School Wellness Policy

1
School Wellness Policy

• Connie Stefkovich
• Nutrition Services
• Nebraska Department of Education

2
Percentage of Overweight U.S. Children and
Adolescents
18
16
14
12
10
Ages 12-19
8
6
5
4
4
Ages 6-11
2
0
1963-
1971-74
1976-80
1988-94
1999-
70
2002
gt95th percentile for BMI by age and sex based
on 2000 CDC BMI-for-age growth charts Data from
1963-65 for children 6-11 years of age and from
1966-70 for adolescents 12-17 years of age
Source National Center for Health Statistics
3
The Nebraska Problem
4
Health Trends

• More than 84 of young people eat too much fat,
  and more than 91 eat too much saturated fat.
• 51 of children and adolescents eat less than one
  serving of fruit a day and 29 eat less than one
  serving a day of vegetables that are not fried.

5
Health Trends - Continued

• The average calcium intake of adolescent girls is
  about 800 mg per day, considerably less than the
  current Recommended Dietary allowances for
  adolescents of 1300 mg per day.
• One in five students, aged 15-18, regularly skip
  breakfast.

6
Health Trends - Continued

• During the past 2 decades, the percentage of
  American children 6 to 11 who are overweight has
  more than doubled and the percentage among
  adolescents has tripled.
• Studies of young persons have found that
  television watching is directly associated with
  obesity.

7
Health Trends - Continued

• Children spend more time watching television than
  they spend on physical activity.
• Nearly 31 percent of high school students get
  insufficient amounts of physical activity.
• Teenagers today drink twice as
• much soda as milk.

8
Health Consequences

• Children and adolescents who are obese have a
  greater chance of becoming overweight or obese
  adults.
• One quarter of children ages 5 to 10 years show
  early warning signs of heart disease.
• Type II diabetes is being diagnosed more
  frequently among overweight children.

9
Health Consequences - Continued

• Overweight children are likely to miss four times
  more school than children who are not overweight.
• Increased consumption of carbonated beverages
  can lead to osteoporosis.

10
Connection to Learning

• Poor nutritions effect on learning
• Undernourished children attain lower scores on
  standardized tests, are more irritable, have
  difficulty concentrating and have less ability to
  resist infection and may miss more school
• Well nourished students who skip breakfast
  perform worse on tests and have poor
  concentration
• Poor nutrition and hunger interfere with
  cognitive function and are associated with lower
  achievement

11
Connection to Learning-continued

• Being physically active has a positive impact
• One study linked physical activity to stronger
  academic achievement, increased concentration,
  and improved math, reading, and writing scores.
• Another study found that students participating
  in daily physical education exhibit better
  attendance, a more positive attitude toward
  school, and superior academic performance.

12
Connection to Learning-continued

• Being physically active has a positive impact
• Physical activity among adolescents is
  consistently related to higher levels of
  self-esteem and lower levels of anxiety and
  stresseach of which has been associated with
  better academic performance.
• Moderate physical activity has positive impact on
  immune functionthis can help to prevent colds
  and flu.

13
Who Is Responsible?

• The physical activity and eating behaviors that
  affect weight are influenced by many sectors of
  society, including families, communities,
  organizations, health care providers, faith-based
  institutions, businesses, government agencies,
  the media, and schools. The involvement of all of
  these sectors will be needed to reverse the
  epidemic.- State Education Standard 12-04

14
Why School-Based Wellness?

• Health and success in school are interrelated.
  
• Schools cannot achieve their primary mission
  of education if students and staff are not
  healthy and fit physically, mentally and
  socially
• The nation's leading health authorities
  recommend that schools take an active role in
  preventing disabling chronic health conditions
  that create misery and consume a burdensome share
  of the nation's resources.
• National Association of State Boards of
  Education Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn, 2000

15
The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act
of 2004
Public Law 108-265 enacted 6/30/04 Section 204
Local Wellness Policies Not later than the
first day of the school year beginning after
June 30, 2006, each local educational agency
shall establish a local school wellness policy
16
School Wellness PolicyBasic Components

• 1. Policies targeting
• Nutrition education
• Physical activity
• Other school-based activities to promote wellness

17
School Wellness PolicyBasic Components

• Guidelines for reimbursable meals
• Nutrition guidelines for all foods
• at school
• Plan for measuring
• implementation
• 5. Community involvement

18
Nutrition Education

• Primary Goal
• Influence Student Eating Behaviors

19
Included in Nutrition Education

• Interactive skill building
• Coordinate classroom and cafeteria
• Consistent messages throughout school
• Nutrition education integrated into all subject
  areas
• Involve parents and community

20
Physical Activity

• Minimum 60 minutes of physical activity per day
• Opportunities for physical activity throughout
  the day
• After school opportunities for physical activity
• Community involvement

21
Goals to Promote
Student Wellness

• Provide a clean, safe, enjoyable meal environment
• Provide adequate time to eat meals at appropriate
  times
• Prohibit the use of food as a reward or
  punishment
• Provide enough serving and eating space to
  minimize waiting in line

22
Promoting Student Wellness

• Prohibit loss of opportunity for physical
  activity as punishment
• Ensure fund-raising activities are supportive of
  healthy eating
• Provide on-going professional development for
  food service staff and teachers in the areas of
  nutrition and physical education.

