Franklin County honored for improving health of Maine’s youth

FARMINGTON — Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 and the Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County announced that two after school programs, two child care centers, and four health care practices in Franklin County are being honored for their commitment to excellence in healthy eating and active living for children and families.

Established in 2012, the Let’s Go! Site of Distinction certificate recognizes schools, out of school programs, child care centers and health care practices for their dedication to creating healthy environments and policies where kids live, learn and play. A total of 368 sites statewide earned this distinction, a 28 percent increase from last year.

Let’s Go! encourages policy change and recognizes three levels of change: bronze reflects a site implementing the program’s top five strategies; silver acknowledges a site that has written at least one strategy into policy; and, gold, the highest level of distinction, is reserved for sites that have written all five priority strategies into policy and enforce the written policy.

“We are thrilled to honor sites across the state for their dedication to children’s health. All recipients have embraced Let’s Go!’s five priority strategies and many have written these strategies into policy” said Dr. Victoria Rogers, director of Let’s Go!. “It’s efforts like these that truly impact children’s health and obesity rates.”

Let’s Go!’s top five strategies are: provide healthy choices for snacks and celebrations; provide water and low fat milk to limit or eliminate sugary beverages; provide non-food rewards; provide opportunities for children to get physical activity every day; and limit recreational screen time.

HCC’s Let’s Go! Program Coordinator Molly Clark said, “I am continually inspired by the enthusiasm and grassroots efforts that are already happening to support healthy kids in our community. There are wonderful success stories as well as opportunities to do even more.”

Programs honored this year include child care sites Jeannie’s Jungle in Jay, gold; Tamarack Tree House in Wilton, bronze; Rangeley Fitness Center after school program, bronze; Stratton School after school program, bronze; and Franklin Health Pediatrics in Farmington, Livermore Falls Family Practice, Mt. Abram Health Center in Kingfield and Strong Area Health Center.

A list of all 2014 Let’s Go! Sites of Distinction is available at www.letsgo.org/