According to a March 2013 Houston Independent School District (HISD) news blog, a new Spark park at Berry elementary will display art work that represents the neighborhood's Latino heritage. A shared use agreement will make this school park available to the community during after school hours. During the school day, educators plan on incorporating the use of this park into their curriculum. Spark Parks is a non-profit organization based out of Houston that brings uniquely designed parks to underserved areas. Resources to build Spark Parks come from a variety of places including the city's Department of Housing and Community Development, local school districts, Harris County, the private sector, neighborhood groups, PTA/PTO groups, and concerned citizens. Spark Parks was born out of an ...
Californians who get help under CalFresh, the food stamps program, may soon see their beverage choices limited by state lawmakers, who are considering barring use of the benefits to buy sugary sodas and other unhealthy beverages. State Sen. Michael J. Rubio (D-East Bakersfield) introduced S.B 134 that proposes to modify the list of allowable food items that can be purchased under CalFresh to exclude many sweetened beverages containing more than 10 calories per cup. As of August 5th, the bill is still being read, amended, and considered by California law-makers. Read the full-text of the bill ...
Residents from the Crestview Neighborhood Association and the Brentwood Neighborhood Association in Austin, Texas expressed a desire to use a 5.5 acre, city-owned, piece of land, for a new park. According to an agenda from the Austin City Council, a resolution to evaluate the feasibility of using property located at 6909 Ryan Drive, for the creation of a pocket park, was brought before the council. The council approved the resolution and the result is a report which outlines the community vision, the current regulatory authority, existing conditions and development scenarios, and open space opportunities, among other items. More Information Austin City Council Agenda, January 17, 2013 The Austin City Council discussed item (no. 54) on the agenda, a resolution which asks the city ...
On January 8, 2013, the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) released the Blueprint for Accelerating Progress in Childhood Obesity Prevention in Chicago: The Next Decade. It was created after a year of strategic planning with national and local experts to create goals, objectives, and strategies for Chicago to undertake to make a substantial difference in childhood obesity rates in the city. Among the recommendations outlined in the plan were price incentives and disincentives for unhealthy beverages, policies that promote greater food access for all, and continuing to remove unhealthy competitive foods in schools. In Chicago public schools, Hispanic children make up almost half of the student body. Keep up to date with CLOCC's progress through their ...
Latino children face a high risk of being overweight. In order to curve this situation, programs to promote increased physical activity among children are important. To address this issue Texas House Rep. Richard P. Raymond (D-Laredo) introduced a bill (H.B. 128), during the 2013 Texas Legislative session, to authorize grants for childhood health programs. Grants would be applied towards programs related to childhood health, fitness, and obesity prevention. Read the full text of H.B. 128, which would establish a Childhood Health Program Grant. Visit the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living to learn about other obesity related bills that were authored during the 2013 Texas Legislative Session. Update: This bill failed to pass and has been referred to ...
El Centro's eastside is considered a food desert, having limited access to fresh food close by. Farmers' markets in Imperial Valley are hoping to eliminate this problem. One farmers' market on the eastside, run by Neighborhood House of Calexico, is also the first and only in the Valley that allows patrons to use Electronic Benefit Transfer debit cards. The cards are issued to low-income residents who qualify for government assistance (SNAP), previously known as food stamps. Residents and farmers in Imperial Valley hope to see other cities and towns accepting SNAP at their farmers' markets. The city of Holtville is considering implementing the use of EBT cards at their recently launched farmers markets. Any decision to do so would ultimately have to be approved by the city council, said ...
Despite rules, regulations, and policies, junk food marketing can make it's way into schools. This issue became an problem in Maine when a study found that the marketing restrictions were not being completely followed. Maine's law prohibits "brand-specific advertising of certain unhealthy foods and beverages in schools," specifically foods that are not allowed to be sold in school. By doing this Maine hopes to keep unhealthy food or junk food brands out of sight of students, since they are already not allowed to purchase these foods during the school day. The foods not allowed to be served during the school day are considered "Foods of Minimum Nutritional Value," including soda, water ices, chewing gum, candies, and any food containing less than five percent of the Reference Daily ...
New Mexico hoped to develop and promote more farmers' markets in the state with H.B. 100. State Rep. Don L. Tripp introduced the bill, and many food activists in New Mexico saw it as an opportunity to get more farmers' markets to underserved areas around the state, bringing healthier food along with them. On April 15, 2013, the bill was signed into ...
In February of 2013, Sen. Jose Rodriguez (D-El Paso) filed SB 525, a bill that would increase physical activity requirements for middle school students (grades 6-8th). Students would be required to take six semesters of physical activity rather than the current requirement of only four semesters. Rep. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) filed a companion bill HB 277, which includes the same provisions as SB 525. The bills, which would increase physical education requirements for students and require at least 30 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity, 135 minutes per week, or (if the district uses block scheduling) 225 minutes of bi-weekly physical activity, failed to pass during the 2013 Legislative ...
