Blog Post for: Kathryn Henderson, PhD
10/18/2006 | Kathryn Henderson, PhD
Y...Not?
I was recently speaking with an acquaintance who was extolling the virtues of our local Big Y’s “Little Y Kids Club.” This is a service provided to parents of children ages 3 to 9; they may drop off their children for up to two hours of child care while the parents are shopping.
Let me state up front that, overall, this is a fabulous program and service to the community; not only does it provide a break for parents while they shop, but the caregivers engage the children in an educational craft project that switches up weekly. My complaint lies in the parting gift that is received by children, at least at our local Big Y: a cookie. In addition, according to the Little Y section of Big Y's website, if children attend the Little Y program during the month of their birthday, they receive a coupon for a free piece of pizza and a soda. I see this as an opportunity lost. As a large full-service grocery store, Big Y has at its disposal many healthy snack options and non-food items. For example, how about a "fruit of the week" snack or some kind of non-food birthday treat such as a packet of stickers or fun pencils? Again, Little Y is a great service for parents, and with a little tweaking could become a healthy one, too.
