June 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 59

Commit to Health
agencies are leaders and
healthcare workers.
Through Commit to Health, park
and recreation staff members at
every level have become leaders
and champions for community
health and wellness. Empowered
with the tools, resources, a unique
skill set and an extraordinary
amount of passion, park and recreation staff members have embraced change and led the charge
to build healthier youth, families
and communities.
They have worked tirelessly to
lead programming, build partnerships, and develop policy and
planning efforts framed around
the Healthy Eating and Physical
Activity standards. This is all
done to improve access to healthy
and nutritious foods, increase

Each day, more than 10.2 million
youth attend an out-of-schooltime (OST) program, with many
of those attending a program at
their local park and recreation
agency.

physical activity opportunities
and address rising rates of chronic disease and health disparities,
including childhood obesity and
type II diabetes, which disproportionately impact low-income
communities. Their efforts ensure
that all community members have
access to environments that promote safe and affordable physical
activity and sustainable access to
healthy foods, ensuring that kids
and families have access to the
nutrients they need and, ultimately, improving health outcomes
and quality of life for these vulnerable neighborhoods.

ing opportunities for social connections and continued learning
and academic support. Parents
and caregivers who rely on these
OST programs believe these programs are a critical component
in the developmental process for
youth, engaging kids in multiple
dimensions of academic, physical,
emotional and cultural growth,
leading to positive physical and
mental health outcomes.

Commit to Health agencies
are childcare providers.
Each day, more than 10.2 million
youth attend an out-of-schooltime (OST) program, with many
of those attending a program at
their local park and recreation
agency. The profession of childcare provider, afterschool educator or summer camp counselor
are some of the most important
roles in society. Childcare providers are on the frontlines of the
day-to-day issues, struggles and
successes that youth experience
in their lives.
As childcare providers, park
and recreation staff have a wide
range of responsibilities. They are
responsible for ensuring that kids
are safe, protected and in a supportive environment when school
is out of session. They are also
responsible for fostering opportunities that keep kids engaged in
enrichment activities, stimulating
the mind and body while provid-

Kids in San Jose, California, enjoy eating
healthy and trying new vegetables
as part of their Commit to Health
programming.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN JOSE PARKS, RECREATION AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES

ter and limit sugary beverages,
97 percent meet the daily physical activity recommendations
for quantity and quality, and 90
percent are ensuring that kids are
outside and off screens.
% Kids who attend programming
at Commit to Health sites experience a 20 percent increase
in healthy-living knowledge,
increasing fruit and vegetable
consumption, and reducing the
amount of processed foods and
sugary beverages consumed.
% Eighty-five million healthy meals
have been served to 4.5 million
youth in more than 300 communities across the county.
Pretty powerful, right? Beyond
the numbers though, what's even
more powerful are the long-lasting individual and communitywide life-changing impacts local
agencies and park and recreation
professionals are creating through
this work.

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Parks & Recreation

June 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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