Students in Modesto, are learning how to live healthy lifestyles thanks to an integrated approach being used in afterschool programs, by the Modesto school district. The integrated model used by the district includes: shared use agreements with community partners, the development of community gardens, and participation in afterschool programs such as the (Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids) SPARK program. In Modesto, school district administrator John Ervin III, is not only encouraging the implementation of healthy policies in schools, but also a taking a step further to be a positive role model to youth. While Ervin served as an afterschool programs coordinator he gave over 1,800 children the opportunity to participate in SPARK--a curriculum that engages children in ...
San Francisco is one of 10 cities in the U.S. launching a Play Streets Program. The Play Streets
initiative is a more neighboorhood oriented version of Sunday Streets, a series of events that temporarily shuts down roads to vehicular traffic, in order to promote walking and cycling activities.
The "Play Streets for All" initiative, a collaboration between the SF Municipal Transportation Agency, Livable City, and public health organizations, will target neighborhoods in San Francisco, CA that suffer from the high rates of childhood obesity. In 2012, San Francisco hosted a total of 10 Sunday Street events. The Sunday Streets website provides information about the free events that provide an opportunity for San Francisco residents to be ...
In December of 2012, the U.S. Surgeon General announced a call to action for walking.
Walking is an activity that is a feasible and affordable means of physical activity for most individuals. However, for many Latinos access to safe places for walking and recreation remains a challenge.
The CDC is going to produce a Surgeon General’s report that is “a call to action on walking.” This will be accompanied by a national campaign for walking.
“We want to lend the voice of the Office of the Surgeon General to this particular physical activity,” said Dr. Regina Benjamin. “It’s easy to do, anyone can do it and it’s fun.” America Walks is a national coalition that seeks to mobilize individuals, organizations and businesses to increase walking and walkability in America. By ...
Hispanic and Asian children living in the San Antonio community of East Oakland lacked access to outdoor spaces for recreation. This prompted David Kakishiba of the Oakland-based East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC), to coordinate a Schoolyard initiative with the Oakland Unified School district. The Schoolyard initiative would provide a unique and dynamic environment for school children to learn and engage in physical activity. Parents, students, and teachers participated in a series of three community design workshop meetings, to provide input as to what the schoolyard should look like. Of the two top strategies for creating a healthy schoolyard, Kakishiba recommends working closely with the school district’s facilities department, and developing and following through on a ...
The Sioux City school district has initiated a program which they hope will encourage children to walk to school. Through grants from the state department of public health, school officials will initiate an effort to create a network of parents and peers who would walk to school.
As a Blue Zones designated community, Sioux City hopes to help Iowa become the healthiest state by 2016. The Sioux City school district is initiating a one week walking program at each school, but hopes that parents will continue the program on their own. Read the full news article about the Sioux City's efforts to initiate more walking to ...
There is a bill now in front of the House Education Committee that will eliminate certain foods that are considered "junk foods" from lunch rooms and vending machines in South Carolina. The bill would also allow for only water, 100% fruit juice, and fat-free or low-fat milk to be offered in schools. Changing regulations would require the snacks served in the lunch room or in vending machines must not have more than 200 calories, 35% of total calories from fat, 35% of their total weight composed of sugar, or 10% of their total calories from saturated fat. These rules will only apply to events and locations during the school day, and will not be regulated during after school clubs, activities, or fundraisers. The regulation of food and nutrition at fundraisers will be debated in the ...
The Fit Family Challenge, organized by San Antonio Sports--a local non-profit organization--has provided hundreds of families in San Antonio an opportunity to participate in free fitness events over a four-month period. The goal of this campaign, made possible through a grant from the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation and local sponsors, is to motivate San Antonio families to get active, eat better and learn about health and fitness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Gl4FKL0CI&list=UUye2TxFjae2cCSSALF4ikWg&index=3 Visit the Fit Family Challenge Facebook page to find out about more about the ...
Since 1993, San Antonio Sports has provided sports and fitness opportunities for children in grades K-12 across San Antonio, with a special emphasis on disadvantaged youth. Examples of these programs include: the Valero Go!Kids Challenge, the ING Kids Rock San Antonio program, the iPlay Afterschool program (formerly Dreams for Youth), and the Community Olympic Development program. Learn more about the impact that these programs are having on the community by watching this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOyZOOv1Gs0&feature=player_embedded Through the iPlay Afterschool Program disadvantaged children from 15 elementary schools in grades 3-5, attending Harlingdale ISD and San Antonio ISD, are given the opportunity to participate in after school sports. Often, Latino children ...
Anyone that impacts school health can be on a School Health Advisory Council (SHAC). Through SHACs parent liaisons, educators, and community partners can work together to plan, evaluate, and implement the healthiest practices for kids at schools. According to this report from the Arizona Department of Health, in 2009, 33 percent of Latino children were either overweight or obese. Thanks to a $15.7 million grant to fight obesity, Pima country started a program to establish over 150 SHACs all across the county. The Arizona Department of Health partnered with the Arizona Department of Education to encourage schools in Arizona to establish SHACs. Watch this video to see how students from Challenger Middle School are benefiting from the coordinated approach to school ...
