Wellness Policy

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Wellness Policy

• A guide to understanding and developing a
  Wellness Policy in your school district.

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Section 204 of Public Law 108-265

• Became Law June 30, 2004
• Section 204 of the Child Nutrition and WIC
  Reauthorization Act of 2004
• Components of a Wellness Policy
• Goals for nutrition education, physical activity,
  and other school-based activities.
• Nutrition guidelines for all foods sold on campus
• Assurance that school meals meet USDA regulations
• Establish plan for measuring implementation of
  wellness policy
• Involve parents, students, and representatives of
  school food authority and others.

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Steps to Creating Policy

• Create the guest list who will you invite to
  create policy writing team?
• Plan the menu how far reaching do you want your
  policy to be?

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Plan The Menu

• Policy must include the following
• 1a. Nutrition education goals
• 1b. Physical activity goals
• 1c. Other school-based activities
• 2. Nutrition guidelines/standards
• 3. Assurances that USDA school meals guidelines
  are being met
• 4. Plan for measuring implementation
• Designation of 1 or more people to ensure
  wellness policy is being met at all school
  buildings
• We recommend having a specific workgroup
  designated to work on each of the above sections.

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1a. Nutrition Education Goals

• The primary goal of nutrition education is to
  influence students' eating behaviors. The
  following should be considered when establishing
  nutrition education policy language
• Students in grades pre-K -12 receive nutrition
  education that is interactive and teaches the
  skills they need to adopt healthy eating
  behaviors.
• Nutrition education is offered in the school
  dining room as well as in the classroom, with
  coordination between the foodservice staff and
  teachers.
• Students receive consistent nutrition messages
  throughout the school, classroom, cafeteria,
  home, community and media.
• http//www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Healthy/policy_componen
  t1.html

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1a. Nutrition Education Goals

• State and district health education curriculum
  standards and guidelines include both nutrition
  and physical education.
• Nutrition is integrated into the health education
  curricula or core curriculum (e.g., math,
  science, language arts).
• Schools link nutrition education activities with
  the coordinated school health program.
• Staff who provide nutrition education have
  appropriate training.
• Schools are Team Nutrition Schools and they
  conduct nutrition education activities and
  promotions that involve parents, students, and
  the community.

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1b. Physical Activity Goals

• The primary goal for a school's physical activity
  component is to provide opportunities for every
  student to develop the knowledge and skills for
  specific physical activities, maintain physical
  fitness, regularly participate in physical
  activity, and understand the short- and long-term
  benefits of a physically active and healthful
  lifestyle.
• The following examples of policy language should
  be considered when setting goals for physical
  activity.
• At a minimum, students should have 60 minutes of
  physical activity on most, preferably all, days
  of the week.

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1b. Physical Activity Goals

• Students should be given opportunities for
  physical activity during the school day through
  daily recess periods, elective physical education
  (PE) classes, walking programs, and the
  integration of physical activity into the
  academic curriculum.
• Students should be given opportunities for
  physical activity through a range of after-school
  programs including intramurals, interscholastic
  athletics, and physical activity clubs.
• Schools should work with the community to create
  an environment that is safe and supportive of
  students' physically active commute to and from
  school.

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1c. Other School Based Activities

• Policies established under this category create a
  school environment that provides consistent
  wellness messages and is conducive to healthy
  eating and being physically active. Examples of
  policy language include
• Provide a clean, safe, enjoyable meal environment
  for students.
• Provide adequate time for students to enjoy
  eating healthy foods with friends, scheduled as
  near the middle of the school day as possible.
• Prohibit use of food as a reward or punishment.
• Provide enough space and serving areas to ensure
  student access to school meals with a minimum of
  wait time.
• Prohibit denial of student participation in
  recess or other physical activity as a form of
  discipline, or cancellation of recess or other
  physical activity time for instructional make-up
  time.

