Will Provide Healthy Lifestyle Assessments for Four Communities in Windham County 

The Fit & Healthy Kids Coalition and Meeting Waters YMCA, one of its partner organizations, are convening an assessment process in four communities in Windham County to measure support for physical activity and healthy eating using a new YMCA tool—the Community Healthy Living Index (CHLI). CHLI enables community members to assess environments at the neighborhood and community levels, as well as within their schools, pre-school and after-school child care programs, and work sites.  

The Coalition was recently awarded a grant from the Vermont Department of Health’s Coordinated Healthy Activity, Motivation & Prevention Programs (CHAMPPS) that emphasizes creating communities supportive of healthy eating and increased physical activity for families and parents with young children, as outlined in the Fit and Healthy Vermonters state plan. Meeting Waters YMCA will serve as the lead agency for the project. Its staff will work closely with the Fit & Healthy Kids Coalition’s Policies and Practices Work Group, one of four sub-committees of the coalition.  

Developed by YMCA of the USA with researchers from Stanford University, Harvard University, and St. Louis University, CHLI aids schools, child care programs, neighborhood groups and entire communities in assessing and planning for policy and environmental change strategies that remove barriers and expand opportunities for healthy living. CHLI is one of the first tools of its kind to allow leaders to simultaneously assess multiple sites in a community and get the full picture of how their community is doing in supporting and advancing healthy environments for its residents.  

According to Meeting Waters YMCA Executive Director Steve Fortier, all communities in Windham County are eligible to apply to be one of the four that the Coalition will work with in the assessment and planning process. “In early December we’ll host five informational sessions throughout the county as a way to introduce people to the opportunity to participate in the CHLI process—what is expected of them and what we’ll provide for support and guidance,” he said. “We hope that a diverse group of community members—parents, community planners, elected officials, health and physical educators, major employers, and other community members committed to improving supports for health—will come to an informational session to learn about this great opportunity.”  

Information sessions will be held in Townshend on Tuesday, December 9th from 5:30-6:30 in Grace Cottage Hospital’s Dining/Community Room; at Meeting Waters YMCA’s office in Bellows Falls on Wednesday, December 10th from 6:30-7:30 pm; at Twin Valley High School’s library in Wilmington on Thursday, December 11th from 5:00-6:00 pm; and two in Brattleboro on Tuesday, December 16th, one from noon-1:00 pm and another from 6:30-7:30 pm, both at Marlboro College Technology Center’s Room 2 Northeast. Healthy refreshments and drinks will be provided at each event. 

The Fit & Healthy Kids Coalition of Windham County is a group of individuals and organizations committed to improving the health of young people and families. Member organizations include the VT Department of Health’s Brattleboro office, Meeting Waters YMCA, Brattleboro Food Co-Op, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, Early Education Services of Windham Southeast Supervisory Union, Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department, Windham Child Care Association, Building Bright Futures, and Windham Southeast Supervisory Union’s Health & Wellness program. For more information about the Community Healthy Living Index process, contact Steve Fortier at 802-463-4769 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For more information about the Fit & Healthy Kids Coalition, contact its coordinator, Kathleen White at 802-251-2108 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .