Healthi Kids

03/06/2026

Healthi Kids was proud to partner with RCSD for Level Up & Play Day — and we’re excited to keep the momentum going!

Join us this Saturday, March 7 from 10 AM–1 PM at East High School for the Level Up Literacy Conference. This free, community-wide event brings together students, families, educators, and partners to celebrate literacy and build a strong culture of learning across RCSD.

Stop by the Healthi Kids table to learn more about why play is essential for healthy minds, strong learners, and joyful school communities. Let’s keep advocating for play in every school!

03/05/2026

It's time for another Culture Corner! For March we're focusing on women’s history & impact, lifting up stories of courage and care.

📚 Read: Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel.
A young immigrant sees unsafe work and speaks up for fairness.
https://ow.ly/jsI150YpUtS

🎥 Watch: PBS Kids' Women’s History Month video collection.
Short, kid‑friendly clips to learn together.
https://ow.ly/FyTq50YpUsy

And for local stories that inspire, check out “Meet the Changemakers” from the Rochester Museum & Science Center. You can learn about past and present Rochester, Indigenous, and Haudenosaunee women—leaders, inventors, activists, and entrepreneurs—who changed our city and the world. Find it on RMSC’s website: https://ow.ly/T5Pl50YpUtc

After you read or watch, try asking your child:

What brave choice did someone make?
Who helped them?
What stood out to you about this person and her story?

Read together. Watch together. Talk together.

03/04/2026

👏 Congratulations to HealthySteps Specialist Danielle Cady of Newark Peds for her outstanding work with families—and for being featured in the new campaign video!

The early years (birth–5) shape lifelong health. Danielle supports parents right in the pediatric office to promote nurturing parenting and healthy development—work that aligns with our campaign at Healthi Kids.

Watch now: https://ow.ly/CIsq50Yp4FN

03/03/2026

TWO DAYS AWAY!
Your neighborhood needs your voice! The intersection of Genesee Park Blvd and Pioneer St has been chosen for a Complete Streets Makeover, and we want to hear from YOU.

Join Healthi Kids and our partners on Thursday, March 5th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Genesee Valley Fieldhouse (1316 Genesee Street) for a free community workshop.

Tell us what it is really like to walk, bike, and drive through this intersection. Help us come up with ideas to make it safer and more fun for everyone, from painted sidewalk games to better crossings and calmer traffic.

Kids are welcome and will have their own activities. Dinner is provided for the whole family!

For more information, please visit https://ow.ly/Up0I50YmA96.



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Tu vecindario necesita tu voz! La intersección de Genesee Park Blvd y Pioneer St ha sido elegida para un Mejoramiento de Calles Completas, ¡y queremos escucharte a TI!

Únete a Healthi Kids y nuestros socios el jueves, 5 de marzo de 5:30 a 7:30 PM en el Genesee Valley Fieldhouse (1316 Genesee Street) para un taller comunitario gratuito.

Cuéntanos cómo es realmente caminar, montar bicicleta y manejar por esta intersección. Ayúdanos a crear ideas para hacerla más segura y divertida para todos, desde juegos pintados en las aceras hasta mejores cruces peatonales y tráfico más tranquilo.

¡Los niños son bienvenidos y tendrán sus propias actividades. La cena está incluida para toda la familia!

Para más información, visita https://ow.ly/Up0I50YmA96.

03/02/2026

To kick off National Nutrition Month, we want to share how we’re working to make sure kids, families, and communities can get healthy, local food.

On Monday, February 9, 2026, members of the Rochester Food Policy Council traveled to Albany to speak up for the Good Food NY Bill. This bill would let New York schools and other public institutions buy more food from local farmers and producers. Instead of choosing only the cheapest option, schools could choose food that supports nutrition, local jobs, fair labor, and healthy, sustainable farming. If passed, this policy would help strengthen our local food system, support New York farmers, and make sure kids have access to healthy, fresh, culturally familiar meals.

Our team members Mike Bulger and Candice Williams, along with Josie McClary, joined the NYS Good Food Purchasing Coalition’s press conference and met with State Representatives to let them know what we've heard from urban and rural parents, educators, and other partners.

📸 Photo 1, left to right: Josie McClary, Mike Bulger, and Candice Williams
📸 Photo 2, left to right: Mike Bulger, Candice Williams, Josie McClary, and TC Washington from Headwater Food Hub

02/27/2026

HealthySteps helps babies and caregivers—right in the doctor’s office

This month, Healthi Kids went to Albany to ask lawmakers to keep HealthySteps going across New York.

What is HealthySteps?

It’s a proven program that puts an early childhood specialist in a pediatrician’s office. At well‑child visits, families can get quick help with feeding and lactation, sleep, behavior, mental health, connections to services, and more—right when they need it most.

Why now? Startup funds helped launch HealthySteps in New York. Now many practices need a simple way to pay for the extra time and care the program provides, especially for families with Medicaid.

