October 2024 Newsletter

Play Survey Topic: Opportunities for Play in Monroe Co.

Anthony and Kai Jimenez take part in the Infant-Toddler Play Day Oct. 19.

First-ever Infant-Toddler Play Day connects families through play

On October 19, Healthi Kids hosted their first-ever Infant & Toddler Play Day at three locations across Rochester: Phyllis Wheatley Library, Sully Branch Library, and Lincoln Toy Library.

Around 30 children and their caregivers took part in fun, hands-on activities that encouraged healthy relationships and brain development.

“These early years are critical for building strong, secure relationships,” said Early Childhood Policy Director Stephanie David, JD, MPH, IMH-E®. “Learning ‘serve and return’ techniques through play helps foster mental health and lays the foundation for lifelong well-being.” See more here.

Book with Healthi Kids-written chapter wins award

The Healthi Kids team can now call themselves award-winning authors. A book that includes a chapter they wrote just won an award. The book, Play in a COVID Frame: Everyday Pandemic Creativity in a Time of Isolation, explores the COVID pandemic’s restriction of play patterns and its creation of new play spaces and content. It has been recognized with the Opie Prize from the American Folklore Society's Children's Folklore Section. Holly Sienkiewicz, Jenn Beideman, Beatriz LeBron, Shanielia Lewis, Emma Morrison, Lydia Rivera, and Dina Faticone co-authored the chapter “Up, Down, Stop, Go, and Everything In Between: Promoting a Resident-Driven Play-Based Agenda during a Global Pandemic in Rochester, New York.” Read the book for free here.

The city of Rochester presented neighborhood advocates a check for the repainting project.

Parsells-Greeley mural repainted by community

Neighborhood advocates recently celebrated the repainting of a street mural at Parsells Avenue and Greeley Street. The street painting was first created in 2018 as part of Reconnect Rochester’s Complete Streets Makeover project. This year’s project, called Art on the Avenue, included the handprints of children to remind drivers of all the kids present in the neighborhood.

Art on the Avenue partners include Healthi Kids, Connected Communities, Reconnect Rochester, the Beechwood Neighborhood Coalition, 441 Ministries and Rochester City Council. Learn more about the project.

From left, Health Kids Coalition members Sharon Peck and Jackie Graham joined Jesse Knoth, PlayROCs project coordinator for Heatlhi Kids, at the International Play Association Conference.

Healthi Kids' work highlighted at international conference

Healthi Kids Coalition’s work to advance play equity and its systems approach to pop-up play days was highlighted at a conference in September. Jesse Knoth, PlayROCs project coordinator, presented at the International Play Association (IPA) USA 2024 Conference, The Right to Play, RIGHT NOW! Learn more about Healthi Kids' play work.

A team from KABOOM! – a national nonprofit that works to end play-space inequity – visited Rochester this fall to tour play sites in the city of Rochester. The visit was part of the planning stages of a KABOOM! project to promote equitable access to play spaces. Left to right: Josh Henson from KABOOM!, Jesse Knoth, PlayROCs project coordinator; Sara Scott, director of programs and park stewardship at the city of Rochester; and Sally Dorman and Drustva Delgadilo from KABOOM!

Partner spotlight: Golisano Children's Hospital

UR Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital (GCH) launched a new initiative to provide hair products for hospital patients and families with all different hair types, including those with curly and coily hair, alternative hair styles and those who observe religious head coverings. Children’s hospital staff and caregivers have been trained to apply these products and help with specific hairstyles such as locs, braids and beads.

"We applaud Golisano Children's Hospital staff for their cultural responsiveness and equity focus in ensuring that all children have the products they need to style their hair, bathe, dress and care for themselves," said Jackie Dozier, director of Community Health and Wellbeing for Common Ground Health. Healthi Kids is an initiative of Common Ground Health.

Read more about the program.

Upcoming events

Open house for the Indigenous Health Coalition - 5:30 p.m. November 6 at the RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium, 663 East Avenue in Rochester. Join the Indigenous Health Coalition and Common Ground Health to celebrate the coalition's 1 year anniversary. Learn more about the coalition's work over the last year, ask questions, and view the Same Sky Exhibit and Indigenous Constellation Display. Register here.

Community Conversation about Children and Nature in Rochester -November 20, 2024, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Adams R-Center 2nd Floor Community Room, 85 Adams Street in Rochester. Participants will engage in a conversation about the great work that is happening to connect city youth to nature and strategize about how we can improve collaborations to reach even more Rochester youth. For more information contact: amanda.little@cityofrochester.gov

Community Schools Fundamentals On The Road - December 3 and 4, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Strathallan Rochester Hotel & Spa in Rochester. Hosted by The National Center for Community Schools in partnership with the Thruway Coalition, this event will deepen people’s understanding of community schools and provide an opportunity to network with other school and community leaders. It is designed for individuals or teams from schools and communities that want to leverage community schools to organize and sustain meaningful partnerships around student success, strong families and healthier neighborhoods. Register for the event.

October 2024