{"id":1272,"date":"2017-07-30T11:26:55","date_gmt":"2017-07-30T11:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spccrochester.wordpress.com\/?p=1272"},"modified":"2019-03-29T17:50:26","modified_gmt":"2019-03-29T17:50:26","slug":"exploring-rochester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spcc-roch.org\/?p=1272","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Rochester"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Meet this month\u2019s blogger, Kate Bucella! \u00a0Kate works as the Administrative Assistant in SPCC\u2019s WIC (Women, Infants & Children) Vendor Management Agency (VMA).\u00a0 VMA manages current stores that are WIC vendors in 16 different counties across upstate NY; they also handle new WIC vendor applications, as well as WIC participant concerns.\u00a0 Kate has been with the agency for a year and a half and has a background in English and Political Science. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Utilizing Your Local Parks and Recreation Department<\/h1>\n

By: Kate Bucella<\/p>\n

In honor of July being \u201cParks and Rec\u201d Month (no, not Amy Poehler\u2019s TV show), it seemed like the perfect time to shed some light on all the wonderful resources that Rochester\u2019s Parks and Recreation department provides for our community.\u00a0 As a non-for-profit agency, SPCC\u2019s ultimate goal is help children and families live their lives in the healthiest and happiest way possible; the Parks and Recreation department can be a wonderful and inexpensive tool in helping to achieve this goal.<\/p>\n

Because the Parks and Recreation department is part of the town government, it means many of the activities and programs they provide are low in cost or free to town residents\u2014a seriously awesome perk that we should all take advantage of!\u00a0 What are the activities and programs you ask?\u00a0 Well, to be honest, it varies and every town is a little different.\u00a0 Most Parks and Recreation departments provide sports and physical activity classes for children as well as adults, and many departments have an indoor gymnasium available for activities like basketball or \u2018rainy day\u2019 options. \u00a0They also have summer camp programs, a youth business education program, summer meals for kids\u2014the list just keeps on going!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a pretty cool perk that some <\/em>towns have their own community centers.\u00a0 Like the town of Greece has its\u2019 own with free membership for town residents and a low cost membership for non-residents.\u00a0 The same is true for the Webster Rec Center and Penfield Community Center, while the Gates Community Center is free to both residents and<\/em> non-residents.\u00a0 Although smaller towns may not provide a community center, many provide free classes and activities as well as free concerts and festivals.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not into the structured activities, the department also maintains the parks and nature areas owned by each town.\u00a0 Many of these parks have trails and playgrounds available for families to utilize and some (like these http:\/\/www.cityofrochester.gov\/sprayparks\/<\/a>) get super fancy and have splash pads and pools available for use in the summer. \u00a0Going on a hike or a picnic or even spending a few hours on the playground are a great way to get outside and away from the distractions of life (couldn\u2019t we all use that from time to time?!)\u00a0\u00a0 According to the National Wildlife Federation, \u201cchildren benefit greatly from playing outdoors\u201d.\u00a0 Well, I could have told you that!\u00a0 But<\/em>, I probably couldn\u2019t have told you truly how many benefits kids get from spending time outdoors, like the reduction of hyperactivity symptoms, higher scores on standardized testing, lower stress levels, increased fitness levels, improved vision, increased exposure to vitamin D and lower chances of obesity\u2014um\u2026 maybe I need to reevaluate my weekend plans to make it to a park?! \u00a0\u00a0We think that utilizing the local parks is a great way for parents and caregivers to contribute to the health and well-being of their children for free<\/em>; it is also a wonderful way to encourage an active lifestyle for children not involved in structured sports programs (which can be costly, and let\u2019s face it, not every kid is into it).<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the take away?\u00a0 No matter what town you live in, there is most likely a Parks and Recreation Department nearby with activities and resources available for you to utilize!\u00a0 Listed below are the websites for several Parks and Rec departments in the Monroe County area, and if your town is not listed below please check online on your town\u2019s website for more information. \u00a0Happy summer from everyone at SPCC!<\/p>\n

Rochester Parks and Recreation:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.cityofrochester.gov\/recreationbureau\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Brighton Parks and Recreation:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.townofbrighton.org\/220\/Recreation-and-Parks<\/a><\/p>\n

Greece Parks and Recreation:<\/strong> https:\/\/greeceny.gov\/departments\/cscparks\/general-information<\/a><\/p>\n

Irondequoit Parks and Recreation:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.irondequoit.org\/town-departments\/recreation\/summer-day-camps\/17-departments\/115-programs-and-activities<\/a><\/p>\n

Webster Parks and Recreation:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.ci.webster.ny.us\/104\/Parks-Recreation<\/a><\/p>\n

Penfield Parks and Recreation:<\/strong>\u00a0 http:\/\/www.penfieldrec.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Gates Parks and Recreation: <\/strong>https:\/\/gatesrecparks.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Other Resources:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.nwf.org\/What-We-Do\/Kids-and-Nature\/Why-Get-Kids-Outside\/Health-Benefits.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet this month\u2019s blogger, Kate Bucella! \u00a0Kate works as the Administrative Assistant in SPCC\u2019s WIC (Women, Infants & Children) Vendor…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":17275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[171,177,49,42,170,173,172,175,174],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ftip","category-hfm","category-infant-mental-health","category-passions","category-programs","category-svp","category-tapss","category-tvp","category-wic"],"yoast_head":"\nExploring Rochester - Society for the Protection and Care of Children<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spcc-roch.org\/?p=1272\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exploring Rochester - Society for the Protection and Care of Children\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meet this month\u2019s blogger, Kate Bucella! 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