One year into its launch, Growing Healthy Places: Mississauga is advancing its goal to improve physical activity, access to nourishing food, and overall quality of life for children aged 6–13 in underserved Mississauga communities.
A partnership initially beginning with Ophea, 8 80 Cities, Brock University, with funding from Novo Nordisk – as part of the global Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiative from Cities for Better Health – has expanded to include the City of Mississauga, Peel District School Board, and Peel Public Health as partners in co-designing, delivering and evaluating local approaches to enhance access to nutritious food and foster active lifestyles for children across Mississauga.
Working Together to Address Current Inequalities
The Growing Healthy Places: Mississauga team has been working hard to address the needs of their community. We asked them to reflect on the work achieved in the past year:
“The Peel District School Board has been working with schools and community partners to ‘Grow Healthy Places’ in Mississauga, addressing health equity barriers faced by elementary students. Together, we’ve co-designed programs that expand access to healthy food and physical activity, and we’re excited to begin bringing these ideas to life across participating schools. This next phase is about turning collaboration into meaningful action that helps our school communities grow.”
- Delia Chan, Instructional Resource Teacher: Health & Physical Education Curriculum & School Improvement, Peel District School Board.
“This initiative demonstrates the powerful impact strong partnerships can have on children’s health and well-being. Peel Public Health is proud to be a committed partner in advancing access to nutritious food and opportunities for active living. Together, we’re driving meaningful change for children across Mississauga.”
- Paul Sharma, Director of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Peel Public Health.
“Our next steps in the Growing Healthy Places: Mississauga program will see us focused on developing equipment lending programs and enhancing before and after-school programs to help create more opportunities for children to play, learn, and stay active beyond the school day, and ensure our programs are welcoming, inclusive, and supportive for families across our communities. These efforts build on the foundation set out in our Healthy City Strategy, the Future Directions Plans in Recreation, Parks, Forestry and Environment and Library, and the City’s new Empowering Change: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.”
- Lisa Boyce-Gonsalves, Director Recreation and Culture, City of Mississauga.
Fostering Healthy Lifestyles in Mississauga Schools
Ten schools from the Peel District School Board have been selected in five Mississauga neighbourhoods to participate in implementing a package of programs to increase students’ opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating. These schools include Tomken Road M.S., Nahani Way P.S., Glenhaven Sr. P.S., Forest Glen P.S., Darcel Avenue Sr. P.S., Ridgewood P.S., Fairwind Sr. P.S., Silver Creek P.S., The Valleys Sr. P.S., and Elm Drive P.S. Twelve additional schools with similar profiles are serving as vital benchmarks to measure the program’s effects on children’s health and well-being led by research partner Brock University.
The five-part program package will be rolled out in schools and neighbourhoods during the 2025-2026 and 2026–2027 school years, and includes:
- Improving Daily Physical Activity (DPA): Providing schools with support and resources to lead inclusive daily activities with students that encourage them to move their bodies more during the school day.
- Introducing or expanding school nutrition programs: Expanding access to fresh and nutritious foods for more students.
- Improving and activating school spaces: Enhancing indoor and outdoor school spaces, such as hallways and schoolyards, to give students more opportunities to play and move year-round.
- Developing before- and after-school programs: Introducing or expanding free drop-in programs that provide opportunities for play and nutrition learning beyond school hours.
- Piloting community lending libraries: Creating lending hubs for families that offer free access to all-season equipment and complimentary local resources to support physical activity.
Michele Cummings, Principal at Silver Creek Public School, reflects on what being a part of this initiative means for her school: “When students feel healthy, active, and supported, they are better able to learn and lead. Growing Healthy Places: Mississauga is helping us bring our community’s shared vision to life at Silver Creek Public School—enhancing spaces where students can move and connect, strengthening access to nutritious food, and empowering students to take pride in leading Daily Physical Activity. Together, we’re creating a school environment where every student can thrive.”
Moving from co-creation to action
Co-created with schools and communities, the program package reflects five months of engagement with over 1,230 community members, including students, caregivers, and educators, through pop-up events in schools and shared community spaces, focus group discussions, and co-design workshops to identify what matters most in growing healthy, active schools and neighbourhoods.
Over the next two years, Growing Healthy Places: Mississauga will work with schools and community partners to implement and expand programming in participating schools.
As part of the global Cities for Better Health initiative, Mississauga is spotlighted in episode two of their documentary series “Our City, Our Health” showcasing inspiring community-led solutions that already exist.
Interested in learning more about Growing Healthy Places? Email: [email protected].
