Get Healthy Utah News and Blog

Implementing a Milers Morning Program in Schools

Written by Susanne Creer, Physical Education Specialist at Terra Linda Elementary School

Milers is a voluntary morning before school walk/jog program that we did in Nevada at my children’s elementary school. This can be implemented by a teacher or the parent volunteers. When I was co-chair of this program I was a parent not a PE teacher. Another school near us also had a milers program and was run by the PE teacher with help from parents. The way we did it 10 years ago was a lot more work with paper cards and volunteers punching cards foreach lap but I have discovered a much easier way to do this program that doesn’t require nearly as much support using the technology of the EZ scan app https://ezmileageclub.com/. It is very inexpensive. This program could also be used by teachers during the day for brain breaks, students who want to run/walk laps at lunch or recess, or special events.

The students earn rewards for each 10 miles they walk or jog or whatever mile or lap increment you set up. A bigger goal could be earning a 100 miles or laps and a special reward set up for that such as a special t-shirt, medal, or trophy. The purpose of this program is to get kids moving before school and to help instill a love for physical activity and lifetime wellness. The benefits are obvious cardiovascular improvement but it also helps with social and emotional learning, mental health, goal setting, and determination. The most compelling and powerful benefit of all is that regular physical activity has been shown through many scientific studies to provide enormous cognitive benefits increasing brain function and academic achievement especially in children https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5934999/.

What also makes this morning program special is that parents, grandparents, other caretakers, and school staff can also participate. This helps to build relationships between parents and students and school staff.

How do you get a program started?

1. Choose a time that a PE teacher or parents/pta can supervise. At my school we are looking at 8:15 - 8:45 am with school starting at 9:00. Because I am new to the school we are waiting until the Spring to start our program but ideally in Utah you would want to get this program started as soon as possible in the school year.

2. Set up a course to run laps in the grass area of your school or wherever you can mark off cones for laps. Use a meter wheel to determine your mile distance which may consist of several laps to equal one mile.

3. Use the EZ scan app https://ezmileageclub.com/ with scan cards for each student participating. We are going to get lanyards with the badge slot to put the cards in so students can wear them while they run and use them year after year. The EZ scan app can be set up on an ipad sitting on a table where the students scan their card with each lap they complete. One parent or teacher ideally would be there to make sure they complete the lap but it would not be required.

4. The EZ scan will track the mileage/laps completed by up to 1500 participants so a teacher/parent can keep track of students who meet each level. 10 miles, 20 miles etc. We did ribbons in Nevada and would give it to their school teacher to present in class. It could also be a paper award or some other designated prize. Parents/PTA can help with this if they are willing to.

5. We also would have a wall in the school where each student will have a paper shoe that they color at the beginning of the year and has their name on it. As they complete each10 miles they will move down the track which will be on a wall for recognition. This is fun for the kids to see their progress.

6. When students meet a big goal that your school determines is the pinnacle you can have a special shirt made. At our school in Nevada we had students design the 100 mile t-shirt and then the kids voted on their favorite design. Each year this was a new t-shirt. Only the kids who complete 100 miles were able to get one. We also had lots of parents there to ring bells, cheer and have posters when they completed the big goal. We have also done trophies for 100 miles. The bigger award we liked to make a big deal about at school award assemblies but also on the field when it happens. Parents would be there and other teachers etc. to celebrate with them.

7. Use music outside while the kids run/walk. It creates a fun atmosphere. You can do it all the time or just on Fridays to make it more special.

8. We have done a large banner outside on the fence for Milers that had all of the sponsors for our program on the banner including parents as well as businesses that we used for prizes and other supplies. The banner itself was also donated by a business.

9. Reminder that this program could also be done during lunch recess or brain breaks or special events.

10. In Utah the mileage could possible be taken indoors into the gym before school. If that is not an option then students could do it in the first couple months of school and the last couple months of school if weather does not agree with being outside. I'm new to Utah, so we will see how that goes. Also the goals can be adjusted if there is less time to walk/jog outdoors to maybe 50 miles being the big goal.

