Briscoe Elementary Gets an Afterschool Bus-to-Park Program

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Students at Briscoe Elementary in Houston Texas are learning the meaning of what it is to live a healthy lifestyle. Thanks to the collaboration of Children and Neighbors Defeat Obesity (CAN DO) Houston, the city’s parks and recreation department, and strong leadership from the school’s principal, Mr. Juan Gonzalez, students are able to attend after school activities held at Mason Park. After school activities are provided free of charge by the parks and recreation department, but it wasn’t until a CAN DO board member suggested the idea of transporting students to Mason Park, that the idea took off.

 

An Interview with Briscoe Elementary Principal Juan Gonzalez

“Parents believed that they [children] would not be safe walking, so we came up with the idea of buses,” Principal Gonzalez said.

The program is now in its 5th year and every day almost a full bus of students are taken to the park after school, where they participate in physical activities, until their parents pick them up.

“We have seen that children who are more active tend to perform better,” Principal Gonzalez said, “we have a 97% Hispanic population at our school with 55% English language learners.”

CAN DO Houston saw that there was a need for healthy activities at Briscoe elementary, which is located in Houston’s historically underserved, predominantly Latino, Magnolia Park district, so they approached Principal Gonzalez.

“CAN DO was trying to bring to light the obesity issue and one thing was the lack of exercise. So they volunteered their services at no cost,” Principal Gonzalez said.

Now, Briscoe has a variety of healthy activities occurring at their school including, Fitness Friday, Zumba classes for parents and students, and an initiative to grow, cook, and eat healthy vegetables, provided through another program called Recipe for Success.

 

The Agreement Between CAN DO and the HISD

CAN DO Houston agreed to provide fitness equipment, train teachers to incorporate physical activity into their classrooms, and to provide assistance with after school programs in partnership with Mason Park. HISD agreed to provide bus transportation from Briscoe Elementary School to Mason Park and to lend space to host health trainings at local campuses. Agreements like this demonstrate the value of partnerships, and how school districts can work to increase physical activity opportunities for children during after-school hours.

 

Resources

View the CAN DO assessment of Magnolia Park here.

The CAN DO Program-Services Contract with the Houston Independent School District.


 

By The Numbers By The Numbers

142

Percent

Expected rise in Latino cancer cases in coming years

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