With the help of its partners, Yappera Children’s Service has created an environment that provides children and their families access to high quality healthy eating and oral health information, resources and services.
Yappera Children’s Service is an Aboriginal Community controlled Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Service located in Thornbury. Yappera provides long day care services and a kindergarten for over 70 children. The Yappera Team are passionate advocates for the health and wellbeing of children and families, championing oral health and healthy eating, and embedding both into Yappera’s everyday commitment to good health for children and families.
Yappera’s partners include the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS), Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV), Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and the Healthy Eating Advisory Service (HEAS).
Outcomes of Yappera’s strong partnerships have included a dental screening program at Yappera, a Coach Program that uses fun and active games to teach 3 and 4 year old children at Yappera about healthy living, and Yappera developing a healthy, tasty menu that meets the menu planning guidelines for long day care . With support from its partners, Yappera has recently submitted a Smiles 4 Miles award application to DHSV.
The image shows children at Yappera enjoying a visit from Deadly Dan, the main character in ‘Deadly Dan at the League’, a book developed by VAHS in collaboration with Quit Victoria to spread the word about healthy eating within Victorian Aboriginal Communities. Through the development of strong partnerships, Yappera has created an environment where children and their families can learn and adopt healthy eating and oral health practices.
For more information about Yappera's story contact the VACCHO nutrition group or phone 03 9411 9411.
If your organisation is looking to develop partnerships that support children's health, you can read more about Yappera's partners via HEAS and DHSV.
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