The Downeast Community Transformation Grant, a grant made possible through the Maine CDC and the Affordable Care Act, has been working with early child care centers and schools in the Downeast region (Washington and Hancock counties) to help providers and teachers assess their centers and schools and set goals toward improving health and nutrition and increasing physical activity for the students they serve.
East Grand School under the leadership of Tammi Matula, physical education/ health teacher, Principal Dawn Matthews and Food Service Director, April Crone worked together to assess their school and set attainable goals to help improve the health direction of the school.
Some of the goals East Grand plans to work on include increasing physical activity for pre-K and first-graders by one hour per month with the assistance of students in higher grades mentoring the younger ones during health class. Other goals include increasing water access and fruit juice choices and providing healthy snack alternatives at all celebrations and using healthy food choices for food rewards. Another goal includes providing healthy choices during concessions at games to include apples, bananas, stews and soups.
As part of this goal-setting program schools receive $700 worth of activity equipment for their school including sleds, shovels, pails, Frisbees, basketballs, soccer balls and kick balls, a Mileage Club walking program, jump ropes, snow block makers, a tunnel and a parachute.
It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a community to encourage healthy eating and activity. Making a healthy choice the right choice for Mainers is the goal. If your school is interested in working on a setting healthy goals please contact Georgie Kendall with Downeast CTG at 904-7504 or georgianak@unitedwayem.org.
