Bancroft Elementary School: Most well-known for the White House garden and DC SCORES

“People know that Bancroft kids go to the White House garden and that they play DC SCORES. Those are the two big things, and with good reason.” — Principal Alison Auerbach

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It's a moderately warm Thursday afternoon in mid-October at Bancroft Elementary School, nestled in the multi-ethnic neighborhood of Mount Pleasant in Washington, DC, and there is an unusual amount of activity on the tiny turf soccer field tucked behind the school's playground.

The DC SCORES team is practicing. But only after posing for a group photo with school principal Alison Auerbach.

On a normal Thursday in the fall or spring, 32 team members — decked out in their unmistakable yellow jerseys — would be playing a game at a rival school with a larger field in front of a strong contingent of Bancroft supporters. But because DC SCORES' Fall Frenzy is two days away, there's no game this week — just a lively practice.

Team members are challenged on this day not just by their coaches, Monica Diaz-Lopez and John
Guzman, but by a trio of Bancroft alumni who have dedicated their after-school time this fall to nurturing the youngsters. Juliana F. and Alicia C. scrimmage the team without mercy, making them realize what hard work can lead to.

Dozens of younger students mill about the field's outskirts, watching the lucky ones and anticipating that day when they can be a part of Bancroft's team. The bilingual elementary school has 510 students, but as Guzman says, "Everybody at Bancroft currently is looking forward to becoming third-graders so they are eligible to participate in DC SCORES."

DC SCORES has been ingrained in the Bancroft community since 1999. This is the story — told from three perspectives — of the program's impact and how those in different positions think about it.

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ALISON AUERBACH, PRINCIPAL

Before heading outside to soccer practice for a few minutes, Alison Auerbach is running around handling about 2,197 things. It's a busy Thursday. She confers with staff in the main office to make sure the next day's student photos will be to parents' satisfaction. Then, as we sit down, she reveals that tonight is International Night. Auerbach expects to hear conversations in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, French, Italian and maybe more languages by evening's end.

It's a particularly big deal to Auerbach because of how much pride she takes in the school's diversity and bilingualism. A DC-area native, she took time off from undergrad at Yale to travel to Spain and immerse herself in the culture and language. Auerbach's host family treated her like a child of theirs, and that's when she discovered bilingualism's ability to connect.

Several years later, Auerbach was named the founding principal at DC Bilingual Public Charter School in the District's Columbia Heights neighborhood.

“For me, it was a way to bring together everything I’m passionate about — education, working with youth and bilingualism," Auerbach says.

The job was also very demanding and didn't mesh with getting married and having two kids, so Auerbach stepped back after three years into more administrative roles. She didn't think she'd be a principal again. Following six years at the school, she took a job as Master Educator at DC Public Schools. One of her main roles was evaluating English Second Language (ESL) teachers. At Bancroft, that means all the teachers.

The minute she walked in the door, Auerbach fell in love with the school and couldn't pass up the opportunity to become assistant principal in 2011.

"I said if I were ever going to go back to a school, Bancroft would be the school I would want to go back to," Auerbach said, "because there’s a family here, a community here, and just a sense — it’s a special place.”

She knew of DC SCORES before joining the school's leadership; it didn't take her long to recognize its importance when, on the first game day, all the program participants wore their yellow T-shirts during school and there was a palpable buzz — similar to a Friday before a high school football game — in the hallways.

Auerbach has always loved soccer, having played it and coached younger kids growing up. However, “I didn’t really learn about (DC SCORES) until I came here.”

What she's also learned — first as assistant to Zakiya Reid and, since 2013, as principal — is how big of a motivator to do well in school DC SCORES is. There is no larger privilege at Bancroft than wearing the DC SCORES uniform and playing on game day. There's so much interest before each season, some kids have to wait until fourth grade. And if you're in DC SCORES, you better focus in school — and go to poetry sessions — or you'll be replaced.

"To be on the team and represent Bancroft, there are lots of expectations in terms of how you behave on the soccer field during practice but also throughout the day at school," Auerbach says. "We have one of the most difficult consequences for some kids, which is if they have shown a real lack of respect and lack of responsibility during the school day, ‘Right now you’re not representing Bancroft and you’re going to have to sit on the sideline.’

"And kids don’t do that that often, but it is important you are representing our whole community when you’re out there playing. And I think kids really get that, they really understand that."

While it's hard to match the thrills of a Bancroft game day, Auerbach also takes great pride in the strides DC SCORES' poetry program has made since she arrived at the school and is especially moved by students writing and performing in two languages. And when the team's service-learning season concluded with hosting a fun race that raised more than $1,000 for an animal shelter, Auerbach was at the finish line giving high fives.

“The academic and the athletic piece are equally important, and the expectation is that we’re developing and evolved in both," Auerbach said. "That’s what we want for our students, and everyone wants to be a part of DC SCORES so it’s a great motivator to get kids engaged in all these different pieces.”

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JOHN GUZMAN, COACH

John Guzman came to Bancroft to coach DC SCORES. Now, he's as big a part of the school community as anyone.

He estimates he started as a DC SCORES coach nine or 10 years ago, and began working at the school soon thereafter. He's been a Classroom Aide, After-school Coordinator, Administrative Aide, and now is in his first year as the Assistant of School Operations.

