Healthy Living Starts at the Y

At the Y, we are committed to helping kids, and their families, to get healthier.

Y5210 was developed to encourage children to make healthy choices in order to decrease their risk of obesity and improve their health. Although the program was originally developed for children, the core principals can be applied to all ages.

The Y5210 program recommends that each day people should have at least:

5 servings of fruits or vegetables

2 hours or less of "screen time" (time spent watching TV, playing video games, or on the computer)

1 hour or more of physical activity

0 sugar-sweetened drinks

Recommendations for these focus areas come from the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Research shows that...

5 - 25% of kid's calories come from snacking. Increasing fruit and vegetables consumption is a focus point to help tackle obesity as well as fight other serious diseases later on in life, such as diabetes and cancer.

2 - watching 4+ hours of TV per day increases your risk of obesity by 21.5%.

1 - 33% of American kids are overweight or obese and physical activity is one important way to reduce this number.

0 - drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can add 25 pounds over the course of a year.


The Y5210 classroom curriculum was piloted in 15 third grade classrooms in Fond du Lac County during the 2012-2013 school year. The program has grown to reach over 20 third grade classrooms, all students at the Fond du Lac STEM Academy, Sabish Middle School, and 3rd graders at the Boys & Girls Club of Fond du Lac.

In 2015, over 800 kids learned how to live a healthier life through the program. During the 2013-2014 school year, there was an increase of 12.8% in the number of 3rd graders who reported eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day because of the program. There was an increase of 36% in the number of children who knew they were supposed to consume zero sugar sweetened drinks each day.

Our goal is to implement this program in more classrooms each year, and eventually to reach all third grade classrooms throughout Fond du Lac County.

Fighting childhood obesity will take the time and effort of many, and through this program we are taking the first steps in this fight by helping kids as they participate in Y5210. Through our Annual Support Campaign, we will be able to take the Y5210 message to the entire community.

If you are interested in making a donation to our cause, or would like more information on this program, please contact JJ Raflik at 920.921.3330 ext. 318 or via email at jraflik@fdlymca.org.