Creating Healthy Schools & Communities
Program Overview
Creating Healthy Schools and Communities is a New York State Department of Health funded program that works with local schools and surrounding communities to establish and support sustainable healthy communities as places where it is easier to practice healthy behaviors.
Communities of Focus
Towns of Cicero, Dewitt, Geddes, Onondaga, Salina, the City of Syracuse, and the Onondaga Nation.
Program Goals
Promote adoption and implementation of food service and nutrition guidelines in regional or system-level organizations that align with priority settings. Food service guidelines are standards for healthier food, beverages, and food service operations in worksite and community settings. This work helps create a food environment where choosing healthier options is easier for everyone.
Expand or enhance existing fruit and vegetable incentive programs. Fruit and vegetable incentive programs help people buy more fruits and vegetables by giving them extra money or discounts. These programs make healthy foods easier to afford and easier to get. Examples include nutrition incentives, bonus dollars, market bucks, produce coupons, and produce prescriptions.
Improve policies, practices, and environments to promote healthier nutrition and increase physical activity opportunities in early care and education settings.
Implement Community Design for Physical Activity interventions in municipalities to increase safe and accessible physical activity. This may include improving sidewalks, paths, bicycle routes, and public transit to homes, early care and education sites, schools, worksites, parks, or recreation centers by implementing plans and land use interventions or Complete Streets policies or plans.
Improve policies, practices, and environments to promote healthier nutrition and increase physical activity opportunities in schools. Revise and implement components of Local School Wellness Policies for Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs and a Healthy Nutrition Environment as found in the CDC Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model.
Resources
This project is supported with funds from the State of New York