23
Promoting Student Wellness

• Provide student access to physical activity
  facilities outside school hours
• Schedule recess for elementary students before
  lunch
• Develop strategies for parents, school personnel
  and community members to serve as role models

24
Nutritional Requirements
25
Why Develop Nutrition Standards?

• A complex food supply complicates decision making
• Standards provide objective criteria that can be
  applied consistently

26
Where are foods available on the school campus
during the school day?

• School Meals
• A la carte in school meals programs
• Vending Machines
• School Stores
• Concession Stands
• Fundraising Events
• Classroom Parties
• Special Events
  

27
Establish Nutrition Standards for Competitive
Foods

• Food Standards to Promote a Healthy School
  Environment (NE AFHK)
• A la carte and Competitive Foods
• Foods at maximal nutrient density
• Control portion size

28
Influence Food and Beverage ContractsSchool
Choices

• Vending contracts provide selling rights in
  return for cash or non-cash benefits
• Schools can negotiate contracts that encourage
  healthy eating

29
Current Requirements in Nebraska Schools

• Foods of minimal nutritional value as defined by
  USDA cannot be sold in the cafeteria during meal
  service.
• No foods or beverages can be sold in competition
  with the school meals program from ½ hour before
  to ½ hour after meal service.

30
Can Schools Improve Nutrition Standards AND
Maintain Revenues?

• Students will buy and consume healthful foods
  and beveragesand schools can make money from
  selling healthful options.
• Of the 17 schools and school districts that
  reported income data, 12 increased their revenue
  as a result of the changes and 4 reported no
  change.

Making It Happen! School Nutrition Success
Stories, USDAs Team Nutrition Program.
31
Use Fundraising Activities and Rewards that
Support Student Health

• Sell nutritious foods and beverages
• Sell non-food items
• Raise money through activity-related events
• Reward students with non-food items or activities

32
Local School Wellness Policy Development
Clear Statement of Roles Objectives

Evaluate Results
Identify Partners
District Assessment
Implement
Identify Challenges
Develop Plan
Adapted From School Nutrition Association
33
How to Create and Implementa Local Wellness
Policy

• Initial Homework
• Know what must be included to meet USDA
  requirements
• Determine procedures for policy development
  within your district/school

34
How to Create and Implementa Local Wellness
Policy

• Step One-
• Identify a Policy Development Team
• Law requires
• School Administrators
• School Nutrition Representatives
• Parents
• Students
• School Board Members
• Community Members

35
Additional Team Members

• Teachers - Health, PE, Elementary, Science,
  Family and Consumer Science
• School Nurse
• Coaches

36
Effective Members

• Demonstrate interest in improving school
  nutrition and physical activity in school
• Are effective communicators and team players
• Have policy related experience

37
How to Create and Implementa Local Wellness
Policy

• Step Two-
• Assess the Districts needs
• Look at current nutrition and physical activity
  needs
• Various tools are available on the FNS-USDA web
  site

38
School Health Indexhttp//apps.nccd.cdc.gov/shi/

• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your
  schools policies and programs for promoting
  health and safety
• Develop an action plan for improving student
  health and safety
• Involve teachers, parents, students, and the
  community in improving school policies, programs
  and services

39
How to Create and Implementa Local Wellness
Policy

• Step Three-
• Identify Challenges
• Use the strengths in your school
• Plan for change to alleviate weaknesses

40
ExampleFinding from School Health Index

• Challenge A large percentage of elementary
  students do not eat breakfast before school
  begins.
• Brainstorming Session
• Plan Start a School Breakfast Program and
  provide parents with information on the
  importance of breakfast.

41
How to Create and Implementa Local Wellness
Policy

• Step Four-
• Draft a Policy
• Must address the items required by law
• Sample policies are available

42
School Wellness Policy Basic Components

• Policies targeting
• Nutrition education
• Physical activity
• Other school-based activities to promote wellness
• Nutrition guidelines for all foods at school
• Guidelines for reimbursable meals
• Plan for measuring implementation
• 5. Community involvement

43
ExampleModel Policy Language

• Breakfast. To ensure that all children have
  breakfast, either at home or at school, in order
  to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their
  ability to learn
• Schools will, to the extent possible, operate the
  School Breakfast Program.
• Schools will encourage parents to provide a
  healthy breakfast for their children through
  newsletter articles, take-home materials, or
  other means.

44
While the policy is being written, schools
should

• Build Awareness and Support
• Student involvement
• Consistent message
• Identify benefits
• Plan for adoption by Board
• of Education

45
How to Create and Implementa Local Wellness
Policy

• Step Five-
• Implement the Policy
• Requires
• Good planning and management skills
• Necessary resources
• Consistent oversight
• Widespread buy-in by school staff and the local
  community

46
How to Create and Implementa Local Wellness
Policy

• Step Six-
• Maintain, Measure and Evaluate
• One or more persons must be identified as
  responsible for monitoring and updating the policy

47
USDA Team Nutrition Web Page
www.fns.usda.gov/tn
48
USDA Healthy School Web Page
teamnutrition.usda.gov/healthy-schools.html
49
Wellness Policy Web Page
teamnutrition.usda.gov/Healthy/wellnesspolicy.html
50
School Nutrition Web Page
http//www.schoolnutrition. org

51
Model Wellness Policyhttp//www.schoolwellnesspol
icies.org
52
NASBNebraska Association of School Boards

• Policy Update Service Subscribers
• General overview of legislation
• Model NASB Policy
• Sample Administrative Regulation
• Wellness Plan Outline

53
National Association of State Boards of Education

www.nasbe.org
54
Making it HappenSchool Nutrition Success Stories
teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/makingithappen.ht
ml
55
Kansas Department of Education
http//www.ksde.org/kneat/HomePage/kneathome.htm
56
Colorado Dept. of Education
http//www.cde.state.co.us/cdenutritran/nutriWelln
essGuide.htm
57
Please call Nutrition Services with questions

• 800-731-2233 in Nebraska
• or
• 471-2488 in Lincoln
• Connie.Stefkovich_at_nde.ne.gov