Published 2012-01-24T19:31:00Z”/>

Kjerstin Wood

The Chico State Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion has received a grant totaling about $620,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to he  lp Butte County schools better their physical education programs.

Students, called “play coaches,” will be sent to schools in the Oroville and Palermo Union School districts to train teachers and interact with kindergarteners through sixth graders, said Kellie Ashton, a community nutrition assistant for CNAP and a recent Chico State graduate with a degree in nutrition and food science.

The major component of the grant will fund Sports, Play and Recreation for Kids, or SPARK, said Michele Buran, project director for the grant and CNAP program coordinator.

The SPARK program, which is based in San Diego, will train about 100 teachers in Butte County to integrate healthy habits into a child’s daily routine, Buran said. Play coaches will assist in developing lesson plans and will be present during lunch and recess to teach children how to maximize movement time.

“Beyond the training, each school is getting $10,000 worth of new physical education equipment,” Buran said. “We’ll be looking to see what barriers are there and solve those problems for the schools.”

Chico State students will also get opportunities for hands-on learning as well as communication with children and teachers in the schools, Ashton said.

It will be a “fantastic opportunity” for students to get involved in the community and bring new energy to elementary schools, said Marcia Pope, a professor of kinesiology and liaison for the grant. The schools are looking for people with a genuine interest in helping children develop healthy lifestyles and gaining valuable hands-on experience.

“The grant was written to focus on a community in need,” Pope said.

The play coaches will have regular meetings with a team and then be sent in pairs to different schools as often as possible to interact with students, Buran said.

“Chico State students bring a lot of enthusiasm to the schools,” she said. “Teachers are really excited about that component.”

Competing for the grant was not easy, Buran said. Of 585 national applicants, CNAP is one of 76 groups receiving the grant. The high need for the program, as well as already existing partnerships between CNAP and Butte County schools, helped the group earn the grant.

CNAP director Cindy Wolff “really helped leverage a lot of resources and programs for the service area,” Buran said.

The biggest benefits for student interns will be communication skills and in-depth experience with teachers in many different environments, Ashton said. The interns will also have the opportunity to learn how to implement healthy changes into their own lifestyles through recipes and simple, fun exercises.

“Physical activity doesn’t have to be so narrow-minded,” Ashton said.

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<strong>Kjerstin Wood can be reached at</strong>

<em>[email protected]</em>