Santa Ana is one of the most crowded cities in America, and its population is among the youngest. Yet it has a fraction of the park space that other large California cities have come to expect… It’s also in talks with the school district about opening some school fields after hours and on the weekends. “There’re actually green fields out there,” Councilman Vincent Sarmiento said – they’re just not open without a school pass.

“Neighborhoods most in need of more school seats  are also the neighborhoods most in need of access to family health care, green  space, affordable housing, and early childhood and adult education. We also  know that the social and physical environments of neighborhoods contribute to  the ultimate success of students and their families.” Los Angeles County Director of Public Health, Dr. Jonathan Fielding

With budget cuts to physical education programs and academics being prioritized over physical activity during the school day, after school programs have a unique position to get youth active. CANFIT created a pilot project testing the California Department of Education-developed guidelines in after school programs serving low income communities. http://canfit.org