The Summer Nutrition Programs ensure that low-income children have access to healthy food throughout the summer. Most Summer Nutrition Programs occur in tandem with educational and enrichment programs that keep children learning, engaged, and safe during the summer months. The Summer Meals Act hopes to have a better integration of summer education and meals in programs that provide summer enrichment, as well as improve nutrition in rural, under-served, hard to reach areas throughout the US. You can find out more information on the legislation ...
In the eastern Coachella Valley, a place many Latino families call home, clean, safe drinking water
can be hard to find. The California Endowment, a statewide health foundation that runs community initiatives throughout California, is hoping to bring better access to water in the region. In step with the Drink Up initiative championed by the Partnership for a Healthier America and First Lady Michelle Obama and in collaboration with Pueblo Unido CDC and the Rural Community Assistance Corp, the California Endowment announced plans to install dozens of water stations for filling reusable water bottles in the valley. The project, called Agua4All, will start with 60 tap systems in 10 schools and other community centers in the unincorporated communities of Thermal, Oasis and ...
Farmers' Markets are popping up everywhere, from rural towns to bustling big cities. However, some areas are still lacking that fresh, local access to fruits and vegetables---and especially at affordable prices. Realizing a neighborhood farmers' market was missing, food justice advocates in South Bronx began planning their own farmers' market that could serve the highly Latino and somewhat low-income residents in the area. Their hard work is paying off. Starting Saturday, June 14th, Bronx residents will have a brand-new, convenient way to access fresh, affordable food. The South Bronx Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. until November 22. In addition to its convenient hours of operation, the South Bronx Farmers Market is in a key location with ...
CA4Health works in rural and small California counties to reduce chronic disease and illness by helping bring about changes in the community that make it easier for people to make healthier choices in their daily lives. Many of these communities have a high Latino population. In Humboldt County, the local health department partnered with students and staff at Eureka High School to implement Hydration Nation, an effort that increased the access and appeal of fresh drinking water as a healthy alternative to the sugary beverages that are helping fuel the nation’s obesity epidemic. At Eureka High School, there were 11 older-style water fountains available to the 1,200 students and 80 staff members, none of which allowed easy filling of the reusable water bottles which were gaining ...
Lyford CISD, a predominantly Latino (97%) school district in rural South Texas, will soon be hosting a Bike N' Roll Family Festival. The event which is scheduled to take place at Lyford Elementary on Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 5:30-7:30 pm, is part of the district's efforts to get more students and families to participate in regular physical activity. At the event, there will be games, a farmers' market, a bike rodeo, and a guided community bike ride. In addition, ten free bikes will be given away! Bikes will be loaned to Pre-K-5th grade students who don't own a bike. According to Josephine Torres a program coordinator with MHP, Lyford CISD is a partner of MHP's in the Transforming Texas initiative. Transforming Texas is a federally funded initiative that seeks to create ...
If you're working to encourage your community to walk, you might want to take a look at some of the work Walk Boston is doing!
First, view their "Walk Your Way to Health" Powerpoint presentation to learn about research that supports the many health benefits of walking. Walking can prevent obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, and many other common ailments like diabetes and joint-pain. It can also promote healthier brain development and aid in memory retention. The development of more walkable communities also has economic and safety benefits! Then take a look at Walk Boston's walking resources to learn about more specific content such as walking in rural areas, information on laws, safe routes to school, community and data on the economic benefits of walking. Learn more by visiting ...
If your wandering what shared use agreements (SUA) are all about check out this resource produced by the The Safe Routes to School National Partnership. These resources, available in English and Spanish, detail why shared use agreements are beneficial, what challenges one might encounter in trying establish a SUA, and how SUAs may increase physical activity participation in different settings (i.e. rural, urban, suburban, faith-based). Additional shared use resources aimed at specific audiences like principals, the district superintendent, and the school board are also ...
Research shows that children who consume too many sugary drinks risk developing diseases related to unhealthy weight. Latino children, because they tend to consume more sugary drinks than their peers, are at an even higher risk. Health leaders, school officials, and parents in one Latino community in California worked to create a policy to bump sugary drinks out of early-childcare centers and help kids fall in love with water at a young age.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: More than 44% of children overall in Madera County, Calif., are overweight or obese, and Latino children have even higher rates. Public health groups across California are recognizing these issues and working to reduce them. CA4Health, directed by the Public Health Institute (PHI) in California, is a statewide healthy-living ...
After years of trying to land a new park, residents of Earlimart, Calif., can now celebrate the success of a shared use agreement and soon-to-be-built 4-acre park. Residents living in the small rural community of Earlimart, Calif., lacked outdoor spaces for the physical activity they needed to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles and weights. The Earlimart School District’s superintendent responded to this need by trying an experiment. She had the custodial staff at one school leave the school gate open. Word got around that the school’s gate had been left open—soon the school’s field was filled with local residents. This experiment ultimately led to a change in the school district’s policy, which allows Tulare county residents from non-affiliated groups to use the school ...
