Head Start/Early Head Start of Fayette County's Windy Hill Center Receives Grant to Enhance Outdoor Play

The Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette, Inc. (PIC), is pleased to announce that it is a recipient of a $4,995 grant by the Head Start Body Start (HSBS) National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play. The purpose of HSBS is to increase physical activity, outdoor play and healthy eating among Head Start and Early Head Start children, families, and staff. PIC will utilize the funds to improve the outdoor play space at the Head Start/Early Head Start of Fayette County's Windy Hill Center in Fairchance, PA.

Head Start/Early Head Start of Fayette County (HS/EHS FayCo) currently operates 10 centers throughout Fayette County. All but the Windy Hill location have outstanding play spaces. The Windy Hill Center is a relatively new location and, in collaboration with the local school district, HS/EHS FayCo had planned to create a play space for its students. Shelly Gilmore, early childhood development supervisor, acknowledged the grant, "We appreciate Head Start Body Start (HSBS) for helping us evaluate our play spaces and educate our children and their families about the value of physical activity and playing outdoors, in particular. This grant will enable our Head Start Center to assist children in developing and strengthening their bones and muscles, which has a direct affect on their cognitive abilities".

In addition to the play space improvement, HS/EHS FayCo will receive targeted training, technical assistance and the expertise of a physical activity consultant from the HSBS National Center, as well as access to online courses, webinars and resource materials. One of the first initiatives will be celebrating the inaugural Take It Outside! Week, October 19 through 23, 2009. To learn more about Take It Outside! Week, visit www.headstartbodystart.org.

Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play (HSBS) is a project of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR), which are associations of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). Funding for HSBS is provided by the Office of Head Start (OHS), Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services. "Outdoor play is associated with greater amounts of physical activity in children, and research has shown that opportunities for whole body exercise has a long lasting influence as preschool physical activity tracks throughout childhood," said HSBS National Center director, Karin H. Spencer, EdD. "Unfortunately children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation," added Spencer. "We want to help the Head Start staff discover the benefits of outdoor play across developmental domains and learn about the features of high quality outdoor play spaces that promote movement opportunities for children of all ability levels."