Safe Education & Recreation for Rural Families (SERRF)

SERRF Afterschool Program Overview
The SERRF (Safe Education and Recreation for Rural Families) program was established in August 1999 as a consortium of districts and schools collaborating through the Tehama County Department of Education as the LEA.  Initial funding was through 21st Century Community Learning Centers and through state program funds.  Our program continues to receive renewals for each grant cycle.  Woodson and Olive View Elementary School SERRF programs also receive additional 21st Century Community Learning Centers funding.
All 25 public schools in Tehama County have SERRF programs at their site.  These schools serve Kindergarten through 8th grade students.  There are 12 school districts:  Antelope, Evergreen, Elkins, Flournoy, Red Bluff, Gerber, Kirkwood, Lassen View, Los Molinos, Corning, Reeds Creek and Richfield.  More than 50% of the students at these sites are eligible for free and reduced lunch.  During the 2014-2015 school year SERRF served more than 1800 students. 860 students participated in the Summer SERRF programs at Manton, Los Molinos, Antelope, Metteer, Olive View and West Street schools.

The SERRF Vision Statement is:  To blend the enthusiasm of youth with the dedication of parents, the commitment of educators, and the expertise of the community members to promote academic competence, assist children in achieving their fullest potential, and plant the seeds of responsibility and service to their community.

Healthy Behaviors
Early on the Antelope SERRF program had a forward thinking facilitator who promoted healthy behaviors and improving nutrition awareness with the students.  She advocated for staff to be role models for the students by becoming more active in physical activities and drinking only water on campus.  The momentum was right to seek HBI Learning Center status as the new school garden received funding, donations and in-kind work hours.  SERRF students were rotating through the garden with lessons from JT Shoults, SERRF’s new garden instructor.  We were certified as an HBI Learning Center at this time.

Each year new staff receives instruction in what it means to be an HBI certified learning center.  We encourage them to demonstrate healthy behaviors and carry out their lesson plans and activities with the goal of continuing improving in each of the practices.

All SERRF facilitators have received the 2015 edition of “Changing Lives, Saving Lives” which is used during the annual facilitator training in August.  During the training the Antelope SERRF facilitator shares what her site is doing to promote healthy living and each site is asked to identify a practice they will focus on at their site. 

New staff are oriented to the SERRF practice of having water as their only beverage on campus.  Students have taken note of this, they bring their own water bottles and enjoy having staff acknowledge their healthy choices.

All sites bring five gallon jugs of water outside for students to drink during physical activities such as gardening, golf, soccer, basketball, relays and obstacle courses.  We are becoming more consistent with this practice as many school drinking fountains are not in good working condition.

Antelope, Gerber, Lassen View and Berrendos SERRF programs have received daily “super snacks” through Red Bluff High School’s ASSETs program in addition to the regular snack program.  This has been very well received by students and their families, especially with upper grade students and sports participants.

We’ve started a summer lunch program at Manton SERRF in partnership with the Tehama County Social Services Department, Community Action Agency.  A weekly nutrition education session is held with the students, followed by lunch preparation.  After lunch students join their parents for further health sessions with a nutrition educator.  Families go home with either a bag of groceries or a $25 grocery store gift card.  (Manton is an outlying community 30 miles from grocery stores, medical services and more.  Access to services is even more difficult in winter as the community is located as the base of Lassen National Forest.)  The Community Action Agency also provides family education sessions on topics such a completing CalFresh applications, car seat safety and nutrition for the Antelope summer SERRF program.

We continue to partner with local agencies such as Tehama County Health Services Agency (promoting physical activities, improved nutrition and higher consumption of water), Tehama County Mental Health Division (providing drumming sessions to groups of 25 students at all SERRF sites), UCCE CalFresh programs (PA, good nutrition and Re-Think Your Drink), Greenville Rancheria Clinic (visits to numerous SERRF sites with Native American folklore books with a health focus; providing toothbrushes and toothpaste for students).

This was the third year all SERRF sites participate in “GOFAR – Go Out For A Run”, utilizing an 8-week curriculum which combines physical fitness, walking and running embedded with weekly character education.  This culminated with a weekend 1-mile walk/5K run which was open to SERRF students, their family and friends, and the public.  St. Elizabeth Hospital donated peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and sliced oranges prepared by the hospital food services staff.  The hospital also sponsored a bus to bring Corning students and families to this event.  A 7-Up distributor donated cases of bottled water and a physical therapist was available to help with physical injury concerns.

SERRF also celebrates National Women and Girls Sports Week.  Area high school athletes partner with a SERRF site as ambassadors to promote being physically active and the value of being part of a team.  All athletes are photographed by a local photography business and their photos are featured at the Color Run breakfast. The Color Run is sponsored by St. Elizabeth Hospital and the Corning High School track.  This event is so well received the high school wants to turn it into an annual event.  SERRF also plans to invite the athlete ambassadors to participate in the GOFAR program and culminating run.

The Antelope SERRF program used a $3000 grant from the Butte County Office of Education/Learning Support-Expanded Learning Services to purchase a “Smoothie Bike”.  The Smoothie Bike has been used at Antelope and at county-wide celebrations for students to “ride” their way to a smoothie treat made from healthy ingredients.  It shows the students that good food and good exercise are the way to a healthy lifestyle.  The grant also helped pay for a garden instructor and paid the registration fee for one staff member to attend the Biennial Obesity Prevention Conference.

Recognition
The Red Bluff Daily News featured an article about a SERRF site almost every week of the 2014-15 school year.  Each site submitted a photo with a byline describing what their site was up to.  This was noticed in the community as “SERRF was always in the news”. 

The Northstate Parent Magazine (May 2015) included the SERRF program school based gardens as part of their coverage of student involvement in school gardens.