Program Pictures

This spring, Get Healthy Utah partnered with the Utah Foundation and Guiding Our Growth to host the first-ever Healthy Communities Roadshow! The roadshow, which ran from March to May 2024, consisted of ten in-person events around the state:

• Farmington City (Davis County Region)
• Nibley City (Bear River Region)
• Ogden City (Weber-Morgan Region)
• Park City (Summit/Wasatch Region)
• Price City (Southeast Region)
• Provo City (Utah County Region)
• Sandy City (South Salt Lake Region)
• City of St. George (Southwest/Five County Region)
• West Valley City (North Salt Lake Region)
• Vernal City (Uintah Basin Region)

The events lasted two hours each and educated community leaders on resources and strategies for building a healthy community. Attendees included mayors, city councils, regional staff and planners, health coalition members, local health departments, and more. The roadshow connected leaders with their local resources and gave them the tools and knowledge needed to improve health where they live.

Partner Presentations

The roadshow events began with three partner presentations from Guiding Our Growth, the Utah Foundation, and Get Healthy Utah.

Guiding Our Growth

Utah is one of the fastest growing states in the nation, and that growth comes with both benefits and challenges. On the one hand, rapid growth indicates that Utah is an amazing place to live and many families choose to remain here for generations. On the other hand, growth can be difficult to manage and can strain our housing market, infrastructure, and natural resources.

To ensure that Utah not only grows, but grows in a way that reflects the wishes of its residents, the Utah State Legislature funded the Guiding Our Growth initiative. Residents from every county were surveyed about key issues like housing, water availability, transportation, and open space. The feedback, compiled in 2023, serves as a valuable tool to advise both local and state-level policymaking. To view the results, visit https://guidingourgrowth.utah.gov/survey-results/. 

Utah Foundation

The Utah Foundation is a non-partisan public policy research group that publishes research on the most critical issues facing our state. Last year, the Utah Foundation released three reports as part of its Healthy Communities Series. The reports were titled Healthy Communities: Enhancing Open Space, Healthy Communities: Advancing Wellness and Safety, and Healthy Communities: Cultivating Food Access.

The reports share that in order to grow most effectively, Utahns must understand and address the underlying factors affecting population health, safety, and nutrition. These reports, made available on the Utah Foundation website, are full of evidence-based recommendations for bettering life in Utah.

Get Healthy Utah

Get Healthy Utah partnered with the Utah League of CIties and Towns to create the Healthy Utah Community designation. This designation, attainable by cities and towns of all sizes, is awarded to communities that implement evidence-based health practices. To earn the designation, a community must submit a letter of commitment, organize a local health coalition, carry out projects that improve nutrition, physical activity, and mental wellness, and draft a 3-year community health plan.

To date, nearly 50 communities have earned the designation, with more applying every year. To learn more, visit  https://gethealthyutah.org/healthyutahcommunity.

Healthy Utah Community Highlight

Following the partner presentations, leaders from a local Healthy Utah Community presented on the ways their city or town promoted wellness and earned the designation. Examples include securing bonds for park and trail expansion, organizing fun community events, and prioritizing the needs of vulnerable populations like the elderly. At the end of each presentation, attendees were permitted to ask questions.

Group Discussion

Following the community highlight, Alysia Ducuara from Get Healthy Utah led the attendees in a group discussion. Topics included the assets and barriers that impact health in their local area, and the types of health policy that leaders were most interested in implementing. Answers were shared verbally in the group and through an interactive poll.

Roundtable Discussions

At the close of the event, attendees were given time to network and visit various roundtables. The roundtables featured local experts who shared resources for building healthy communities. Following the event, attendees were asked to complete an evaluation and were emailed a link to the slides and all content shared throughout the day.

Conclusion

The Healthy Communities Roadshow was a great success! A big thank you to all our regional partners and the more than 400 individuals who attended.

