This slideshow presentation provides an overview of how parent Jeff Anderson led efforts at Wolftrap elementary, a school of the Fairfax County Public Schools district (22.8% Latino), to create a policy that would allow parents to choose how their kids would get to school. Prior to this, a policy to support biking did not exist at Wolftrap elementary and biking to school was practically banned. Anderson used the 7 Ps of policy: power, philosophy, policy, procedures, partnerships, projects, and promotion, to change the bike culture at his kids' school. First, Anderson worked to bring bike racks to the school. He did this by identifying existing problems such as traffic congestion near schools and made a case for how biking could be beneficial to students. After that, he found ...
In 2010, food insecurity in Nevada children under 18 years of age was assessed at over 20%. The Reno City Council is teaming-up with the Washoe County Food Policy Council to research and identify planning and development policies that can promote healthy food access and support local food production and sales.City of Reno is hoping to use policy changes to address this unhealthy gap. The City Planning Commission, as part of their February 5 workshop, voted unanimously to amend the Planning Commission goals for the year to include food policy. The food policy council is hopeful that new policies will be crafted that bring healthy, affordable food to all families in Reno, almost a quarter of which are Hispanic. The Food Policy Council invites the public to come and speak in ...
Organizing a Walk-to-School day can be one great way of keeping kids healthy and active. It can also serve to improve neighborhood safety, and capture the attention of parents, local school officials, and policymakers. According to a success story from the California Endowment, Latino children in Santa Ana organized a successful walk-to-school day event in 2007. Before the event, students conducted a walking audit of their neighborhood streets to identify sidewalks and intersections that needed improvements. Then students and teachers presented pictures of the areas that needed repairs to the police department and school board before Walk-to-School day. Organizers say that by taking something negative and turning it into a positive, like Walk-to-School day, they were able to ...
Exciting things in regards to bike lanes are happening in El Paso, TX. The city is expecting to add at least 50 miles of bike infrastructure to the already existing 112 miles. This time, planners say they are holding themselves to a new standard, which involves the addition of more protected lanes. According to Fred Lopez, the city's transportation planning administrator, the city already has a list of proposed bike lanes which will follow best practices set by the National Association of City Transportation Officials. In order to ensure that tax payer dollars are invested wisely, Mayor Oscar Leeser and members of the city council have designated a bicycle advisory committee to work with planners on implementing the new plan. The city also hopes to hire a consultant and ...
Community groups, non-profits, and everyday citizens across the U.S. work towards getting fresh, healthy foods to families who don't have them near by. In North Carolina, one of 10 states with the highest food insecurity, state lawmakers are considering a legislative solution. A bill introduced last year by Rep. Yvonne Lewis Holley initially sought incentives to encourage small grocery stores to open in food deserts. But, under the state’s current budget, funding for the bill was not possible, so it was changed to a study bill. After a few grocery stores closed in Holley’s district, fast food restaurants were left to fill the gaps. This inspired her to pursue legislation that would support healthier food options. “If we can support fast food restaurants, we can support a ...
A Walking School Bus at Boland elementary in Springfield, MA is helping Latino kids stay safe, healthy, and active. According to an editorial from Masslive, the walking school bus has become a popular way of getting to school---even on cold days. Every morning, teachers lead about 35 children from a nearby apartment complex on the commute to Boland elementary. Students say they enjoy the program which launched in 2013, because it allows them to meet new friends and feel safe on their way to school. Boland is not the first school in Springfield to organize a walking school bus program. In 2010, Brightwood elementary started their own program and saw some impressive results including: decreased neighborhood crime, and improved school attendance and tardiness rates. See the ...
When school's out and summer vacation hits, many students who rely on free or reduced price lunches at school are left without proper daily nutrition. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s summer meals programs, including the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program's Seamless Summer Option, ensure that low-income children who rely on school meals can receive the nutritious food they need during the summer months so they are healthy and ready to learn when they return to school in the fall. But the number of kids who participate in these programs is small, especially in certain states. For example, in Illinois nearly 800,000 kids receive free or reduced price lunch in school, but only 11 percent of eligible Illinois children ...
More students across the nation are walking to and from school according to an October 2013 survey, conducted by the National Center for Safe Routes to School. The survey found that in 2012, 15.7% students walked to school compared to only 12.4% in 2007. The percentage of students that walked home also rose from 15.8% to 19.7%. Initiatives to get kids up and moving have become increasingly popular with the rise of schools participating in Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs. According to a blog post from the Sustainable City Network, in 2007, only 1,833 schools participated in National Safe Routes to School programs. By September 2013, approximately 13,863 schools were involved. While more kids seem to be walking, trends also show that students of medium income households ...
Teens from Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!) in North Carolina are growing healthy change! By using a policy approach to tackling childhood obesity, these teens are making a huge impact on the health of their community. The group of teens whose ages range from 12-18 years are part of the non-profit organization YES!, that works with youth, adults, and community organizations to develop healthy food and active living policies. In 2009, the statewide non-profit organization was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to launch the Healthy Vessels initiative and in 2011 the group received funding from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina to continue their work. Recently YES! partnered with the YMCA of North Carolina to extend their reach and to award $3,000 ...
