2011 Annual Report - Town of Northborough

Building
a Healthy
Northborough
Building a Healthy Northborough is a community initiative
that began in 2008 to create healthy eating and
physical activity opportunities for children and their families
through programs, policies, systems, and environmental
changes. The multi-component initiative engages key community
stakeholders in the Town including school administrators,
local businesses, government, youth, and families.
The effort is led by Northborough’s Director of Family and
Youth Services, Health Agent, Recreation Director, Town
Planner, and Directors of Northborough Extended Day Program
Inc.
The Town was awarded grant monies in 2008 and 2009
from the MetroWest Health Foundation for this initiative. A
needs assessment & strategic plan was completed in 2009 and
implementation began in 2009 and continues today. To date,
the following sustainable programs and policies have been
created by the Building a Healthy Northborough initiative:
Community Activities
• 20 community gardens have been established on townowned
land on Valentine Road. Eagle Scouts Mike Strickland
and Mike Ryan built these gardens which will now
provide residents the opportunity to learn more about their
natural environment and to appreciate the nutritional value
of fresh food.
• Building a Healthy Northborough community newsletter
was developed and two editions have been distributed in
town
• A healthy snack policy was adopted by the Recreation Department
for summer camp programs
• Sustainability has been incorporated into the zoning bylaw
by providing for walking linkages between developments
• An Open Space Residential Design Zoning Bylaw was recently
adopted
• A healthy restaurant initiative has begun which will identify
healthful foods in the local establishments
• The Trails Committee continues to create new hiking paths
throughout town
• Neighborhood walking maps are in the process of being
created with the assistance of WalkBoston
• A Facebook page was established for Building a Healthy
Northborough
School-Based Activities
• Gardens were planted at each elementary school and are
maintained by the students
• A pilot program entitled Take 10! was started at the Zeh
Elementary School and is now being implemented in each
elementary school enabling children to incorporate physical
activity into Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science,
and Health lessons
• Catch Kids Club (CKC) is being offered by the Northborough
Extended Day Program as part of the afterschool
program and provides a recreation program promoting
healthy physical activity and eating behaviors
• A School Wellness Policy Subcommittee
has been formed and will establish and
monitor healthy eating and physical
activity guidelines in the Northborough
schools. The Subcommittee will
assess which components of the Massachusetts
Health Framework are being
taught in each of the four elementary
schools. Curriculum mapping will be done
at the Zeh School for each grade level and
the model will be disseminated to the other
three schools.
• Zeh School has reorganized their afternoon recess to occur
before lunch which has resulted in positive noticeable
differences in the energy and concentration levels of the
students
In 2010 the Town of Northborough was selected to participate
in Mass In Motion (MIM), a statewide effort led by the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health that aims to promote
wellness and to prevent overweight and obesity in the
Commonwealth with a particular focus on the importance of
healthy eating and physical activity. We are one of 14 communities
who have been chosen to participate in this statewide
program.
Fostering public value of comprehensive approaches
that address the factors that influence behavior and enable
children and families opportunities to eat healthier and become
more physically active is important in initiating social
change. In order to promote the work being done by
Building a Healthy Northborough, several marketing efforts
have been undertaken including the development and dissemination
of a newsletter highlighting overall Building a
Healthy Northborough and school-related activities;
healthy food recipes; and weather appropriate
physical activities. In addition, the Building
a Healthy Northborough Facebook page is
a platform on which to communicate with
people from the town.
The collaboration and shared vision
of the four Town Hall departments, the
School Department, and the Northborough
Extended Day Program Inc has made
Building a Healthy Northborough an extremely
positive experience for all involved, and
most importantly has worked to improve the
health of Northborough’s children.
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