It looked like an average professional development gathering. Attendees checked in, received folders stuffed with materials and meandered off for coffee and networking with other park and recreation pros. Despite the look, however, this gathering was a strategic and tactical briefing to prepare park and recreation professionals with the tools and knowledge they’ll need to lead Commit to Health sites during their summer and after-school programming.

In its second year, the Walmart Foundation’s Healthy Out-of-School-Time Grant Program allowed 80 park and recreation agencies to receive grants that will support their USDA Summer Food Service Programs (SFSP) and Child and Adult Food Care Programs (CAFCP). On May 12 in Reston, Virginia, representatives from these agencies gathered to learn how to use their grants to help combat countless health issues facing today’s youth. Each agency is tasked with increasing the number of healthy meals served, providing nutrition literacy to children, implementing Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards at their program sites as part of NRPA’s Commit to Health, and adopting policies to reduce food waste. 

To prepare them for their task, NRPA’s partnerships team set up a full day of training with expert advice from the USDA, Alliance for a Healthier Generation, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), National League of Cities, Afterschool Alliance, past grantees and others. They shared some great tips and advice from which all agencies with summer and after-school programs can benefit. 

Marketing

Marketing summer and after-school programs is not only important for informing those populations who need these services the most, it’s also important for managing the perception that these programs are only for “poor kids.” Clarissa Hayes, child nutrition policy analyst with FRAC, pointed out that it’s important to keep “needy” language out of marketing materials in order to help combat the “poor kid” stigma that may prevent those who actually need these resources from attending. 

Align Priorities with Elected Officials

Jamie Nash, National League of Cities’ senior associate of benefit outreach, gave advice on how to reign in support from local elected officials. First, agencies need to do their research and understand what the key priorities are for their mayor and/or council members. Then, they need to align their summer and after-school programs with these priorities. For example, if safety is a priority for the town council, agencies should show how their programs contribute to youth safety as well as feed hungry kids nutritious meals, provide places for physical activity and more.  

Data is also important to rally support from local officials. Agencies should show the impact they already make through number of sites, meals served and children impacted, but they also need to show where the gap is — who isn’t being served and what are the consequences of that? Nash also recommends having a very specific ask. People are often surprised what their elected officials may be able to do for them. 

Train Staff (and Train Again)

Veteran grant recipient Katie Yandell, aquatic and special programs coordinator from Lubbock, Texas, shared that it’s important for agencies adopting new healthy standards to train their staff appropriately. Staff may be used to doing things a certain way and may even push back a little. Providing hands-on training and following up with staff throughout the program can help make healthy changes easier. 

After a successful and sunny day in Reston, our latest grant recipients are prepared to create healthier summer and after-school programs at their agencies. You can help combat childhood health issues, too, by signing on to Commit to Health. 

Roxanne Sutton is NRPA’s Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist.