FRANKLIN COUNTY CELEBRATED FOR BUILDING HEALTHY HABITS

Let’s Go! Recognizes 14 Child Centric Sites for Enacting Healthy Eating and Active Living Standards

 

Farmington, Maine (October 5, 2015) – Let’s Go! Announces that one school, three out-of-school programs, three health care practices, and seven child care programs in Franklin County are being honored for their commitment to creating healthy environments for the children in their care. A total of 30 sites in Franklin County have introduced or sustained healthy changes in collaboration with the Let’s Go! program. By adopting healthy eating and active living practices these sites are positively influencing the choices children make.

 

“This is the fourth year we’ve officially recognized sites for their hard work. I couldn’t be more proud of the progress these sites have made. Sites are providing healthy, high energy snack choices, finding fun, creative ways to increase activity levels, and many have completely removed televisions from their spaces,” said Dr. Victoria Rogers, Director of the Let’s Go! program. “Thanks to changes like these, we’re seeing Maine’s childhood obesity rates level off.”

 

Established in 2012, the Let’s Go! Recognition Program identifies and celebrates schools, out-of-school programs, child care programs and health care practices for their commitment to improving the health of all children.  Let’s Go! strives for policy change but recognizes three levels of change: 1) Bronze reflects a site implementing the program’s five priority strategies.    2) Silver acknowledges a site that has communicated these changes to parents and family members. 3) Gold, the highest level of recognition, is reserved for sites that have written all five priority strategies into policy. A total of 460 sites are being recognized this year, a 25% increase from 2014.

 

Recognized sites in Franklin County include: Kingfield Elementary, Rangeley Fitness Center after school programs, Spruce Mountain Afterschool, Stratton Everybody Let’s Go! Afterschool, Franklin Health Pediatrics, Mt. Abram Regional Health Center, Western Maine Family Health Center, Sweatt-Winter Early Care, Tamarack Tree House Child Care, Charlee Briggs Childcare, Jeannie’s Jungle Childcare, Jay Early Learning Center, Farmington Early Head Start Home Base and Maine Mountain Children’s House.

 

Let’s Go!’s five priority strategies are: 1) Limit unhealthy choices for snacks and celebrations, provide healthy choices. 2) Limit or eliminate sugary beverages, provide water. 3) Prohibit the use of food as a reward. 4) Provide opportunities for children to get physical activity every day. 5) Limit recreational screen time.

 

Health care sites are recognized for three practice specific, obesity prevention program components: 1 )Providing consistent 5-2-1-0 messaging in offices. 2) Calculating BMI for all patients aged 2 and older. 3) Using the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Habits Questionnaire to have a respectful conversation about lifestyles with their patients.

 

“All of the Franklin County Let’s Go! sites are committed to creating a space and culture that encourages children to be healthy and the recognized sites are going the extra mile. It’s wonderful to work with such a dedicated and energetic group of people who care deeply about the wellbeing of children in our community,” said Molly Clark, Let’s Go! program coordinator at the Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County.

 

A list of all 2015 Let’s Go! recognized sites is available at www.letsgo.org