October 2022

October 2022 Newsletter 

Healthi Kids launches campaign to #RescueRecess

This month, Health Kids began a campaign to help ensure students have regular active play in the school day. Called "Rescue Recess," this effort is based on findings from the PlayROCs the RCSD report that showed that many students in the school district do not have regular recess. Our team found that some students also routinely have recess taken away as a punishment even though this practice goes against district policy.

Health Kids is asking community members to sign the pledge to Rescue Recess on our website and post to social with the hashtag #RescueRecess. You can also join our recess work group by emailing us at info@healthikids.org.

Learn more by reading the PlayROCs the RCSD report.

Healthi Kids makes recommendations to Monroe County for "Plan Forward" Comprehensive Plan

The Healthi Kids team responded to Monroe County's "Plan Forward" comprehensive plan with recommendations to put kids first. The recommendations include:

• Focus on racial health equity
• Create a playable county
• Improve safe transportation options
• Improve accessibility to and within parks
• Improve neighborhood safety
• Support healthy food choices

Read the full letter from Healthi Kids on our website.

Healthy Kids collaborating with five additional RCSD schools this year

Healthi Kids' Healthy Schools initiative is working with five more schools in the Rochester City School District this year: Mary McLeod Bethune School No. 45, Flower City School School No. 54, Dr. Walter Cooper Academy School No. 10, Dr. Charles T. Lunsford School No. 19, and Nathaniel Hawthorne School No. 25

Healthy Schools focuses on healthier nutrition policies and practices, physical activity, and wellness policies for students, parents, and faculty. At the end of September, Healthi Kids collaborated with School No. 45 for a Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month celebration (pictured above) that included healthier versions of traditional dishes like tostones (plantains) prepared in an air fryer.

"Healthi Kids loves to connect with schools, provide professional development and the supplies to implement what staff have learned, and offer technical assistance to our schools and families to create healthy school environments," said Alicia Evans, Healthy Schools project coordinator. "This partnership leads to better health outcomes for Rochester's children."

Learn more about our healthy priorities for Rochester schools.

My Health Story 2022 brings focus to community health experiences

Common Ground Health seeks to better understand health concerns in Western New York and has launched its My Health Story 2022 survey. People living in Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates counties are invited to complete the survey at MyHealthStory2022.org and MiHistoriadeSalud2022.org.

The goal is to hear from at least 10,000 people about their health stories. It is especially important to hear from communities whose stories are often left out of research like this.

Read more about the survey and its potential impact.

Related news stories

• Promoting "Playful Learning" at RCSD - Fox Rochester, October 14
• New report highlights the importance of play in the Rochester City School District - Rochester First / WROC, October 14
• These advocates say Rochester schools don't give kids enough time to play - WXXI, October 10