Creating Healthy Schools and Communities

 

 

The City of Kingston was awarded a New York State Department of Health funded grant, Creating Healthy Schools and Communities (CHSC), that supports policy, systems, and environmental changes (PSE) to help make healthier choices, easier choices in the City of Kingston. Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County (CCEUC) partnered with the City of Kingston to manage the school strategy facet of the project.

The Creating Healthy Schools Coordinator, Ninette Warner, MS RDN (of CCEUC), is currently working with George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Edson, and Myer elementary schools to implement improved policies and practices that create a supportive and healthy physical activity and nutrition environment. To help achieve this, health and wellness committees have been established at each school and grant funding has been used to purchase physical activity equipment and nutrition supports.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

CHSC is working with these elementary schools to increase opportunities for physical activity before, during, and after school. To support this, CHSC purchased physical activity supplies such as sports equipment, lawn games, teacher chosen equipment that can be used in the classroom, bike racks, yoga mats, and much more!

CHSC provides training, technical assistance, and resources to teachers on increasing physical activity during class time through integration of movement into lessons, brain breaks, and as calming strategies. 

HEALTHY NUTRITION ENVIRONMENT

CHSC is working with these schools to increase access to better nutrition outside the school meal program. To help achieve this, CHSC helped coordinate with the school foodservice to start the USDA funded Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program that provides free fruit and vegetables to students. To further support this, CHSC is coordinating with Rondout Valley Growers Association to procure locally grown produce and has purchased small kitchen equipment like blenders and food processors. CHSC is also helping schools set guidelines on healthier celebrations that focus on fun over food. Board games and other non-food celebration activities were purchased using grant funding to make this initiative more realistic for classroom teachers.

CHSC also coordinates nutrition education in the classroom through CCEUC’s SNAP-Ed and EFNEP programs.

“This webpage is supported with funding from the State of New York. The opinions, results, findings and/or interpretations of data contained therein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions, interpretations or policy of the State.” 

Last updated February 20, 2024