Enhancing Learning Through Play | Equity Design

RIGHT TO RUN PROGRAM

The Data

Belmont’s elementary school absenteeism rate of 35%, is higher than the rate for NYC overall.
Living in high-poverty neighborhoods limits healthy options and makes it difficult to access quality health care and resources that promote health. In Belmont 31% of residents live in poverty, compared with 20% of NYC residents.
A quarter of Belmont and East Tremont children in grades K through 8 have obesity. This is higher than the citywide rate of one in five. While adult obesity rate is 36%, which is higher than the rest of NYC. The TCNY 2020 goal is to reduce the obesity rate to less than 23% citywide.
The rate of diabetes in this community is higher than the NYC average, while the rate of hypertension is similar.

The Problem

How can PS 32 in the Belmont/Tremont community of the Bronx, with limited resources, create a sustainable walking and fitness program that can help their elementary school students, teachers and parents establish a positive and lifelong relationship with health.

Our Solution

In direct response to the physical health needs of Bronx elementary school students, we’ve used an equity lens, data and a train the trainer model to design an adult and youth-based physical activity program that combines walking with fitness to help teachers, students and families reconnect with their community
Establish a customized tracking database using Garmin’s wearable fitness technology, to measure the success and impact of the program, considering each teacher’s, student’s and each of their family’s specific capacity to participate as a result of a severely traumatic past two years

Programming Components

Provide year-round training

technical assistance and support for Bronx elementary schools and their teachers to learn how to integrate and use physical activity “brain breaks” within their current curriculum to engage and enhance their students’ capacity to learn and excel.

Establish a tracking database

that measures the correlation between a student’s academic performance, experience and engagement to physical activity.

Student-centered approach

to physical activity programming that camouflages fitness with fun, engaging activities that they can do in their classroom with their classmates as well as at home with their family.

Minimize time commitment from school leadership

(i.e., Principals and Assistant Principals) and maximize support to teachers and support staff to transfer and apply “brain break” training to their classroom.

Increase physical activity engagement

improvement in cognitive skills, and opportunities for elementary school students to learn and practice healthy behaviors throughout the school day and in their communities.

Our Impact

During the program year, we will collect data from PS 32 to ensure targeted outcomes which includes:

School-wide initiative to run-jog-walk 10,000 miles in 1 school year
Potential to impact the lives of 1,500 individuals including teachers, students and their families over the course of three years (there are approximately 672 students enrolled at PS 32)
Increase physical activity time by 25% in Year 1 of programming to help improve the mental health and wellness of the PS 32 community
Document how teachers, students and their families are re-engaging and reconnecting to their school post pandemic

Right to Run Funding will support:

Year-round technical assistance, support and training for PS 32 staff and teachers to help build out the logistics of the program, meet the impact goals and provide Equity Design with the necessary data to document the process
End of school year case study report that addresses the impact of the program on the PS 32 community
Create a sustainability model for the run-jog-walk program that will become a staple for the school’s wellness initiative
Resources, such as proper fitting running sneakers and attire for participating PS 32 team members that are consistently participating in program
Participation in non-traditional fitness events such as Empire State Building Stair Climb
End of Year Track Field Day, sponsored by On, where PS 32 elementary school students and teachers can show off their running and physical activity skills

Let us know how we can help.

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RIGHT TO RUN PROGRAM

The Problem

How can PS 32 in the Belmont/Tremont community of the Bronx, with limited resources, create a sustainable walking and fitness program that can help their elementary school students, teachers and parents establish a positive and lifelong relationship with health.

The Data

Belmont’s elementary school absenteeism rate of 35%, is higher than the rate for NYC overall.
Living in high-poverty neighborhoods limits healthy options and makes it difficult to access quality health care and resources that promote health. In Belmont 31% of residents live in poverty, compared with 20% of NYC residents.
A quarter of Belmont and East Tremont children in grades K through 8 have obesity. This is higher than the citywide rate of one in five. While adult obesity rate is 36%, which is higher than the rest of NYC. The TCNY 2020 goal is to reduce the obesity rate to less than 23% citywide.
The rate of diabetes in this community is higher than the NYC average, while the rate of hypertension is similar.

Our Solution

Programming Components

Provide year-round training

technical assistance and support for PS 32’s teachers, students and their families on the FUNdamentals of fitness

10,000 miles in 1 school year

Incorporating year-round AM fitness before school program for teachers (Year 1), students (Year 2) and their families (Year 2 and 3). School-wide metric attached to run-jog-walk program will be to complete 10,000 miles in 1 school year

Community-centered approach

to physical activity programming that camouflages fitness with fun, engaging activities that they can do at school or at home with their family

Measure the physical health impact

Measure the physical health impact of walking and physical activity using Garmin’s fitness tracker and technology

End of year culminating event

to include On Track Field Day, where On team members and track athletes assist in facilitating track events and activities for elementary school-aged children

Increase physical activity engagement

and opportunities for teachers, students and their families to learn and practice healthy behaviors throughout the school day in their community

Our Impact

During the program year, we will collect data from PS 32 to ensure targeted outcomes which includes:

- School-wide initiative to run-jog-walk 10,000 miles in 1 school year
- Potential to impact the lives of 1,500 individuals including teachers, students and their families over the course of three years (there are approximately 672 students enrolled at PS 32)
- Increase physical activity time by 25% in Year 1 of programming to help improve the mental health and wellness of the PS 32 community
- Document how teachers, students and their families are re-engaging and reconnecting to their school post pandemic

Right to Run Funding will support :

Year-round technical assistance, support and training for PS 32 staff and teachers to help build out the logistics of the program, meet the impact goals and provide Equity Design with the necessary data to document the process

End of school year case study report that addresses the impact of the program on the PS 32 community

Create a sustainability model for the run-jog-walk program that will become a staple for the school’s wellness initiative

Resources, such as proper fitting running sneakers and attire for participating PS 32 team members that are consistently participating in program

Participation in non-traditional fitness events such as Empire State Building Stair Climb

End of Year Track Field Day, sponsored by On, where PS 32 elementary school students and teachers can show off their running and physical activity skills