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1c. Other School Based Activities

• Ensure fundraising efforts are supportive of
  healthy eating.
• Provide on-going professional training and
  development for foodservice staff and teachers in
  the areas of nutrition and physical education.
• Provide student access to physical activity
  facilities outside school hours.
• Schedule recess for elementary grades before
  lunch so that children will come to lunch less
  distracted and ready to eat.
• Develop strategies for parents, teachers, school
  administrators, students, foodservice
  professionals, and community members to serve as
  role models in practicing healthy eating and
  being physically active, both in school and at
  home.

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2. Nutrition Guidelines/Standards

• Students' lifelong eating habits are greatly
  influenced by the types of foods and beverages
  available to them.
• Standards must be established to address all
  foods and beverages sold or served to students,
  including those available outside of the school
  meal programs.
• The following items should be considered when
  setting nutrition standards for all available
  foods during the school day. These standards
  should focus on increasing nutrient density,
  decreasing fat and added sugars, and moderating
  portion size.
• Set guidelines for foods and beverages in a la
  carte sales in the food service program on school
  campuses.
• Set guidelines for foods and beverages sold in
  vending machines, snack bars, school stores, and
  concession stands on school campuses.
• Set guidelines for foods and beverages sold as
  part of school-sponsored fundraising activities.
• Set guidelines for refreshments served at
  parties, celebrations, and meetings during the
  school day.

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3. Assurance that School Meals Meet USDA Standards

• Schools must ensure that reimbursable school
  meals meet the program requirements and nutrition
  standards set forth under the 7 CFR Part 210 and
  Part 220.

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4. Plan for Measuring Implementation

• Establish a plan for measuring implementation of
  the local wellness policy
• Including designation of 1 or more persons within
  the local educational agency or at each school,
  as appropriate, charged with operational
  responsibility for ensuring that the school meets
  the local wellness policy.
• Recommendation - periodically assess how well the
  policy is being managed and enforced, and
  evaluate any financial impact to vending
  policies. Evaluation and feedback are very
  important in maintaining a sound, school wellness
  policy.

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Sample Local School Wellness Policies

• http//www.asfsa.org/childnutrition/wellnesspolici
  es/districtsamples.asp
• California
• Hemet Unified School District
• Los Angeles USD (in Adobe Acrobat format)
• Oakland USD (in Adobe Acrobat format)
• San Francisco USD (in Adobe Acrobat format)
• Georgia
• DeKalb County Schools
• Maine
• Maine School Administrative District 22
• Minnesota
• Wilmar Public Schools
• New York
• New York Public Schools (in Adobe Acrobat format)
  
• Pennsylvania
• School District of Philadelphia
• Texas
• Austin ISD

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Example Wellness Policy
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Example Policy 2
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Nutrition Resources

• Team Nutrition Changing the Scene Improving the
  School Nutrition Environment. Developed by U.S.
  Department of Agriculture (USDA) Team Nutrition,
  this guide is designed to assist parents, school
  administrators, teachers, school foodservice
  employees, and other concerned members of the
  community to examine their school's nutrition
  environment, develop a plan for improvement, and
  put the plan into action.
• Michigans State Board of Education Nutrition
  Policy and toolkit
• A Call to Action
• Team Nutrition Getting it Started and Keeping it
  Going
• HealthierUS Schools Challenge

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Nutrition Resources

• Other Federal Agencies
• Guidelines for School Health Programs to Promote
  Lifelong Healthy Eating PDF 490K. These
  guidelines identify school-based strategies most
  likely to be effective in promoting lifelong
  healthy eating among young people.
• Resource Guide for Nutrition and Physical
  Activity Interventions to Prevent Obesity and
  Other Chronic Diseases. This document provides
  selected references and resources for developing
  or updating community nutrition and physical
  activity programs. Topics include obesity
  prevention and control, increased physical
  activity, improved nutrition, and reduced
  television time.
• Healthy School Action Tool at www.mihealthtools.or
  g/schools This tool enables schools to identify
  the strengths and weaknesses of nutrition and
  physical activity environments and develop an
  action plan for improvement.
• Ten Strategies for Promoting Physical Activity,
  Healthy Eating, and a Tobacco-Free Lifestyle
  Through School Health Programs PDF 60K. This
  publication identifies actions that schools can
  take to implement CDC's school health guidelines
  in these content areas.

