BATON ROUGE — Members of the LSU gymnastics team participated in the “No Child Left Inside” kickoff at the University’s parade grounds last weekend as part of the Shaquille O’Neal CHAMPS/Life Skills program.
The event is put on by the National Association for the Education of Young Children in an effort to keep outdoor recess and play time in schools. Many schools have cut back or taken away recess entirely as it is now seen to only take away from academic, but the association is fighting to keep it a part of school activities as a way to help kids better relate to one another and to help relieve stress.
As part of the week-long event’s kickoff, outdoor activities were set up for children to participate in throughout the day. Members of the gymnastics team led children through the obstacle course and interacted with those in attendance.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8.
Founded in 1926, NAEYC is the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 100,000 members, a national network of over 300 local, state, and regional Affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations.
The CHAMPS (Challenging Athletes Minds for Personal Success)/Life Skills Program was designed by the NCAA to help student-athletes realize higher academic achievement, increase likelihood of graduation and enter a chosen profession with a higher level of vision, knowledge, motivation, self-responsibility and greater overall success. In Spring 2003, the CHAMPS/ Life Skills Program honored one of LSU’s most memorable graduates, Shaquille O’Neal, by naming the program after him.