TORONTO – POLITICS – “The ACTIVE AT SCHOOL program is a great way to help children develop healthy habits for life. We want to make sure we put our young people on the path to a healthy future,” stated Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario.
Premier Wynne announced today a partnership with ACTIVE AT SCHOOL and the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association (Ophea) to get children more active every day.
ACTIVE AT SCHOOL will be working with Ontario and Ophea to help implement 60 minutes of physical activity for kids connected to the school day.
Meeting this goal of 60 minutes of physical activity a day is part of the government’s renewed focus on student well-being, including healthy eating, physical activity, a supportive school climate, and mental health investment in our schools. The partnership announced today will work to meet this goal by:
- Establishing the Physical Activity Advisory Committee with members from ACTIVE AT SCHOOL, Raise the Bar, ParticipACTION and other organizations to provide advice and share best practices on how to reach 60 minutes of physical activity for students each day;
- Developing a program, led by Ophea, to formally recognize schools and school communities that provide an opportunity for 60 minutes of physical activity each day;
- Establishing pilot sites, starting with 20 in early 2015, and growing to up to 250 in 2016, to identify factors that contribute to successfully achieving 60 minutes of activity each day;
- Creating a new ACTIVE AT SCHOOL Champion Program that will recognize teachers, principals, parents, and students who encourage physical activity at school;
- Developing online resources and training to support this initiative.
Canadian Tire Corporation, a leading member of the ACTIVE AT SCHOOL initiative, will be making a multi-year investment of more than $1 million to support the initiative.
Providing more opportunities for children and youth to stay healthy and succeed in school supports the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives and building a secure retirement savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.
“We know that healthy eating, proper sleep and physical activity are key to wellness, and I see this as a great investment in our youth, their health, and their future,” said Dipika Damerla, Associate Minister of Health and Long-term Care.
“Ophea recognizes that making 60 minutes of physical activity a day a reality is a shared responsibility between schools, parents, students and communities which requires attention and commitment beyond the hours of the school day. We look forward to working with both the Ontario Government and ACTIVE AT SCHOOL in supporting this commitment with a new recognition/certification program to celebrate healthy, active schools across Ontario,” said Chris Markham, Executive Director and C.E.O., Ophea.
“We are thrilled to be working with provinces across the country to help build a generation of Canadian kids that are equipped with both healthy bodies and healthy minds. I congratulate the Province of Ontario and Ophea for embarking on this province-wide pilot program to get kids in Ontario more active and on this newly formed partnership with ACTIVE AT SCHOOL,” added Michael Medline, President and incoming CEO, Canadian Tire Corporation.
