Rancheria Head Start gets grant for outdoor play

Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play today announced the Redding Rancheria as one of 351 recipients of a $5,000 grant to improve the outdoor play space at the Redding Rancheria Head Start in Redding. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR) form the Office of Head Start.

According to Head Start Center Manager Diane Coe, "We appreciate Head Start Body Start for helping us evaluate our play spaces and educate our children and their families about the value of physical activity and playing outdoors, in particular. This grant will enable our Head Start Center to add two pieces of playground equipment which will provide new and fun ways for children to move their bodies!"

"Outdoor play is associated with greater amounts of physical activity in children, and research has shown that opportunities for whole body exercise has a long lasting influence as preschool physical activity tracks throughout childhood," said Center Director, Karin H. Spencer, EdD.

"Unfortunately children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation," added Spencer.

"We want to help the Head Start staff discover the benefits of outdoor play across developmental domains and learn about the features of high quality outdoor play spaces that promote movement opportunities for children of all ability levels," Spencer said.

In addition to the play space improvement, each award-winning Head Start Center will have targeted training, technical assistance and the expertise of a physical activity consultant as well as access to online courses, webinars and resource materials.

One of their first initiatives will be celebrating the inaugural Take it Outside! Week, October 19 through 23, 2009. To learn more about Take it Outside! Week, visit www.headstartbodystart.org.