COF Grantee Profile: Healthy Communities for Healthy KidsJune 30, 2008 |
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 The L.A. County Department of Public Health is encouraging parents and kids to exercise and eat healthy snacks this summer. But for many families, it is not easy to access healthy foods. This is one of the reasons First 5 LA's Community Opportunities Fund (COF) is supporting the California Center for Public Health Advocacy's (CCPHA) policy and advocacy program, Healthy Communities for Healthy Kids (HCHK). The HCHK program is designed to mobilize families to advocate for city policies that improve access to healthy eating opportunities in their community. HCHK is one of the 14 projects funded in COF's first cycle. Starting July 1st, the HCHK program targets the Baldwin Park, Bell, El Monte, Huntington Park, La Puente, Lynwood, and South Gate areas. Components of the program include a community task force of parents with children 0-5 established in each area. Task force members will be trained to compile local needs assessments, asset maps, and 'walkability' assessments to understand how accessible healthy foods are in their area. Policy briefs and community-specific fact sheets describing the nutrition related needs of the community will be used for community and policymaker training. The ultimate goal of the HCHK program is to have policies adopted in each of these five communities that will lead to improved access to fruits and vegetables and will institutionalize a nutritional environment for children 0-5 and their families. Designed to create long term change in five communities, CCPHA will give area families the tools to select healthy eating policies for their cities, develop materials to advocate for these policies with city councils, and monitor implementation of these policies after they are adopted. Click here to learn how your organization can apply for policy and advocacy funding. |
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