Promoting play: how one park and recreation department used playtime to promote healthy lifestyles

Parks & Recreation, Oct, 2005 by Mariana Espinoza

On Wednesday, June 8, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department (APARD) in Texas sponsored Play Day, a widespread fitness event where more than 700 children joined the mayor of Austin in a one-mile walk along Austin's hike and bike trail. The walk marked the kick-off for the APARD's summer camps. Campers from 30 playground sites and 16 recreation centers participated in this opening ceremony as part of the 2005 Play Day Initiative, created by the APARD and supported by two local programs--Walk Texas and Steps to a Healthier Austin.

Play Day's purpose is to create awareness and reduce the burden of chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma and obesity. This initiative includes an employee health and wellness component (the Walk Texas program), and a youth program initiative designed to include a one-hour active play component five days a week within the scope of the Summer Playground Program and summer camp programming. While the focus is on promoting and educating youth about the importance of health, the initiative was also created to promote healthy behaviors within the park and recreation workforce.

Part of Play Day's goal included collaborating with Walk Texas and Steps to a Healthier Austin in an effort to encourage more APARD employees to exercise daily. Steps to a Healthier Austin is part of a nationwide initiative to address physical inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use as they are related to diabetes, obesity and asthma. The programs use existing city resources such as recreation centers and parks to promote physical activity.

In addition, Steps to a Healthier Austin works with the APARD to establish fitness programs at three senior activity centers. Walk Texas also encourages park and recreation employees to engage in regular physical activity with its walking programs. As participants in Walk Texas, park and recreation team members are provided with a start-up kit including a tracking form to log individual physical activity.

To help coordinate Play Day, a committee of 15 park and recreation employees began meeting in January to plan a kick-off Play Day to the department's summer programs. The Play Day was designed for the area's campers to come together, participate in a one-mile walk with their mayor, and have fun at interactive booths while learning about the importance of being physically fit and making good food choices. "Play Day is a great opportunity for all camps in the department to participate in a grand opening ceremony to the Summer Playground Program and recreation center day camps," states Program Manager Joanna Mesecke.

In preparation for this day of fun, committee members focused on establishing entertainment, securing internal and external vendors, designing publicity material, coordinating youth lunches, securing sponsorships, creating decorations and preparing for event set-up and breakdown. An additional committee, Curriculum Design and Promotional, was created to educate the parks staff--permanent, temporary and seasonal--regarding the program goals and expectations through trainings, emails, newsletters and word-of-mouth.

"Many of us are already exercising daily," Mesecke says. "Now we have to encourage our co-workers to join us, and we have to log our activity." Goals for this committee included establishing the tool, determining the incentives, monitoring progress and evaluating the program results.

Additionally, camp coordinators were presented with the Play Day program at the annual Summer Camp Coordinator Training. All camp coordinators and leaders were expected to recruit and engage participants in Play Day, and ensure that all participants had a waiver/registration form on file. Summer Day Camp coordinators and leaders were provided with a packet that included physical fitness activity ideas and a tracking log that campers and leaders could use to chart their progress. "It will be difficult to log 80 kids' activity, but it is definitely worth it so they can win medals and free shoes," comments camp leader, Allen Perkins.

After months of preparation and intense staff training, Play Day finally arrived in June. Play Day Committee members arrived early to ensure that the event was special and memorable for all campers. Before the sun appeared, committee members began blowing up balloons and decorating the entrance to the youth's one-mile walk.

They also posted motivational signs along the trail to boost the campers' confidence. At 9:30 a.m. campers began to arrive, and were directed to a staging area where they stretched and warmed up. Camp leaders prepared the kids for the day's events, and the youth waited with anticipation for the arrival of Austin's mayor, Will Wynn.

Wynn, who is committed to encouraging residents to become physically fit and eat healthy, greeted the campers and led them down the trail to the finish line, Auditorium Shores. While there was excitement all around, once on the trail, several campers began to slow down. Completing this one-mile walk was a huge accomplishment for many youth, especially those who suffered from physical inactivity.