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Nutrition Resources

• Non-Governmental Organizations
• Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn A School Health
  Policy Guide Produced by the National Association
  of State Boards of Education (NASBE), this
  document provides direction to states, school
  districts, and individual schools on establishing
  an overall policy framework for school health
  programs and specific policies on promoting
  healthy eating among young people.
• Healthy School Food Policies Checklist
  Distributed by the Center for Food and Justice's
  Urban and Environmental Policy Institute, this
  document contains many of the innovative policies
  that have been adopted or proposed to improve
  school food.
• How You Can Take Action Developed by Action for
  Healthy Kids, these recommendations offer ways
  parents, school personnel, and others can take
  action to improve children's nutrition and
  physical activity in the education environment.
• Keys to Excellence Standard of Practice for
  Nutrition Integrity Published by the American
  Food Services Association (AFSA), this tool
  identifies the elements of a quality school
  nutrition program. It provides an easy-to-use
  evaluation form for assessing program quality and
  tracking progress in developing and implementing
  plans to achieve goals.
• National Food Service Management Institute
  Resource Guide PDF 1.8 Mb. This resource guide
  includes information on educational materials,
  videotapes, reports applied research, and other
  resources for professional development that
  promote the improvement of child nutrition
  programs.
• Preventing Obesity in Youth through School-Based
  Efforts PDF 290K. Developed by the National
  Governor's Association (NGA), this Issue Brief
  addresses childhood obesity and the role of
  schools in promoting healthy living and includes
  recommendations, examples, and resources for
  state leaders.

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Physical Activity Resources

• CDC Brochures for Parents, Teachers, and
  Principals to Increase Physical Activity Among
  Youth. These colorful brochures are designed to
  help parents, teachers, and principals increase
  physical activity among elementary and middle
  school-aged youth.
• Guidelines for School and Community Programs to
  Promote Lifelong Physical Activity Among Young
  People. This document identifies strategies most
  likely to be effective in helping young people
  adopt and maintain a physically active lifestyle.
  
• KidsWalk-to-School This community-based program
  aims to increase opportunities for daily physical
  activity by encouraging children to walk to and
  from school in groups accompanied by adults. It
  also encourages collaboration among partners to
  create an environment that is supportive of
  walking and bicycling to school safely.
• Physical Activity Evaluation Handbook PDF 590K.
  This handbook outlines the six basic steps of
  program evaluation and illustrates each step with
  physical activity program examples.
• Projects to Increase Physical Activity Among
  Youth This report provides descriptions of
  projects implemented by state and local education
  agencies and national organizations to increase
  physical activity among youth.
• Promoting Better Health for Young People Through
  Physical Activity and Sports This 2000 report,
  written by the Secretary of Health and Human
  Services and the Secretary of Education and
  released by the White House, outlines 10
  strategies to promote health through lifelong
  participation in enjoyable and safe physical
  activity and sports.

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Physical Activity Resources

• Promoting Physical Activity A Guide for
  Community Action This guide uses a social
  marketing and behavioral science approach to
  intervention planning, guiding users through a
  step-by-step process to address the target
  population's understanding and skills, the social
  networks, the physical environments in which they
  live and work, and the policies that most
  influence their actions.
• Resource Guide for Nutrition and Physical
  Activity Interventions to Prevent Obesity and
  Other Chronic Diseases PDF 550K. This document
  provides selected references and resources for
  developing or updating community nutrition and
  physical activity programs. Topics include
  obesity prevention and control, increased
  physical activity, improved nutrition, and
  reduced television time.
• Ten Strategies for Promoting Physical Activity,
  Healthy Eating, and a Tobacco-Free Lifestyle
  Through School Health Programs PDF 60K. This
  publication identifies actions that schools can
  take to implement CDC's school health guidelines

Modified Version of the Michigan Dept. of
Education Wellness Policy Packet