Park & Recreation Departments
If you are a park and recreation department and are interested in implementing We Can!®, here are some resources to get you started.
- We Can! Energize our Families: Parent Program (4.4 MB) is a curriculum for parents, available in four- and-six-lesson versions. Both versions include activities that help parents encourage a healthy weight in their family. Several community sites find this curriculum to be adaptable to both parents and youth. The six-lesson version is available in the Energize Our Community: A Toolkit for Action.
- Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active!� is 10-lesson curriculum funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) that focuses on helping young people ages 11 to 13 understand the connections between media and health. Media-Smart Youth is most popularly implemented in afterschool and summer camp settings.
- CATCH Kids Club is a health education curriculum designed to motivate heart-healthy behavior in children in grades K�5 in afterschool and summer camp settings.
- SPARK PE and SPARK After School are curricula designed to promote physical activity in youth from K through 12, and ages 5�14, respectively. The programs include curricula, training, equipment, and follow-up support components.
- S.M.A.R.T. (Student Media Awareness to Reduce Television) is a flexible curriculum that can be used in schools and in afterschool settings. S.M.A.R.T. teaches youth how to cut back on time spent watching TV, videos and DVDs, and playing video and computer games.
We Can! also offers toolkits, fact sheets, and tip sheets for parents and youth. These resources can be used with We Can! curricula or they can be handed out at community events.
- Families Finding the Balance: A Parent Handbook (1.4 MB)
- Be Active and Have Fun (80 KB)
- Get Started! Eating Healthy and Moving More (91 KB)
- Secrets to Making Healthy and Fun School Lunches
Tip Sheet (85 KB)
- How Much Sugar and Calories are in Your Favorite Drink?
Tip Sheet (306 KB)
- U R What U Eat Tip Sheet (1.4 MB)
- Help Your Kids Reduce Screen Time and Move More (1.3 MB)
Park and recreation settings provide a natural fit for We Can! because of their ongoing activities and community events that promote healthy living among children, adults, and even seniors. Several park and recreations departments�across the country�are active We Can! community sites. The Roswell Recreation, Parks, Historic and Cultural Affairs Department in Roswell, Georgia, partners with a local middle school to implement Media-Smart Youth as an afterschool program for local youth, and has been doing so since 2005. The Tamarac Parks and Recreation Department in Tamarac, Florida, works with schools, recreation centers, and summer camps to offer CATCH Kids Club, Media-Smart Youth, and the Parent Curriculum in its community.