The "Story Behind the Curve" helps us understand the causes and forces at that work that explain the data behind this performance measure.

[How Much or How Well] What's Helping What We Do? These are the positive forces at work in our strategy/ program that influence how much we do or how well we do it.

• Funding and support through the Great Smokies Health Foundation

• Support and enthusiasm from the public school system including their maintenance dept and invested teachers, county parks and recreation department and public works. Everyone is working together to make this happen. 

[How Much or How Well] What's Hurting What We Do? These are the negative forces at work in our strategy/program that influence how much we do or how well we do it.

• High cost of lumber/materials can hinder the amount we are able to accomplish within grant limits

• Safety concerns of children being outside, though schools are making major improvements and have already removed outdoor areas they think people could hide in, etc

The following actions have been identified by our Healthy for Life Action Team, community members and stakeholders as ideas for what can work for this performance measure to make a difference on this issue. 

(A) Actions and Approaches Identified by Our Team These are actions and approaches that we think can make a difference for this performance measure.

• Promoting the walking trails through the Elevate 828 program

• Using the "free" labor offered by volunteers and agencies to make sure funding goes for materials

• Maintaining good communication with school principals and faculty to ensure their vision for the spaces are being met - treating each individual school as that - individual. 

(B) No-cost and Low-cost Ideas Identified by Our Team These are no-cost and low-cost actions and approaches that we think can make a difference for this performance measure.

• Leveraging the "free" labor offered to the program through county public works and school maintenance

• Seeking assistance from the local garden groups, churches, PTAs at the schools, etc to help beautify the spaces

(C) What your customers think would work to do better These are actions and approaches that our customers think can make a difference for this performance measure.

• Making the spaces multi-functioning, meaning that they can be used as outdoor classrooms, spaces for behavioral staff to connect with students, and an additional physical activity space for student, faculty, staff and the community. 

• Seeking and valueing the opinion of each individual school and what will work best within their school culture

(D) List of Questions/Research Agenda These are questions to follow-up on for this performance measure. 

• Ask each principal/faculty what they want for their spaces

• How often are the outdated spaces currently being utilized so that we have a baseline