York Region school boards strive to exceed exercise guidelines

Yorkregion.com
April 23, 2015
By Chris Traber

While York Region’s public and Catholic school boards are adhering to government guidelines mandating students exercise a minimum of 20 minutes each school day, administrators are looking to increase daily physical activity threefold.

Ontario’s Healthy Schools Plan, a 2005 directive intended to ensure elementary students have a degree of “sustained moderate to vigorous physical activity” daily, was initiated to improve student achievement and make schools healthier places in which to learn.

The plan is alive and well and creatively administered, but considering Public Health Agency of Canada obesity statistics, fitness levels could stand to be enhanced, experts say.

“Schools are doing a lot of work and many (fitness) processes are in place, but we can always do more,” York Region District School Board health and physical education curriculum consultant Julie Anderson said.

York Region public health school services manager Charlene Gunn-Hagerman concurs, citing provincial statistics that 13.1 per cent of children and 11 per cent of youth are obese, a slight spike from survey findings a decade ago.

To stem obesity rates among children and the risk of kids developing such serious illnesses as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, asthma and some cancers, York’s two boards and strategic partners, including, public health, are on a full court press to get kids moving.

Anderson, whose portfolio encompasses healthy schools and workplaces, said her board is fine-tuning a new Active at School initiative designed to encourage physical activity for the entire junior kindergarten to Grade 12 cohort. In addition to the mandatory 20 minutes daily, the goal is to connect before and after school programs that afford students up to an hour of fitness activity.

The idea is to encourage physical activity in multiple environments, she said. In addition to traditional walking, active games, dance, aquatics and sports, schools are spicing up offerings with fitness circuits, disk golf, safe travel to school routes, indoor scooter and bike parking and fitness buddy programs.

All activities must be adapted, as appropriate, to ensure that students with special needs can participate in them, ministry guidelines state.

Promoting students’ health and well-being is a shared responsibility, Anderson opined. Parents and guardians play a significant role, but it truly takes a village, she said, adding monthly input from stakeholders such as the region’s health experts, recreation providers and post secondary personnel and other partners is gathered toward developing and delivering innovative programming.

A collective approach is necessary Gunn-Hagerman said, particularly when a recent Healthy Kids Report Card noted that only 7 per cent of 5 to 11-year-olds and 4 per cent of students age 12 to 17 are meeting the proposed 60 minutes of activity per day guidelines.

Accordingly, the boards have rolled out PLAY, the peer leadership for active youth program in which York public health nurses train students as activity leaders.

There’s more. The Positive Play program aims to help young people limit their screen time, be it on a television, computer, tablet or smart phone. Twice yearly network meetings with mental health, phys-ed, nutrition, safety and anti-smoking experts also spawn ideas.

The Healthy Schools Student Club brings students and educators together to exchange notions, accept fitness challenges and create events.

The boards, in collaboration with the City of Markham, have seen success with a secondary level credit-granting continuing education leadership program, said Anderson.

Participating students can earn their CPR, first aid and national life saving and swimming instructor certifications.
The town provides the spaces and the board the instruction, she said.

The student benefits, she noted, are grade credits and becoming more employable.

Providing students with opportunities to be physically active can have a positive impact on their physical, mental and social wellbeing, she said.

“Kids who are physically active concentrate better and have better behaviours,” Anderson said. “Exercise improves brain function, reduces stress and anxiety and boosts self esteem.”

Fit students tend to develop healthier body weights and sleep better. Positive experiences with physical activity at a young age also help lay the foundation for healthier lives.

Anderson believes Ontario’s Education Ministry has delivered sound student exercise programs and policies.

“I also think our boards have done a good job supporting those in a holistic way,” she said.