It's likely Guzman would not be a school employee if not for DC SCORES, and his story isn't unique. Both writing coaches, Dafne Ortiz and Yasmin Escobar, are Bancroft alumni who returned to the school as DC SCORES coaches and now also work here during the school day.

In his role, Guzman interacts with many of the same students in the halls before 4pm and then on the soccer field after school. Like Auerbach, he believes there's a strong connection between students' motivation — and, thus, performance — in class and wearing that yellow uniform.

"The kids have already signed a player agreement in the beginning of the season and that player agreement indicates that they have to do well in class, they have to do all their homework, they have to have good behavior," Guzman says. "And if they don't do any of those items, they're not allowed to play on Thursday. They also have to come to poetry days."

Speaking of poetry, it may not be Guzman's specific role but he takes pride in talking about how far the self-expression aspect of DC SCORES has come. He's the first to admit that five or six years ago, Bancroft's program was little more than soccer. Since then, he's helped build up the poetry and self-expression component.

Recent Poetry Slam! performances — including top-three finishes — have demonstrated that the Bengals are far from just a soccer team. Guzman, as the veteran coach, worked hard to make sure strong writing coaches were hired, and he watched, impressed, as the elementary school youth used the teamwork developed on the soccer field to execute all aspects of the service-learning 1-miler for charity.

"We were just facilitating the resources," he said. "They were doing their own blogs, doing their own fundraisers, they did their own posters. They took ownership of the actual project, which is a good thing, and that's teaching them some life skills as well that they will need when they go on to high school and college."

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ALICIA C., JULIANA F, ALUMNI

It's late October, and a pair seventh-graders at Alice Deal Middle School are proud to report something. They've come to Bancroft's DC SCORES sessions — not just soccer, but poetry, too.

"We come every day," Alicia C. says.

And then, to emphasize, she adds, "We stay here from 4:30 to 6 o'clock."

But why? Deal, located in the upper northwest portion of the city, has no dearth of after-school enrichment offerings. Why make the trip each afternoon to Mount Pleasant?

"We want to teach little kids about what we've been through," Alicia answers without hesitation. "There are some girls that had never played soccer (prior to DC SCORES), just like me and Juliana. ... we're here today to teach other kids and to just have fun even if we lose."

This is evident during scrimmages with current team members. The girls push the younger kids and provide a good challenge, but more than anything laugh and smile and make sure their pupils are doing the same. It's clear they've learned from their DC SCORES experience when, they say, losses were not always handled gracefully.

Juliana remembers a game against Marie Reed when several girls were crying. That was just one time when the parents and strong Bancroft community kept things together.

"A whole bunch of parents were telling us to calm down because it's a game and we're supposed to have fun and that we're supposed to enjoy it," Juliana recalls. "We're not supposed to get mad just because we lost the game."

Both girls heard about DC SCORES in second grade and immediately wanted to join the team. When third grade rolled around, they became a part of the program. Looking back, they learned far more than just the impressive soccer skills they now display as assistant coaches.

"I focused on school, because I knew if I didn't get good grades and my teacher told something bad to Mr. Guzman, I know something bad will happen in DC SCORES — I know I wouldn't be able to play a game," Juliana says.

Adds Alicia: "DC SCORES, it taught me a lot, especially in reading. Before I didn't know how to read. As soon as I joined DC SCORES, I got better because my mom told me that if I wanted to be an athlete, I have to focus more on school."

Back then, students had to be nagged to participate in poetry. Now, the alumni are impressed by the Bengals. "They care about school, soccer and poetry," Alicia exclaims as soccer practice winds down.

And that's music to Principal Auerbach's ears, and Coach Guzman's ears, and to the ears of the hundreds of parents who have — or will soon have — kids that are a part of DC SCORES.

“It is a real sort of family within the Bancroft family," Auerbach says.

As National Childhood Obesity Month begins, much progress still needed

In September 2010, President Barack Obama declared September National Childhood Obesity Month.

Even for a president with many competing priorities and people to answer to, it was a no-brainer. Childhood obesity had become an epidemic in this country, an issue that could no longer be ignored — even by perfectly healthy people and their families.

Health care costs soared. The rates of Diabetes and heart failure -- particularly at young ages -- reached scary territory.

Not just adults but kids, beginning at a very young age, were getting bigger. Eating worse. Exercising less.

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Fast forward to today, the third day of this year's focus-driven advocacy month. Things are better, relatively speaking. Thanks to NCOAM, Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move,' initiative, leaders across the country who advocate for healthier lifestyles, and nonprofit programs, the needle has shifted.

Obesity rates in many cities have dropped. Not significantly, mind you. The point is that they aren't trending in the other direction -- anymore.

Here's a sampling of the good news:

Obesity rates for children ages 2-5 dropped significantly from 2003-04 to 2011-12; there was a smaller decrease for children ages 6-11 (Wall Street Journal)

The number of obese teens leveled off and the rate of overweight teens dropped slightly between 2005-'06 and 2009-'10 (HealthDay)

In May 2010, DC passed into law the Healthy Schools Act, which has brought more nutritious foods in District meals for students and more education about healthy eating.

The number of schools with gardens, particularly in DC, continued to increase -- leading to healthier foods on children's lunch plates (elevation DC)

State programs in L.A. and New York helped lead to decreasing levels of obesity (U.S. News & World Report)

States like Colorado and California have added mandates to the school curriculum for a course in health and for teachers to have taken health classes, respectively.

The USDA made the first nationwide changes in 15 years to school meals (USDA)

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Yes, progress has undoubtedly been made. Compare that with 2010, when you had to go back decades to see a positive trend, and we should be optimistic.

Still, we're plagued by myriad issues, particularly in Washington, DC. It remains a difficult, often unfeasible task for low-income families to get healthy and affordable food for their families. Food deserts aren't as vast, but still exist and provide obstacles for those who rely on public transportation.

And students still don't get close to the recommended amount of physical activity during the school day (60 minutes), and have few easy-access and free options during the after-school hours.

During the next month, follow @DCSCORES on Twitter as we share statistics and articles about the still-devastating local and national issue and also share how we — and others — effectively fight the epidemic and set youth up for healthy adulthood. 

DC SCORES Couch to Camp Campaign gives kids summer camp memories

Written by Jake Lloyd
Communications Manager

What do you remember about summer camp?

My long-term memory isn't great, but I'll never forget making some of my best friends at camp; exercising each day through every game you can imagine; and dreading the ever-approaching last day each year.

Summer camp was a part of my life I took for granted growing up -- just like my two-parent household, sports teams year round, and much more.

I can't imagine a childhood minus all those summer memories.

Unfortunately, that is reality for hundreds of children in Washington, DC. With their families lacking the resources to send them to traditional camps, kids are left at home during the District's hottest months -- often sitting on the couch not doing much of anything.

Enter DC SCORES' Couch to Camp Campaign.

Each summer, DC SCORES strives to provide enriching, supportive and, most importantly, FUN camps for more than 200 DC youth. No child is excluded. The camps are FREE.

But they only happen with your support. Can you help us reach our goal of raising $7,000 through our Couch to Camp Campaign?

Combined with the support of our generous supporter Cresa Washington DC, YOU can ensure that students like Cindy (watch the embedded video) won't suffer from learning loss and be left idle during the most dangerous time of the year for weight gain.




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Last year, we asked several summer camp participants at our six-week Soccer & Arts camp at Marie Reed Elementary School what they would be doing if not attending DC SCORES camp every day? Here's a sampling of their answers:

“I’d be bored at home," said Chantelle.

“Probably nothing," added Kaiyah.

“Sleeping," said Guadalupe.

And, “Thinking about DC SCORES," said Warren.

Any gift during our Couch to Camp Campaign will keep Chantelle from being bored, Guadalupe from sleeping during the day, and Warren from thinking about his favorite after-school program instead of being a part of it during the summer.

Here's how your gift (at different levels) can make a difference:

• $25 will provide a soccer ball and healthy snacks for a camper.
• $50 will provide a full uniform (socks, shinguard, shorts, T-shirt), a soccer ball, and healthy snacks for one camper.
• $100 will provide a full week of camp for one camper including all of the above.

Regardless of the level you give at, you are assisting in getting one more child vulnerable to the dangers of summer inactivity closer to an action-packed experience of soccer drills, games, arts activities, field trips, and building relationships.

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When I think back on what I remember most about DC SCORES' recent summer camps, one day stands out.

Two years ago, DC received quite the heat wave in late July with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees every day. It was the perfect excuse for kids to stay home and out of the sun. 

One scorching afternoon, I worked up my courage and left our air-conditioned office to visit soccer camp at Tubman Elementary School. I fully expected to arrive to a small group of tired, complaining kids. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

Instead, there were 75 kids enthusiastically running through soccer drills and scrimmaging. While camper Emily was taking a brief break and dumping water on her head, I asked her if she had considered staying home.

“No,” Emily answered emphatically. “I never have second thoughts when it comes to summer camp.”

And that was that.

It will be hot this summer. But with your support, children like Emily will look forward to each day of DC SCORES summer camp, and benefit tremendously.

Rival teams on the soccer field come together and build camaraderie during winter clinic

Written by Kara Dunford
Communications Intern

The Marie Reed Panthers filed into the gym, excited for a day of soccer alongside the Bancroft Bengals.

Marie Reed visited Bancroft as part of a DC SCORES soccer clinic. Winter programming provides participating schools with the unique opportunity to come together to play with each other and work on fundamental soccer skills in preparation for the spring season.

Kastenny C., a student at Marie Reed, said she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from her time at Bancroft.

“Today I thought that we may kind of fight because we are rivals,” she said.

But it was teamwork, not rivalry, that proved to be the hallmark of the day.

The students were divided into four teams that featured a mixture of Panthers and Bengals. Then, it was time to play.

As the teams faced off in the gym, they received guidance from DC SCORES coaches on effective passing techniques and strategies. While the first few minutes of game play looked like unorganized chaos, the teams soon took the guidance to heart and began showing off some great passing skills.

I watched as Kastenny bonded with her new teammates, impressed by her ability to take direction from her Bancroft teammates as well as give direction of her own. It was clear that by coming together on a team, the Bancroft and Marie Reed students were able to cooperate and work as one.

Kastenny walked away from the clinic with a new skill.

“The other team taught be how to back pass. When I’m crowded, they taught me how to back pass while staying in place,” she said.

For Bancroft student Tatiana B., the clinic was less about soccer skills and more about interactions with her teammates.

“I learned that they support each other,” she said, adding that the encouragement from teammates made the game more fun.

