Volume 18, Number 1, Fall 2007

Every Step Counts!

Wanda Repke

Working in collaboration to address community needs has a long and successful history in our county (Grand Traverse) and region (North). From receiving two 21st Century Community Learning Center grants to being awarded a U.S. Department of Education Physical Education for Progress (PEP) grant and a National Science Foundation grant, Grand Traverse County community collaborations are successful and provide documented results for youth and adults in our communities. Through our partnership with the Every Step Counts! Coalition, 4-H has made an impact on students at Traverse Heights Elementary School.

Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) is a large, rural, 280-square-mile district of approximately 11,000 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. After being asked to serve on the Every Step Counts! advisory committee, MSU Extension 4-H staff members looked at the intended outcomes and impacts that were written into the PEP grant awarded to TCAPS. One goal was to enhance nutrition education to support student’s making healthy nutrition choices. Other goals included providing training and curricula to school staff and volunteers; helping students gain an understanding and knowledge of benefits related to a healthy lifestyle; offering students opportunities for a variety of physical activities; and educating kids and families on the value of an active lifestyle, which will lead to a healthier and longer life.

In December 2005, 4-H educator Wanda Repke and Jodi Jocks, TCAPS Dietitian, worked together to offer a staff in-service session focused on helping TCAPS Extended Day staff members use the 4-H Jump into Foods & Fitness (JIFF) curriculum. Brandi Carmen, TCAPS Extended Day manager at Traverse Heights Elementary School, took the lead at her site to implement the JIFF program during the spring of 2006. Students who took part in 4-H JIFF at Traverse Heights showed statistically significant changes on the following items:

• After completing the program, 83 percent of the youth reported that they almost always ate vegetables every day, compared with 50 percent at the beginning of the program.

• After completing the program, 100 percent of the youth reported that they almost always like to try new foods, compared with 67 percent at the beginning of the program.

• After completing the program, 100 percent of the youth reported that they almost always think about whether foods are good for them when choosing what to eat, compared with 85 percent at the beginning of the program.

In addition, at the end of the program, 16 out of 22 youth correctly identified the purpose of the Food Guide Pyramid.

During an Every Step Counts! advisory committee meeting in October 2006, Patti Tibaldi, ESC coordinator, presented Anne Murphy’s evaluation materials for Year II. TCAPS district-wide (grades K-6) Body Mass Index measurement decreased, which is almost unheard of with the rising levels of obesity throughout our state and nation. The evaluation summary of the multiple accomplishments of the Every Step Counts! Coalition reminds us that it is making a difference for our students and in the community. The data from fitness testing at both the elementary and secondary levels will help Physical Education (PE) staff determine the needs of students regarding their health and fitness needs. This is the first time PE staff has had district-wide data gathered and analyzed.