Healthy Start, Healthy Future For All Program

This initiative is managed by the P2 Collaborative of Western New York (WNY) in collaboration with community partners to provide school-aged children, their families, and the entire community with activities that will establish a foundation for making healthy choices about fitness and nutrition at an early age to minimize the trend towards obesity and weight-related illnesses. The project team will engage youth in schools to promote healthy eating and exercise inside and out of school through the implementation of the Fit & Fun program and school gardens. Project partners will work with administrators from the schools in which these programs are implemented to enact two policy changes that may include student access to fresh drinking water, promoting healthier food options, and improving the health of vending machine options. Additionally, project partners will convene and facilitate information sharing among service providers and policy makers to inform on grant activities and to share the lessons learnt. 

Media Coverage:

Western New York's "Healthy Start, Health Future for All" Population Health Project (PHP) was featured in a news article on work being done at a Elementary School 7 in Dunkirk, NY to improve the diet and exercise routine of students. At Dunkirk and 9 other schools in the region the Rural Health Network, a PHP partner organization, is implementing its Fit & Fun program that includes a variety of student and community engagement strategies to achieve project goals. See the article link for more information on their progress and early successes. Read More.