In between soccer matches, the teams tried their hand at DC SCORES trivia, featuring tricky questions covering soccer rules, World Cup facts, and more. It was fun to see the team building on the field translate into cooperation in the classroom.

As winter SCORES draws to a close, the clinic proved that the season has equipped students with skills and experiences that will benefit them this spring. Whether it is the nutrition lessons that provided building blocks for a healthy lifestyle or the soccer clinics and practices that build team development and camaraderie, the lessons of winter programming will certainly help teams come game day this spring.

A parent's view: How DC SCORES boosted his daughter's confidence and improved her reading ability

Taylor Hawkins with her father and fan, Gregory.

(Please give the gift of team to students like Taylor before Dec. 31. Thank you!)

It’s Oct. 31 and Gregory Hawkins is making his presence felt on the sideline of the soccer field at Burrville Elementary School.

“Go, Taylor, go!” he yells exuberantly for probably the 10th time in 10 minutes. He claps, he cheers, he pumps his fist — all because he’s excited that his daughter in the yellow uniform of Anne Beers Elementary School is active on the soccer field.

Taylor Hawkins runs up and down the field, getting passed the ball one moment and dribbling the next. But as is the case with elementary school soccer, her touches are unpredictable. More important to Hawkins, his 9-year-old daughter is getting exercise and having a great time doing it.

"She’s so impressed with her physical ability,” Hawkins says beaming, explaining in further detail how much pride Taylor now takes in being fit.

Hawkins, a DC native who does construction for Tradesmen International in Fairfax, Va., doesn’t like missing a DC SCORES game or larger event like Fall Frenzy. He wants to see in-person his daughter’s continued progression into a confident, outgoing leader on the soccer field.

“Her leadership and her confidence — that's what I feel is the most important part of DC SCORES,” he said.

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Fast forward to Dec. 5. Minutes before the beginning of the Eastside Poetry Slam! at H.D. Woodson Senior High School, Gregory Hawkins enters the auditorium filled with anticipation. He can’t wait to see Taylor’s Anne Beers team take the stage to perform their 5-minute piece of original poems.

While Taylor enjoys the soccer aspect of DC SCORES, she’s passionate about writing poetry. This is her first year in the program, and she’s already taken to writing poems at home. She carries her poetry journal everywhere.

“Me and my wife were looking at all the poems and every creative one, off the top of her head, just what she sees,” Hawkins says. “She can really put something together. She talks more about the family and what’s going on with us (in her journal).”

As is often the case with DC SCORES participants, once Taylor began expressing herself consistently through the Power of Poetry curriculum she became more engaged in school. She now reads more, and her father notes that the fourth-grader is reading at a fifth-grade level.

No longer does he have to tell her to do her homework or turn off the TV.

“She’s eager to do homework, reading,” Hawkins says. “You can find her just putting up a book, and they love going to the library. So I really appreciate DC SCORES for all of that."

Hawkins says that before this year, Taylor lacked an outlet for expressing herself. She was too timid to open up about what she was feeling. “She didn’t have anything to occupy that space,” he adds.

Now her grades are up, she loves to read, and she demonstrates great pride as she takes the stage with her teammates during the Poetry Slam!. Taylor is also setting an example for her younger sister Morgan, who is in first grade and, Gregory says, will hopefully be in a DC SCORES uniform, too, soon!

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As we near the end of the year, DC SCORES needs your help. Any donation you make before Dec. 31 will help provide that creative outlet for self-expression and opportunity for physical fitness that thousands of students such as Taylor have benefited from — but still thousands more don’t have.

Please give and share today!

Inside DC SCORES Game Day: A guide for those on the sidelines

Rock, paper, scissors to decide who gets ball first.

Never been to a DC SCORES Game Day?

Well, you're missing out. And hopefully we'll see you soon (here's the remaining fall schedule!). But until then, we'll provide an inside look at how a typical Thursday or Friday afternoon looks like throughout the District for the 1,500 youth our program serves.

For the sake of personalizing, we'll use the Brightwood Education Campus vs. Wheatley Education Campus game from two weeks ago as an example.

(Times are approximate.)

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3:40pm -- The referee, Justin, arrives. Since this is his first volunteer reffing experience, I hand him a bright-yellow volunteer T-shirt. This will be his refereeing uniform for other games he does throughout the season. We go over the basic elementary school rules (it's about teaching the youth as much as enforcing any rule). The Wheatley Whales and their coaches come out to the small field behind their school and start stretching.

3:55pm -- A yellow school bus arrives at Wheatley full of eager Brightwood youth read to play soccer. In order to get to Game Day on time, Brightwood had to get on the bus immediately after school. The drive from Ward 4 to Ward 6 was not short, especially in DC traffic. DC SCORES' biggest program expense is buses for game days and special events. Providing buses ensures that no student is left behind.

4:05pm -- I call for both teams (the girls and the boys) to come to the center of the field. Sportsmanship is a huge part of DC SCORES Game Day, and we emphasize this each week before the teams take the field. "You're playing for the name on the back of your jersey, Brightwood or Wheatley," I say to the 40-plus youth, "but also for the name on the front of your jersey, DC SCORES." I then ask students a series of questions ranging from "What do you do if you trip an opponent?" to "What do you do after the game?" It might be the first Thursday of the fall season, but hands shoot up and the students knock the questions out of the park. They remember. They've practiced good sportsmanship before.