The solution? Support bills S7833A (Senate) and A8048A (Assembly). These bills create a small add‑on payment for practices that provide HealthySteps during Medicaid well‑child visits—so families don’t lose services they count on.

How can you help? Contact your State Senator and Assembly Member. Ask them to support S7833A/A8048A for HealthySteps.

Read more about our advocacy work: https://ow.ly/qOv050Yn4tt

02/25/2026

Help shape Rochester’s food future. 🍎

Food is more than something we buy at the store. It shapes our health, culture, community, and economy.

Since 2024, Healthi Kids has worked with the City of Rochester and the Rochester Food Policy Council on our first Community Food System Plan, creating a roadmap for a food system that’s fair, resilient, and healthy for everyone.

The draft is now available. This is where you come in!

👉 Read the findings and recommendations
👉 Register for a public input session

Your voice can help make healthy food easier to find in every neighborhood. Together, we can build a future where everyone can access and afford healthy, culturally meaningful food—and where local food businesses and producers thrive.

Read the draft plan and sign up for an info session here: https://ow.ly/aAl350Ym8rL

02/24/2026

Starting in March some people between the ages of 18 and 64 will have to follow new rules to keep getting SNAP benefits for more than three months. Monroe County is holding workshops to help explain the new rules for able-bodied adults without dependents. There are two chances left to have your questions answered in person!

📅Tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 6-8 p.m. at Connected Communities, 619 North Goodman Street, Rochester, NY

📅Wednesday, Mar. 4, 6-8 p.m., R-Center, 80 Adams Street, Rochester, NY

Find out more from the County's website: https://ow.ly/CSoJ50Yl1zh

02/23/2026

Your neighborhood needs your voice! The intersection of Genesee Park Blvd and Pioneer St has been chosen for a Complete Streets Makeover, and we want to hear from YOU.

Join Healthi Kids and our partners on Thursday, March 5th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Genesee Valley Fieldhouse (1316 Genesee Street) for a free community workshop.

Tell us what it is really like to walk, bike, and drive through this intersection. Help us come up with ideas to make it safer and more fun for everyone, from painted sidewalk games to better crossings and calmer traffic.

Kids are welcome and will have their own activities. Dinner is provided for the whole family!

For more information, please visit https://ow.ly/aYmY50YkjZN.



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Tu vecindario necesita tu voz! La intersección de Genesee Park Blvd y Pioneer St ha sido elegida para un Mejoramiento de Calles Completas, ¡y queremos escucharte a TI!

Únete a Healthi Kids y nuestros socios el jueves, 5 de marzo de 5:30 a 7:30 PM en el Genesee Valley Fieldhouse (1316 Genesee Street) para un taller comunitario gratuito.

Cuéntanos cómo es realmente caminar, montar bicicleta y manejar por esta intersección. Ayúdanos a crear ideas para hacerla más segura y divertida para todos, desde juegos pintados en las aceras hasta mejores cruces peatonales y tráfico más tranquilo.

¡Los niños son bienvenidos y tendrán sus propias actividades. La cena está incluida para toda la familia!

Para más información, visita https://ow.ly/aYmY50YkjZN.

02/20/2026

We've got Olympic fever!

Did you know that the Special Olympics New York Winter Games are in Rochester, Feb 20–22! Athletes kick off the Games tonight at the Riverside Convention Center. On Saturday, they compete in seven winter sports at sites across our area. Many events are free—so bring the family, cheer loud, and show our athletes that everyone belongs.

Learn more here: https://ow.ly/yUfJ50YhGyy

2026 State Winter Games Overview

02/19/2026

The recent snow and cold couldn't keep our Healthi Kids parents and their families from coming out for our first ever Parents Day! Here are just a few photos from the day, which was filled with games, art, friendship, food, and of course, FUN! We are so grateful for our Healthi Kids parents for all that they do to strengthen our communities and ensure that all kids in our region thrive.

02/18/2026

Your story can help improve birth care in Rochester!

The Birth Action Collaborative is hosting listening sessions for Black mothers and birthing people who gave birth in Monroe County within the last 5 years. This is an important opportunity to share your experiences, voice what you think needs to change, and help shape solutions alongside community partners.

Your time and perspective is important. Participants receive:
🔹 $100 stipend
🔹 Transportation
🔹 Meals
🔹 Childcare

Two dates to choose from:
📅 Saturday, February 21 | 12:30–4:00 pm
📅 Saturday, February 28 | 12:30–4:00 pm

📍 21 Gorham Street, Rochester, NY

If you identify as Black and have given birth locally in the last five years, we would love to hear from you.

👉 Register here: https://ow.ly/A34I50YhxxO
📞 Questions? (773) 850-2413

Please share this opportunity with anyone whose voice needs to be counted. Community voices lead change.