SRPC’s Pathways to Play (PTP) project, funded by the NH Children’s Health foundation (NHCHF), was focused on understanding access to recreation in the Strafford region. Through data collection, analysis, communication, and advocacy, this project aimed to prevent obesity in children up to age 5 in the Strafford region by increasing awareness of and access to recreation. The project also built capacity for local policies and practices to promote recreation through improvements to infrastructure and safety.

The two phases of this project included compiling a comprehensive data layer of all the publicly accessible recreation sites in the region and mapping these recreation sites with additional demographic and transportation infrastructure data for SRPC’s 18 communities, and a pilot project in Somersworth. Somersworth, a city with 486 families with children younger than 5, partnered with SRPC staff to focus on three parks: Jules Bisson, the Riverwalk, and Malley Farm. The outcome, a report informed by a robust outreach process and input from municipal staff, provided an accessibility review for the parks and recommendations for the future of these three recreational resources.

Following the success of this project, SRPC received another round of funding from the NHCHF for its Promoting Outdoor Play! (POP!) project.