Breakaway scoring chance for Brightwood!

4:19pm -- Justin blows his whistle. A player has incorrectly performed a throw-in, lifting their foot, a natural instinct. Justin takes the ball and mimics the correct form. He then hands the ball back to the child, who gets it right the second time.

4:46pm -- As I told everyone before the game, the girls for both teams assemble in line for the post-game handshake. It was, at times, a frustrating afternoon for the Wheatley girls, who were shut out. But they haven't forgotten about sportsmanship. Their coaches are a big help, encouraging the girls and telling them how hard they played. A supportive coach on the sideline is a vital part of a successful Game Day.

5:13pm -- I gaze across the field to the spectators' sideline and begin counting. A minute later, my finger has tallied close to 100 people at Game Day not including the players and coaches. These soccer games represent community events. A large group of younger youth from Wheatley sit in the grass, watching, absorbing. In a year, or two, they'll get to don the purple uniforms. Dozens of parents line the sloping hill. For many of them, this is their child's favorite afternoon of the week -- and theirs too. Some watch quietly, others cheer loudly. School administrators and teachers are spotted, too.

5:38pm -- The Brightwood sideline erupts after another brilliant goal. Sure, their school is on the other side of the congested city, but that didn't keep a handful of parents from joining the coaches and youth for the trip to Northeast. Winning or losing is secondary for DC SCORES youth, many of whom are being introduced to soccer for the first time. But each success, each goal, each great pass is celebrated with a gusto and explosion of energy on the sideline. It's clear how much the school's soccer team means to its community.

5:49pm -- And that's a wrap. The final whistle has blown on the boys contest (each game is made up of two 20-minute halves). The players high five each other. Then, in an unplanned, unexpected show of pride and sportsmanship, the Brightwood parents form a tunnel with their arms and players from both teams race through to put an exclamation point on Game Day.

Brightwood heads for its waiting bus. Wheatley coaches and players begin to pick up their water bottles and break down the goals. Yes, Game Day is over, but it's just seven more days until the next one. And with a week of practice in between, the Whales will be even more prepared and pumped up to take the field in their custom T-shirts, shorts, socks and shinguards.

To combat childhood obesity, DC SCORES makes exercising consistently fun

Program participants and alumni play on a U-16 team
run by volunteer DC SCORES coaches. 

Throughout September, DC SCORES is focusing on National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month -- the problem and numbers both locally and nationally, and what we, other organizations, foundations, and school districts are doing to combat it. We'll have more blog posts, daily Tweets, Facebook posts and LinkedIn updates during the month. We encourage you to join the conversation.

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“The general question of whether early childhood programs can make a difference has been asked and answered in the affirmative innumerable times.” — Institute of Medicine, 2000

DC SCORES makes a difference.

Physical education during the school day is undoubtedly an important aspect of fighting childhood obesity, but it’s only part of the solution. This is especially true considering that children gain weight three times faster during the summer months. Kids need to exercise and stay active during out-of-school time.

In the District of Columbia, DC SCORES is the largest after-school program and gives children the opportunity to stay active year-round both physically and mentally.

Youth play at least 270 minutes of soccer weekly during 12-week fall and spring seasons and around 2-3 hours daily during 14 weeks of summer camps. During a typical week, students practice soccer on two afternoons and then spend Thursday or Friday — Thursdays for elementary schools and Fridays for middle schools — running up and down the field during Game Day.

DC SCORES coaches are trained to dole out equal playing time to all program participants so that no one is left inactive on the sideline. We run the only elementary and middle public school soccer leagues for both boys and girls in the District.

That’s the case partly because budget cuts have dealt a blow to physical education programs all over the country. Only 3.8 percent of elementary schools, 7.9 percent of middle schools, and 2.1 percent of high schools provide daily physical education or its equivalent for the entire school year. Twenty-two percent of schools nationally do not require students to take any physical education at all.

In the District, the problem is more severe. Many of the 1,500 students DC SCORES serves attend schools that have a glaring lack of after-school sports opportunities. Some schools might offer open gym here and there, but very few provide anything as consistent as our program. If a child doesn’t have an opportunity to be active during school and his or her parents’ financial status eliminates the chances of paid athletics, the child is essentially cornered into unhealthy habits. In poorer neighborhoods, it is often not safe for elementary school youth to go outside and play. More than likely, parents are at work and local playgrounds are not well maintained if present at all.

DC SCORES participants get 270 minutes of exercise
each week through soccer practices and games. 

Fighting childhood obesity is ineffective if kids exercise one week but take the next week off. Consistency is crucial. Showing up for youth is paramount.

DC SCORES provides a trusted and proven system of trained coaches who guide students through a soccer curriculum, which includes health and nutrition lessons and readily usable soccer practice plans that incorporate team building and leadership activities in addition to daily physical activity. DC SCORES resembles a stepping stone for children to learn and maintain healthy lifestyles. Children join a school team in third grade and follow a pipeline through eighth grade. High school alumni stay involved with DC SCORES through volunteer refereeing and organized events such as our annual alumni soccer tournament.

Research shows that early childhood experiences set a child on a course toward or away from a healthy life, including in adulthood. Children who have good nutrition, adequate physical activity, and safe and stimulating environments, grow up to be healthier. Brain development suffers when children’s home lives are wracked by the stress of making ends meet; this stress has lifelong effects that impair personal health in many ways.

