Wild About Wellness: Growing Healthy Children in Mind, Body and Spirit

The Collaboration for Early Childhood is hosting its ninth annual Symposium, Wild About Wellness: Growing Healthy Children in Mind, Body and Spirit, on Saturday, February, 25th, at Percy Julian Middle School, 416 South Ridgeland, in Oak Park. It is open to parents, caregivers, and educators of young children.

People attending the Symposium will learn strategies and be inspired to promote children’s capacity to develop lifelong habits of making wise food choices, being physically active and nurturing their mental and emotional well-being. The Symposium features 20 different workshops and a keynote address by Dr. Antonia Demas. Dr. Demas is an educator and nutritionist who is passionate about the learning and health benefits that occur in children when they have positive, hands on and sensory-based experiences with food.  Dr. Demas brings more than 40 years of experience developing food-based curriculum and is the founder of the Food Studies Institute.

Registration brochure and online registration are available at www.collab4kids.org.  Or, people interested in attending can call 708-613-6122 for more information. Registration fee is $30.00 before February 15 and increases after February 15 to $40.00.  The Symposium is supported through contributions from Oak Park Elementary School District 97, Pioneering Healthy Communities, Oak Park Elementary School PTOs, Grand Victoria Foundation, Oak Park Public Library and Whole Foods Market River Forest.