Nineteen years ago, Healthy Kids Programs began with a simple belief: every child deserves a place where they feel safe, supported, inspired, and free to be a kid. What started as a single program has grown into a mission shared across 17 states, serving thousands of children and families through before-school programs, after-school programs, summer camps, schools-out programs, early learning centers, and Universal Pre-K partnerships. As we celebrate our 19th anniversary, we are filled with...

In the rush of daily life, the default setting for parents is often to swoop in and fix the problem. It is faster, it lowers everyone's stress levels in the moment, and it feels like the natural way to help. However, a distinct and critical developmental shift happens during the school-aged years, specifically between ages 6 and 12. This is the prime window where children develop executive functioning skills—the mental processes that enable them to plan, focus, remember instructions...

As we mark Mental Health Awareness Month this May, it is essential to look at an aspect of family wellness that often goes unaddressed: the direct biological link between a caregiver's stress levels and a child's behavior. When a child is having a difficult behavioral moment—whether it is a sudden tantrum, defiance, or intense clinginess—our immediate instinct as caregivers is to make it stop. If your heart rate spikes, your chest tightens...