The beauty of DC SCORES’ model is it makes physical activity fun. Children aren’t thinking as they run up and down the soccer field, ‘Man, I hate having to exercise!’ Rather, they’re thinking about kicking the ball or spreading the field so their teammates will pass to them.

Kids learn to love the sport and, as a byproduct, being fit and being able to keep up with their teammates.

We just finished a blog series on program alumni beginning college this fall (the last post on Claudia Merlos is a must-read). While Claudia is the only student we interviewed who is playing college soccer, all the young adults said they still play the game as much as they can for fun. That enjoyment of fitness through the sport was instilled during their DC SCORES years.

Furthermore, if you take in a high school soccer game in the District this fall, you will be watching dozens of program alumni on the field. The pipeline is long, and it’s resulted is healthier youth who learned the importance of taking care of themselves -- in a fun way -- through DC SCORES.

To learn more about DC SCORES’ impact on kids’ physical fitness, visit the Program Outcomes page of our website.

Childhood obesity: The crux of a very serious and expensive problem

Data through 2006 (source: CDC).

Throughout September, DC SCORES is focusing on National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month -- the problem and numbers both locally and nationally, and what we, other organizations, foundations, and school districts are doing to combat it. We'll have more blog posts, daily Tweets, Facebook posts and LinkedIn updates during the month. We encourage you to join the conversation.

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$14 billion is the estimated annual direct cost of childhood obesity in the United States. The indirect costs are extreme, too, even if an amount can’t be pinned to them.

Think about that for a minute.

Why so costly?

Because individuals who are obese open themselves to a list of illnesses including but not limited to high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and cancer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), direct medical costs include preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services related to obesity. Indirect costs relate to morbidity and mortality costs, such as the value of income lost from decreased productivity or premature death.

Also from the CDC: 31 percent of the same age group are classified as overweight (scary) or obese (headed toward serious health issues). Read the full summary in “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s future.”

Simply put, right now we are dealing with a crisis and things will not look brighter in the future unless we change today, providing kids starting at a young age with a path toward good health. Otherwise, as is commonly known, obese children are likely to become overweight or obese adolescents … and then adults.

This blog post, though, isn’t to state the solution. We’ll do that later during National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Here, we aim, simply, to lay out the factors and present how dire and critical the situation is.

Obesity projection for DC (source: F as in Fat)

Over the next 20 years — according to F as in Fat — in just the District of Columbia, obesity could contribute to 57,758 new cases of type 2 diabetes, 131,194 new cases of coronary heart disease and stroke, 135,891 new cases of hypertension, 92,032 new cases of arthritis, and 20,320 new cases of obesity-related cancer.

While plenty of affluent people are obese, it can’t be denied that a neighborhood’s financial standing and makeup has a lot to do with its obesity rate.

Nearly one fifth of all Americans — about 52 million people — live in poor neighborhoods (i.e., neighborhoods in which at least 20 percent of residents are poor). The percentage of individuals living in poor neighborhoods varies considerably across states from a low of 2 percent in New Hampshire to a high of 42 percent in Louisiana, Mississippi and Washington D.C.

Living near a supermarket has been linked with a healthier population, while living closer to small convenience stores has been linked with higher rates of obesity and smoking. While improvements have been made, many poor neighborhoods are located in “food deserts” where affordable healthy food is hard to find and/or get to by public transportation.

Similarly, people are more likely to be physically active and healthier when they live in neighborhoods that have parks, bike lanes, walking or jogging trails, and less litter, vandalism, and graffiti. Poor neighborhoods tend to have less of the former and more of the latter.

About 22.4 percent of African-American children and 24.2 percent of Mexican-American children ages 6 to 17 are obese, compared to 17.5 percent of white children.

But it’s worth noting — and encouraging — that improved school nutritional standards are being implemented, according to a new package of research materials released by Salud America! The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children.

By 2050, 35 percent of young people in the U.S. will be Latino, so providing healthier school snacks and drinks — in addition, of course, to daily physical activity — can and will help in the struggle to for generations to come of healthy Latinos.

The problem is a big one. And a costly one. But in the past couple years, studies have shown slight signs of reversing the trend. And even in areas like the District where the numbers can depress, there is time and resources to make positive changes.

Stay tuned later in the month as we detail how DC SCORES and others are teaming up to fight this monster.

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month: Let's focus on the solutions

Throughout September, DC SCORES is focusing on National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month -- the problem and numbers both locally and nationally, and what we, other organizations, foundations, and school districts are doing to combat it. We'll have more blog posts, daily Tweets, Facebook posts and LinkedIn updates throughout September. We encourage you to join the conversation. 

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Written by Amy Nakamoto
Executive Director

Here is what we know as common sense — to be productive and active thinkers and contributors (to work, to school, to society), it helps dramatically if we take care of ourselves and are healthy.

Here is what we know about kids — they need to move. Oxygen feeds young brains, gets energy out in the right ways, helps them focus, and importantly, sets the stage for a lifetime of moving, exercising, and seeking out other fitness- or sport-related things.

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month — a month dedicated to highlighting the trend, but more importantly, the solution to reversing the trend. I will not turn this blog into a dissertation on the topic, but we will spend the month highlighting through our blog and other social media channels the national and local trends, resources and recommendations. And, what DC SCORES is doing to help over 1,450 kids with our after-school program.

