy relationships. The majority of interventions are provided to youth via traditional instruction, such as classroom lectures, small group style facilitation, hands-on activities and service learning. I’m an avid fan of technology and incorporating innovative tools such as iPads, social networking and video messaging to increase teaching efficiency.

I quickly realized one issue that impacts our department’s ability to reach our youth is how we use technology. We needed to make our health messages relevant and engaging. I found the solution to my dilemma at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Best Practice conference.

The staff from Children’s Health Education Center conducted an interactive session about the BlueKids.org e-learning programs. I was very impressed with the interface and ease of use of the program from the adult perspective. Shortly after the presentation, I met with Bridget Clementi and Clay Anton to explore opportunities for our club members and BlueKids.org. We decided It’s UR Choice youth substance abuse prevention model was the best fit for a pilot, because it neatly fit into an existing substance abuse prevention program we were offering called Smart Choices.

Mr. Jamar Wills, Milwaukee Reality Check Coalition coordinator, organized and facilitated the Smart Choices program, which includes peer education and positive peer modeling. The Boys & Girls Club has received funding from MillerCoors to provide the Smart Choices program to youth members with this program, they have demonstrated increased resistance to drugs and alcohol, greater abuse awareness and positively changing social norms of substance use.

Currently, It’s UR Choice is being piloted at three club sites in the urban area. Our goal is to enable 20 youth members per site to complete the entire program. Use of It’s UR Choice for middle school students has been well received. I am very impressed with the pilot’s progress to date. It is our intent, once the pilot has been successfully completed, to expand access to It’s UR Choice, to all youth in the Smart Choices program.

~ Jeanette Kowalik, MPH, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee

Why our school uses Bullyfree Basics

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As an elementary school counselor at Union Grove Elementary School in western Racine County, I first learned about Bluekids e-learning from a booth at the Wisconsin School Counselor’s Association Conference. The programs caught my eye since I was familiar with the Children’s Health Education Center because I had coordinated a number of field trips for our students to its center in Milwaukee. I was impressed with the field trip programs, so …Continue reading →

Children’s Hospital and the Milwaukee Admirals: We’re a great team

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As professional hockey players, we practice regularly to prepare for our games and try to take care of ourselves so we stay healthy. Good health is important to us, but the folks at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin have taught us even more. We recently visited the hospital and learned about healthy habits like washing our hands, eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of sleep and having a flu shot.

Now we know you have to stay well to play well. It’s so important that we teamed up with Children’s Hospital to get the word out. Maybe you’ve heard about our cool partnership? For every ticket sold for our Feb. 13 game against the Rockford Icehogs, $2 will be donated to Children’s Hospital. We’re even offering special discount ticket prices for this game.

During the game, we’ll be doing tons of things to promote healthy habits. There will great giveaways, cool videos and an awesome event between game periods. You won’t believe all the fun!

We hope you’ll come on out to the Admirals game this Sunday at 5 p.m. Be sure to order your tickets soon. They’re going fast!

~ Scott Ford, Aaron Johnson and Brett Palin
Milwaukee Admirals