Blog

In New York State, 37 percent of children under the age of 18 live in immigrant families. That’s more than 1.54 million children across the state that come to the United States with their families or have at least one parent who was born outside of the country. There’s been a lot of chatter r...

At the end of March the New York State Assembly finalized the 2018-19 annual budget. The $168.3 billion state budget covers spending in a variety of areas including health, education and aid to localities. So how does this year’s state budget affect kids across the state? After tireless advoc...

You might have been hearing about the Farm Bill through social media or in the news. Maybe something about “food stamps” or “SNAP,” and a vote in Congress. There’s talk of major changes and millions of people losing access to food. So what is going on? And what is the Farm Bill anyways? The histo...

Last month the President signed into law the 2018 federal omnibus appropriations bill. The bill authorizes smaller spending bills into one larger bill that requires one set of votes in each house. The $1.3 trillion law covers government spending on everything from science, arts, and military to chil...

A new data brief from the Healthi Kids team shows that place matters for bicyclists and pedestrians. It notes that residents from some neighborhoods are more likely to be struck by a car while walking or biking than residents from other neighborhoods. It also notes that car crash locations are clust...

The Healthi Kids Coalition supports the current school food standards in the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, the coalition wrote to USDA’s Division of the Food and Nutrition Service. A work group of local food leaders drafted the letter. It responds to proposed changes to school food rules for...

Healthi Kids’ focus on children’s health is growing broader. That growth is due to its partnership with the Greater Rochester Health Foundation.​​​​​​​ Healthi Kids is an initiative of Common Ground Health with funding from the Health Foundation. It has focused on children reaching a healthy...

Low-income neighborhoods have many forces preventing progress. They still bear the scars of discrimination based on race and class. Conscious and unconscious biases perpetuate their differences. And they lack chances to be healthy, economic successful and spiritually well. Communities without...

Healthy event raised funds through exercise Kids enjoy a game at the School 53 Walkathon Nov. 17. Kudos to Montessori School No. 53 for choosing a healthy fundraiser. The PTA at School 53 hosted its annual walkathon Nov 17. During the event, students walked, danced, stretched, jumped...

Put the brakes on speeding cars Residents spoke to Rochester City Council Oct. 17 about speeding cars. From left, are Jackie Graham, FLRT Block Club; Renee Stetzer, Reconnect Rochester; Hasana Martin, Beechwood Neighbors Association; Evan Lowenstein, Neighborhood of the Arts Neighborhoo...

ROCHESTER, N.Y., September 28, 2017 – More than 100 children, volunteers, partners and community organizers joined the Healthi Kids Coalition last night to celebrate its successful PlayROCs initiative, dedicated to making Rochester a more playful city. The celebration, hosted at the Strong Mu...

Healthi Kids and Parent Leadership Training Institute Alumni Share Results of Candidate Questionnaires for Upcoming City of Rochester Primary Elections Questions focused on children’s health and wellbeing issues ROCHESTER, N.Y., September 5, 2017 – With primary elections in Rochester sched...

Having a Healthy School Year from Start to Finish Tips for parents on how to kick off a healthy school year Now your child is ready to have an awesome school year and they have everything they need to be successful, right? Not so fast!  Yes, those items are necessary and useful tools f...

Zagster Comes to Rochester At the end of last month, the City of Rochester opened its bike sharing program to the public! Through a partnership with the company Zagster, 340 bikes will be available at 46 stations in the City around the downtown area. The program will give residents a he...

Healthi Kids' Change Agenda Healthi Kids, which was created in 2007, stands for "Healthy Eating and Active Living Through policy and practice Initiatives for Kids." Back in 2008, our Healthi Kids Policy Team, a group of community leaders brought together by Common Ground Health, created...

Can a Corner Store Be Healthy? In Rochester, kids often snack on chips and soda instead of healthy options like fresh fruits. For decades, studies have shown that most Americans are eating too few healthy fruits and vegetables, and too many sugary beverages like soda. This has led to an epide...

Story Walk Opens at Phillis Wheatley Library On May 31st, kids, families and neighborhood residents celebrated the grand opening of the interactive Story Walk at Phillis Wheatley Library! The project was one of 50 winners in KaBOOM's Play Everywhere Challenge last year. During the sprin...

Physical activity helps kids develop healthy bodies and minds. Kids who are active are more likely to have healthy weights, succeed in school, and have higher self-esteem. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that kids strive for 60 minutes of physical activity each day, a...

5th Annual Peace Walk at Cameron Community Ministries We all know that every child has the right to play. Our playability data shows that one of the top barriers to play in Rochester is neighborhood safety. The children atCameron Community Ministries are all too familiar with violence i...

The Cameron After School Program Hosts their 5th Annual Peace Walk through the Lyell/Otis Neighborhood. Rochester, N.Y. – The children of Cameron Community Ministries’ After School Program marched today for peace and for their right to play in a safe neighborhood. Hosting their 5th annual Pea...

Join the Movement: Host a Play Day in Your Neighborhood Last year, Healthi Kids had a crazy idea - to partner with neighborhoods across the city to create multiple pop up play spaces on the same day. The event, PlayROCs your Neighborhood, raised awareness for safe and accessible play spaces f...

Rochester Area Community Foundation Summer Meals Mini Grant Opportunity Healthi Kids is happy to share the news that the Rochester Area Community Foundation Summer Meals mini grants are here! Have you served summer meals in the City of Rochester in the past? This opportunity would le...

 By: Jenn Beideman, Healthi Kids Policy & Research Associate  The Healthi Kids Coalition brings together parents, students, community organizations, local businesses and universities to advocate for healthier more active kids in Rochester and Monroe County. We know, that in order to work toge...

FLHSA is now Common Ground Health We're thrilled to share that the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency is now Common Ground Health! Common Ground Health is a regional health planning organization that brings together diverse stakeholders to transform health and health care in our region....

Healthi Kids' Play Advocacy to be Shared at Two National Conferences Healthi Kids' Jenn Beideman will share how the PlayROCs movement has grown in Rochester at the Active Living Research Conference in February and the US Play Coalition's Value of Play Conference in April. Her presen...

The New York Times set off a kind of firestorm with a front-page story on food stamps, or SNAP benefits. The story pushed the claim that soft drinks are the number one purchase for households that use SNAP. It turns out that the Times did a rather loose job at interpreting the data, and critics...