We know that obese children and adolescents have a greater risk of social and psychological problems, such as discrimination and poor self-esteem, which can continue into adulthood. We also know that by 2030, obesity-related health care costs in the District of Columbia could climb by 18.8 percent, which could be the 15th highest increase in the country.

This list can go on and on . . . and frankly, it’s frightening — and wrong. Our young people deserve better. Childhood obesity rates are much higher for low-income, non-white youth living in urban centers. This is true in DC.

Please tune into DC SCORES’ blog this month for a series on this topic, and also make sure you are aware of the governing law in DC to combat this, the Healthy Schools Act.

I will leave you with this statistic for now … If BMIs were lowered by 5 percent, the District of Columbia could save 6.7 percent in health care costs, which would equate to savings of $1,026,000,000 by 2030 — it’s mathematically detailed here.

More to come…

Amy Nakamoto
Executive Director, DC SCORES
Member of the Mayor’s Healthy Youth and Schools Commission

DC SCORES summer camps begin throughout the District for over 200 youth

 

DC SCORES is wasting no time keeping the District youth's minds and bodies engaged.

DC Public Schools (DCPS) let out for the final time Friday afternoon; our free summer camps for low-income youth begin today. 

It may not be as widely publicized a problem as, say, graduation rates or truancy, but learning loss is a serious issue for children whose families don't have the means to send them to traditional, not-cheap summer camps. So is childhood obesity, with many of the gains made during the school year erased by time spent sitting idly on the couch. Opportunities for students living below the poverty level to participate in a structured, positive environment during late June and July are few and far between.

That's why DC SCORES' four camps are so important -- they offer the rare chance for students to stay physically fit (through soccer drills and scrimmages), engage their minds (through learning and practicing different arts mediums), and make new friends in a safe, organized place where they can feel comfortable ... all for free.

DC SCORES provides the summer camp T-shirts, the soccer balls, the art supplies and instructors, the healthy lunches and snacks. The students simply have to bring themselves. That's a reason why our six-week Soccer & Arts Camp (see below) has a waiting list. 

"I would probably just be at home, sleeping and watching TV."

That's what former camp participant Jhoana H. said about what she would have done if not for DC SCORES summer camp. Her response has been echoed summer after summer by other children, all thankful for the chance to play soccer, write poetry, go on field trips, and spend time with their peers. 

Heck, students even came to camp when temperatures reached the triple digits. It beat sitting at home. 

Below are the DC SCORES camps for this summer. We encourage you to visit one -- or two -- of them and witness for yourself how much they mean to the participants.

Marie Reed soccer & arts camp

• When: June 24-Aug. 2, 12-6pm
• Where: Marie Reed Elementary School (map)
• What: Students participate in daily soccer drills and scrimmages led by DC SCORES soccer coordinators and alumni counselors working through the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). Students also learn a different art form each week -- dancing, poetry, etc.. -- and go on field trips to help further their understanding of the art medium. 
• Who: Elementary school students

Kelly Miller soccer camp

• When: June 25-28, 10am-4pm
• Where: Kelly Miller Middle School (map)
• What: Students learn soccer drills from DC SCORES soccer coordinators and program coaches, then practice them in daily scrimmages. This camp is also a great opportunity for students from different parts of the city to meet each other and develop friendships. A bus is provided for students in Northwest interested in attending.
• Who: Grades 5-8

Bancroft  soccer camp

• When: July 1-August 2, 1-5pm
• Where: Bancroft Elementary School (map)
• What: Elementary school students participate in the DCPS-funded camp, learning soccer skills, DC SCORES' values of teamwork, leadership, and commitment, and the importance of healthy living.
• Who: Grades 3-5

Tubman soccer camp

• When: July 15-26, 12-4pm
• Where: Tubman Elementary School (map)
• What: A similar camp to Kelly Miller, Tubman camp occurs in the heart of Columbia Heights not far from many DC SCORES schools and is an extremely popular destination for hundreds of youth -- even kids from schools that don't have our school-year program. Participants learn and polish soccer drills from a staff of soccer coaches, scrimmage daily, and are given awards for showing teamwork, leadership, and more.

DC SCORES' summer camps are funded by the DC Children & Youth Investment Trust Corporation,  the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (New Communities), the Gannett Foundation, and our annual Couch to Camp Campaign.

Get excited for DC SCORES summer camps by visiting our YouTube page and browsing through dozens of videos from previous summers. 

DC SCORES summer camps keep DC youth's minds and bodies active when such opportunities are lacking

 

Written by Molly Fessler
DC SCORES Intern

Ahh, summertime. No school, no worries, right?

As it turns out, there’s plenty to be concerned about come June, July and August. The summer months, while cherished for their seemingly endless free time, have proved hazardous for the health and academic prospects of DC youth. What appears to be three months of freedom and playtime actually turns out to be long stretches of solitude, inactivity and screentime, particularly for children from low income families. DC kids without financial resources experience a largely unstructured summertime that results in decreased reading ability and an increased propensity for weight gain.

Just how dire is the situation?

A 2011 RAND Corporation report found that among low-income students, the summer months reflected a two-month loss in reading achievement and comprehension. Math, spelling, and study skills were also affected. Unfairly, these losses among students of the low-income community were contrasted with small gains in reading ability noted in students from middle- to high-income backgrounds.

