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Home My WebLink AboutCSD-014-09Claringto~ REPORT Leading the Way 'i COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT Meeting: GENERAL'PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: September'14, 2009 Resolution #: (~~- Sv -O~ Report #: CSD-014-08 File Subject: GRADE 5 ACTION PASS Recommendations: BY-law It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: THAT Report CSD-014-09 be received for information. Submitted by: +a.~U Reviewed b~'~--~-J ~ ~ Joseph P. Caruana Franklin Wu Director of Community Services Chief Administrative Officer JPC/SM/Iw CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOW MANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T (905)623-3379 F (905)623-5506 REPORT NO.: CSD-014-09 1.0 BACKGROUND PAGE 2 1.1 Durham Lives!, with the support of municipalities across the Durham Region, implemented aregion-wide "Grade 5 Action Pass" program during the 2008/09 school year, to target grade 5 school children to help address rising obesity and inactivity levels currently being experienced in this age group. 1.2 In Clarington, the Grade 5 Action Pass provided all students free access to public swimming and skating for the year they were in grade 5. 1.3 Durham Lives! initially provided $4,000 in funding to assist municipalities in implementing the Grade 5 Action Pass Program in the fall of 2008. This funding was used to promote the program and the costs associated with providing a membership card to each participant. Membership cards purchased with this funding are sufficient to run the program for the next three to four years. 1.4 In Clarington there were 330 grade 5 students who actively participated in the Grade 5 Action Pass Program. Of this total, 88 students also registered for instructional recreation programs. There were no direct costs to the Municipality to implement this program. 1.5 With the noted success of this program, the Durham Lives! Grade 5 Action Pass will continue to be offered on an annual basis. 2.0 DURHAM LIVES! PARTNERSHIP 2.1 Durham Lives! is a coalition of community agencies and individuals who promote physical activity, healthy eating and smoke-free communities to reduce cardiovascular disease, stroke, Type II Diabetes and some forms of cancer. The coalition was initiated in 1998 as a result of funding from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. 2.2 Durham Lives!-Physical Activity Working Group • Town of Ajax • Municipality of Clarington • City of Pickering • Town of Whitby • Oshawa YMCA • Region of Durham Health Department • Heart and Stroke • Oshawa Senior Citizen's Centre • Metroland News Group REPORT NO.: CSD-014-09 3.0 ANALYSIS Grade 5 Action Pass Durham Region Participation for 2008/2009 School Year PAGE 3 Municipality Number of Grade 5 students Number of registered participants Percentage of participants Clarington 1,200 330 28% Ajax 1,301 264 20% Oshawa 1,650 223 14% Whitby 1,559 188 12.4% Pickering 1,100 118 11% 4.0 BENEFITS OF THE DURHAM LIVES! GRADE 5 ACTION PASS • Assisting in getting inactive kids active and into municipal facilities creating a healthier community • Changing lifestyle behaviours in children at an age whereby they may choose to invest and maintain active lifestyles once they have moved beyond the program • Providing parents of a grade 5 student, for which fees may be a barrier to participation, an avenue for their children to participate in municipal facilities and activities • Encouraging families to become more active by encouraging participation in municipal facilities and programs with their grade 5 child 5.0 COMMUNICATION AND PROMOTION 5.1 Durham Lives! will again coordinate the distribution of a letter to every school in the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board informing them of the program and providing simple directions for grade 5 students to acquire an Action Pass. 5.2 In addition to the letter, the pass will be promoted in the Community Services Department Winter Recreation & Leisure Guide, on the Municipal website and also the Durham Lives! website. 5.3 The Action Pass will be offered to all students in grade 5, providing free access to a Youth Swim/Skate Membership for the duration the student is in grade 5 with a membership expiry date at the end of August each year. REPORT NO.: CSD-014-09 PAGE 4 5.4 CLASS membership software enables staff to determine the number of students who take out a Grade 5 Action Pass and their level of participation in this program. 5.5 Staff will continue to monitor and evaluate this program 6.0 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 6.1 There are no direct costs to the Municipality related to the implementation of the Grade 5 Action Pass, as Durham Lives! Steering Committee has provided funding of $4,000 for its implementation. This is enough to support the purchase of membership cards for the next three to four year period. The Durham Lives! funds received for the fall 2009 program will be used for promotion and marketing of the program. 7.0 RESPONSE TO THE CORPORATE STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN 7.1 The Grade 5 Action Pass assists the Municipality of Clarington in meeting two strategies from our Corporate Strategic Business Plan i. To enhance passive and active recreation activities. ii. Explore public/private partnership opportunities. 8.0 CONCLUSION 8.1 The Durham Region Grade 5 Action Pass Program is based on best practices of an existing successful program in the Kingston Area. The Durham Lives! Steering Committee believes the program experienced a successful first year across the region and hopes to build on this success in future years.