Charles F. Johnson Elementary School Children and Their Parents Promote Walking To School
BINGHAMTON, NY - In recognition of national Walk Your Child to School Day, Wednesday, October 5, 2005, some students from Charles F. Johnson Elementary School (CFJ) in the Town of Union that usually ride the bus to school will be walking there with their parents. Between 7:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., you will see neighborhood streets around CFJ hustling and bustling with families from Grippen, Dickson, Main, and Paden streets and the surrounding area walking to school.
The Walk Your Child to School Day event embraces the idea of children walking in groups to school accompanied by adults.
Letters were sent home last week, sign up sheets were distributed, and a prominent display was hung at the CFJ open house to create awareness about and to enhance participation in the event. Considering the soaring prices of fuel in Broome County, the idea of walking to school has a lot of potential. Transportation costs are usually one of the top expenditures for schools. If everyone could walk, it would be a very cost effective and healthy way for students and parents to begin and end the school day.
In addition to promoting Walk Your Child to School Day the Union Endicott School District was also recently recognized for making changes to promote healthy nutrition and physical activity before, during, and after school. This is a wonderful demonstration of the Union Endicott School District's commitment to good health, which enhances academic performance.
"Thanks to Paula Norton, Physical Education Teacher at CFJ, and several health conscientious parents, CFJ is setting a healthy and cost effective example for the rest of us to model," said Broome County Public Health Director Claudia Edwards.
The next steps for a promotion such as the Walk Your Child to School day would be to link it with an application for federal funding of the Safe Route to Schools Program, which would further enhance the safety and "walkability" of school neighborhoods like CFJ.
Several community partners collaborated to bring the "Walk Your Child to School" day event to Charles F. Johnson Elementary School: Broome County Health Department, Steps to a HealthierNY and Traffic Safety programs; United Health Services, B.C. Walks Committee; and the Binghamton Metropolitan Transportation Study.
According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) obesity and overweight have reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Poor diet and inadequate physical activity are the second leading cause of death in the United States and together account for at least 300,000 deaths annually. Of particular importance is that one in three children born in the United States in 2000 will become diabetic unless many more children start eating less and engage in more exercise.
There are twice as many overweight children and almost three times as many overweight adolescents as there were in 1980. In 2000, 15% of children aged 6 to 11 were overweight and nearly 16% of adolescents were overweight. Nearly 200 studies on the effects of exercise on cognitive functioning suggest that physical activity supports learning. It has been determined that providing more time for physical activity can lead to increased test scores, particularly in the area of mathematics. Physical activity programs have also been linked to stronger academic achievement, increased concentration, and improved math, reading, and writing test scores (Action for Healthy Kids 2003).
To learn more about the Broome County Health Department Steps to a HealthierNY initiative and how your school can participate in its programs contact Mary McFadden by phone at 607.778.3929 or e-mail at mmcfadden@co.broome.ny.us.
Steps to a HealthierNY is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of Steps to a HealthierUS, a national program focusing on the prevention of diabetes, obesity and asthma and the control of risk factors including poor nutrition, physical inactivity and tobacco use and exposure. For more information about the Steps to a HealthierNY, please visit www.gobroomecounty.com or call 607.778.3929.
Steps to a HealthierUS is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiative advancing the HealthierUS goal to help Americans live longer, better and healthier lives. This initiative will reduce the burden of chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity and asthma and the control of risk factors including poor nutrition, physical inactivity and tobacco use and exposure through funding of community-based interventions. www.healthierus.gov/steps
CONTACT:
Lucas Davis, Traffic Safety Coordinator
Broome County Health Department: 607.778.2807
email: lddavis@co.broome.ny.us
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