FOR RELEASE: November 7 , 2006
CONTACT: Pamela Williams
Office of Communications
405/271-5601

Celebrate Oklahoma Family Week, November 19-25

 The Oklahoma Family Resource Coalition (OFRC) and the Oklahoma State Department of Health Child Guidance Service recognize the role of families as the basic building blocks of society and want to encourage everyone to support healthy family life and values. This year’s theme for Oklahoma Family Week, Nov. 19-25, is “Growing Up Healthy.”

“We want to raise awareness about the importance for communities to support activities to build stronger families. By working together, neighbors can help solve work and family issues within their local community. Neighbors can help build a stronger community and society,” said OFRC Family Week Chairperson Donna S. Jones.

Jones provided the following tips for helping children grow up healthy:

• Teach your children to soap their hands while singing the A-B-C song. When they get to “Z”, it is time to rinse.
• Be a model for good health practices. Remember that children learn by imitating adults.
• Turn off the television and encourage children to go outside to run, jump, hop, climb and throw.
• Make appointments with health care providers to have your child’s vision and hearing screened.
• Do not allow anyone to smoke in your home or near your children.

Public health professionals recommend that periodic health and developmental screenings of children be done to ensure that they are progressing appropriately for their age. In addition, yearly exams by health care providers can prevent or catch health problems before they become serious.

For more information about child health and development, contact your local county health department. For more information about celebrating Family Week, contact the OFRC Family Week Chairperson Donna S. Jones at the Adair County Health Department, (918) 696-7292.

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