For those who missed the roadshow but would like to view a recording, you may access a one-hour webinar version HERE. You may also click HERE to view an eight-minute summary video.

Alysia Ducuara

Alysia Ducuara is the Executive Director for Get Healthy Utah.

Springtime means conference and event season at Get Healthy Utah! From visiting with our parks and recreation champions at URPA in March and presenting to our public health friends at UPHA in April to awarding Salt Lake County Health Department the Diabetes Prevention in the Worksite Award at the UWWC Conference and recognizing our next round of Healthy Utah Communities Designess at ULCT — we have been busy!

We are closing up our first-ever Healthy Communities Roadshow and have enjoyed visiting all of our communities across the state. After our tenth roadshow event in Vernal, we have met with over 400 participants representing elected officials, city/town staff, regional/county staff, transportation and city planners, public health and healthcare professionals, community members and more! It was great being able to connect with everyone in person, discuss how we can continue to build healthy communities, and be inspired by the passion and work of everyone prioritizing the health and quality of life of Utahns! We hope everyone who attended was able to take some action steps back to their communities. For those who missed an in-person event, we will be hosting a virtual webinar version of some of the roadshow presentations, along with a summary of our roadshow takeaways.

We also recently had our annual Advisory Council and Board Retreat meetings! This is another great opportunity to connect in-person with various leaders across our partner sectors, give updates, and discuss the future direction of our organization. The role and power of Get Healthy Utah to convene and align efforts across sectors continues to be recognized and valued by our partners. We will continue to build on our pillars of convene, educate, amplify, and advocate for healthy communities! Please take our 10-year impact survey to give us feedback on what value Get Healthy Utah has brought to you, your organization, and your community and what we should prioritize in the next 10 years. We are grateful to all of you for being a part of this work! 

Trilby Cox

Trilby Cox is Co-Executive Director for Bike Utah, a Utah-based nonprofit. Bike Utah is partnering with Get Healthy Utah and Move Utah for the Connected Communities Summit this fall.

Bike Utah is a statewide nonprofit organization with a mission of making Utah a better place to ride. We envision a Utah where complete active transportation networks and thriving cycling culture contribute to livable, connected, healthy communities, allowing everyone to ride regardless of age, ability, race, or income. 

Throughout its nineteen year history, a number of passionate and dedicated staff, board, and volunteers have worked towards that mission through a number of programs and initiatives, focusing on education, planning, and advocacy efforts. A lot of good work has been accomplished over the years. In 2022, the Utah State Legislature tasked Bike Utah with conducting a year-long assessment of cycling needs throughout the state. Completed in June 2023, our findings revealed something beyond the needs of Utah’s residents. Bike Utah’s two main programs (the Bicycle and Safety Education Training (BEST) Program and the 1000 Miles Program) were addressing the needs of those for whom the programs were designed for, but we realized that by combining the efforts of BEST, 1000 Miles, and adding other community engagement, planning, and policy activities we were already doing, we could deliver a more holistic approach to serving Utah communities. 

In October 2023, with support from the Utah Highway Department of Public Safety, the Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake County, and various foundations, Bike Utah implemented the Community Assistance Program, with all of our work guided by the Five Elements that are key to successful cycling communities in Utah. Our education, engagement, and planning teams work together with community groups, schools, nonprofit organizations, tribes, and government agencies to identify and address community-specific barriers to cycling in order to create a safer and more bike-friendly environment that is meaningful to residents. 

Examples of our assistance can include, but are not limited to: 

• Active transportation planning, 
• Tactical urbanism/pop-up projects, 
• Safe routes to schools planning, 
• Safe cycling training and implementation, 
• Bike bus training and implementation, 
• School program support, 
• Bike maintenance events, 
• Community workshops, 
• Community rides and events. 

Although Bike Utah’s Community Assistance Program is still relatively new, we have already accepted a good number of applications and are excited to be working with communities across the state to support their plans to make Utah a better place to ride.

Are you interested in how you can partner with Bike Utah? Visit Bike Utah's website to fill out an application today!