Even worse? These losses have been found to be cumulative, so students who fall behind one summer, may never catch up.

When it comes to physical activity, the summer provokes even more anxiety. A 2007 study, published by the American Journal of Public Health, reported that students gain weight twice as quickly during their vacation months. A study from the same year, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that gains made in cardiovascular fitness and weight management during the school year were largely lost when not continued during the summer recess.

Kids who don’t have a safe space to play, or who lack supervision necessary to go outside, end up languishing in front of the TV or computer. Access to low-nutrient, high-calorie food may not be restricted during the day, and less movement and oversight lead to greater weight gain.

So what are summer-lovers to do? Throw in the (beach) towel?

Thankfully, the news isn’t all bad. Summer camps and programs have been proven effective in stalling or stopping this “summer slide” and keeping kids ready to learn and excel come September.

Even better? DC SCORES provides three free camps to DC youth that combine soccer and the arts, addressing the issues of academic engagement and physical health during what would otherwise some pretty lazy summer days.

This summer, with your help, over 200 kids will benefit from the opportunities provided by these camps.

During March’s Couch to Camp Campaign, we need to raise $10,000 in individual donations to combat summer academic loss and weight gain, and provide deserving DC kids with a summer of fun and opportunity.

The research is clear, but that doesn’t mean we’re helpless to do anything about it.

When you support the Couch to Camp Campaign, you support DC youth. You’ll be contributing to better outcomes for their future, and for our future as a community.

Let’s make it a healthy summer for DC kids — one with absolutely nothing to worry about.

Sources:

JAMA study, 2007
School-Based Fitness Changes Are Lost During the Summer Vacation
http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=570520

RAND Foundation Study, 2011
Importance/benefit of summer programs, losses accrued without intervention
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/summer-and-extended-learning-time/summer-learning/Documents/Making-Summer-Count-How-Summer-Programs-Can-Boost-Childrens-Learning.pdf

American Journal Public Health, 2007
Increase in BMI, weight gain during summer months.
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2005.080754

Journal Youth Adolescence, 2007
Parent and self report study on improvements in positive identity, social skills, pre/post camp experience
http://www.nccamps.org/pdf/Thurber--Youth_and_Adoles.pdf

Time Magazine article, 2010
The Case Against Summer Vacation
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2005863,00.html

Shape of the Nation Report illustrates need for physical fitness DC SCORES provides

For the last three weeks of school this December without DC SCORES, thousands of youth in the city's public schools are back to a sobering reality:

A mere 45 to 60 minutes of organized physical activity at school ... per week.

That's just one telling statistic from the Shape of the Nation Report recently released by the National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

While it's nice to hear about childhood obesity rates dropping for the first time in 30 years in cities such New York and Los Angeles, it's hard to imagine that trend continuing when you consider the paucity of organized physical activity at schools not just in DC but throughout the country. 

Here are just a few of the takeaways from the report:

• Only six states require physical activity in every grade k-12.
• Almost 50% of U.S. students do not receive PE in an average week.
• Only 26 states require some form of student assessment in physical education (can you imagine the backlash if a state — gasp! — didn't test every student on math and writing every semester?).
• Even more disturbing: Only 14 states require school districts to perform physical fitness assessments.   
• And recess is required for elementary school students in only nine states.

This isn't to say there haven't been improvements. For instance, twice as many states as in 2010 (28 vs. 14) require physical fitness grades to be included in students' GPAs. But the report makes it clear that students getting exercise is not a priority of states' school systems despite the fact that studies have shown there to be a link between a student's health and their performance in the classroom.

In the District of Columbia, guidelines are no better than in most states. As mentioned, students in grades K-8 are required to receive just 45-60 minutes of physical activity each week. That falls woefully short of the 60 minutes of exercise per day recommended for kids ages 6-17 by the Department of Health and Human Services in its first ever Physical Activity Guidelines (2008).

Here are some other takeaways from the report about the District:

• DC does not require elementary schools to provide daily recess (but if one does on, say, a Tuesday, that can count as the 45-60 minutes of exercise provided that week!).
• There is no minimum weekly requirement of physical fitness activity in schools; students just need one PE credit to graduate.
• Classroom physical activity breaks (proven in some cities to boost academic performance) are not required.

The conclusion to be drawn from the report is clear: providing physical activity in schools — at least in 44 states, including DC — is far from a priority. While progress has been made in making school lunches healthier and changing what vending machines can sell to students — thanks in large part to Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative — the other side of growing healthy, strong youth has been neglected.

That's why programs such as DC SCORES that provide a fun, organized outlet through which kids can get the exercise they need continue to be so vital, especially for youth in communities who otherwise lack opportunities to play on a sports team.

We've said this before and we'll say it again: During the 12-week DC SCORES season each spring and fall, we provide 270 minutes of exercise each week through soccer. That's six times the amount required in schools and just about satisfies the guidelines put forth by the Department of Health and Human Services. 

That's 270 minutes of week. 

We hope that reports such as the Shape of the Nation lead to more requirements around providing adequate physical education for youth. We would love to see more states follow the lead of New York, Vermont and the four others that mandate PE for all students K-12. 

But for now, we'll continue to provide what's lacking during the school day for as many District students as possible.

After all, childhood obesity affects all of us. You, your family, and your neighbors are all helping to pay the estimated $344 billion that the national crisis will have cost this country by 2018.