Improving School Physical Activity Access Through Open Streets

 

P.S. 32 teachers and students jumping rope at their Open Street event.   Photo credit: Street Lab

This blog post was written by Kelly Moltzen and Diana Bernal.

As part of the New York State Department of Health’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities program, Bronx Health REACH worked with Equity Design, Street Lab, P.S. 32 The Belmont School (P.S. 32) and P.S. 18 The John Peter Zenger School (P.S. 18) to activate the schools’ surrounding spaces to increase students’ physical activity and create spaces known as “Open Streets” that can be utilized by the schools and their surrounding communities, for movement and fitness.

For many children school is where they receive the majority of their meals and physical activity to keep them healthy. School-based physical activity, included as part of a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP), can increase the physical activity that students receive at school. However, for many students in the Bronx this is not the case.  Too many do not get enough physical activity because of limited indoor space, lack of open space/safe streets, and underutilization of nearby parks, many of which are in disrepair. Even though the Bronx is the greenest Borough with one quarter of its land area made up of parks, it is also a fitness desert. There are many inequities seen throughout the Bronx that limit the access and utilization of all this green space, contributing to the high rates of chronic illnesses in the Bronx.

In response to these challenges, Bronx Health REACH has been working with P.S. 32 to make the school a fitness hub for the community; and with P.S. 18 to expose the community to different forms of physical activity. The goals of these schools is to provide physical activity opportunities before and after school and in doing so  improve the school spirit and to engage more of the community in physical activity.

P.S. 32 students utilized equipment provided by Street Lab to create their own soccer arena to play.   Photo: StreetLab.

Bronx Health REACH partnered with Equity Design and Street Lab to assist P.S. 32 and P.S. 18 in hosting their own Open Street events  during the 2022-2023 school year. In preparation for these events, P.S. 32 closed down Beaumont Avenue, between 183rd Street and Grote Street, and hosted Open Street events after school on two consecutive Tuesdays in October 2022, and on three consecutive Tuesdays in May 2023. Seven “WalkShops” were held with P.S. 32 second grade students, where they learned about what makes an Open Street. Students shared their themes of World Cup (soccer), Celebration of the Arts, and a Beaumont Avenue Waterpark at P.S. 32’s Spring Open Streets. Equity Design also led a walking group of students that would walk around the outside perimeter of the school. At P.S. 32's Open Streets events, school and community participation increased every week through word of mouth. During the 3 consecutive Tuesdays in May 2023, participation increased from about 100 participants on the first Tuesday to 200 by the third Tuesday. Parents and community members participated in the Open Street events and everyone expressed how great it was to see a safe place where students can have fun. 

 

Cyclists from Major Taylor joined P.S. 18’s Open Street events teaching community residents how to ride a bike. Photo: Equity Design.

P.S. 18 closed down 148th Street between Morris Avenue and College Avenue, and hosted Open Street events on 3 consecutive Saturdays in October 2022 and one in May 2023. P.S. 18 was gifted 65 bikes and helmets by USA Cycling and Major Taylor Development, an inclusive national cycling club. Thanks to this partnership, P.S. 18 was able to realize their vision of introducing students to other forms of physical activity, starting with biking. Major Taylor Development also provided a biking clinic during P.S. 18’s Open Street events. Students learned how to ride a bike safely at the Open Street events. In the Spring P.S. 18 held a Teachers’ Appreciation Open Street event providing teachers with an opportunity to experience the Open Street and connecting with one another through games and bike riding. P.S. 18 students and community members from the nearby NYC Housing Authority development who had never been on a bike were able to learn how to ride and practice on the closed street. During their 3 consecutive Saturdays in October 2022, registration on the first Saturday had only 15 students, but by the third Saturday over 90 students registered to ride a bike.

Bronx Health REACH will continue working with P.S. 32 and P.S. 18 providing the necessary support so that each school’s Wellness Council takes ownership of the planning and organization of Open Streets with the goal of sustainability. Our hope is that these Open Street events demonstrates the need for cleaner and safer streets for the schools and the community so elected officials and other community leaders become more active partners so community members have increasing access to physical activity. By supporting the schools in implementing Open Streets, this is a step towards implementing permanent infrastructure changes and “Complete Streets” - thereby realizing the vision of the schools and meeting the needs of the community.