Heather Reed, MA, RD- Nutrition Education ConsultantNutrition Services Division, California Department of Education

Creating Local School Wellness Policy WorkshopMarin County Office Of Education

January 24, 2013

A great opportunity

Local School Wellness Policy Requirements-What’s New?

Assess Yourself-Evaluate Your Current Policy

Making Changes, Making a Plan

Involving Others-Community Collaboration

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What’s New?

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Wellness Policy Helps Create Healthy School Environments

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Intentionality makes a huge difference

Wellness Policies articulate the vision, the goals and the means to achieve goals for student health

Wellness Policies make sure everyone is on the same page

Provide opportunity to develop partnerships within the school and with the community

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Ground Breaking Legislation!Designed to address childhood

obesity and support student health

Established Local School Wellness Policies

Required for all Local Education Agencies participating in Federal Meal Programs

2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act

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Goals for Student Wellness

Nutrition Guidelines

Evaluation and Operational Oversight

Stakeholder Engagement

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What’s New? …..Stronger Implementation

Nutrition Promotion Goals

Broader Stakeholder Engagement

Public Notification and Education

Implementation

Compliance at School Site

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Use the FNS Comparison Chart: Check off what you have already

accomplished

Place a question mark if unsure

Circle what still needs to be done

Talk with your neighbors about you discovered

Evaluate Your Current Policy

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Preamble, Introduction, or Overview Stakeholder Committee -Can also appear at the end Nutrition Guidelines◦ Guidelines for Reimbursable Meals◦ Competitive Foods and Beverages◦ Other related Policies (vending, celebrations, rewards)-can also be

under nutrition promotion Goals For Student Health◦ Nutrition Education and Promotion, Physical Activity and Education,

Other School Based Activities (includes student and family involvement)

Policy Development, Implementation, Notification and Evaluation◦ Can also appear at the beginning

Many school districts use CSBA’s template http://www.csba.org/~/link.aspx?_id=54F898FF264A4F4F9A284B978249DAE0&_z=z

Strongest predictor of implementation was strong wellness policy

Income did not affect implementation

Barriers to implementation were lack of coordination and resources

Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University Study◦ 151 Connecticut school

districts◦ 383 Principals surveyed

before/after policy development

◦ Strength of policy compared to implementation

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Comprehensive: All sections included

Strongly Worded: Requires implementation◦ Strong Language: “Shall, must, will, require, comply, enforce”◦ Weak Language: “Should, may, encourage, promote, to the extent possible”

Specific: Subsections provide details ofwhat, when, how, and who

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How Does It Look?

Use your wellness policy evaluation checklist to review your district’s local school wellness policy Consider criteria

Rate each area

Talk with your table about what you learned

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How to Implement Your Policy

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Check-In First

Gain Support of Leadership

Convene Your Stakeholders

Review Your Policy

Look Back on Successes and Challenges

Assess Your Current Needs

Use Resources on your thumb drive to help you through the process

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Complete the wellness committee progress worksheet

As we go through each question, use your green, yellow, red cards at your table to share your response

Consider your wellness committee strengths and areas of improvement

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Get Stakeholder Participation

How great is the need?

How much has been done so far?

How much change will this make in student health?

How easy is it?

How ready are you?

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You can select an overarching goal such as achieving an award◦ Healthy US School Challenge http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/healthierus/

index.html

◦ Distinguished School-Signature Practice in Nutrition and Physical Activity http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/cs/

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Review your wellness policy evaluation checklist to determine which priorities you might select

Select one area of your policy as practice

Select three priorities to work through

Rank them on your priority setting worksheet

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Keep it Do-Able!

What is to be accomplished?

What activities can be planned?

Who will be responsible?

What resources are needed?

How will success be determined?

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Select the top priority area to develop an action plan

Review resources with sample implementation plan to guide your process

Complete the worksheet for your implementation plan for the top priority

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Community Collaboration

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Creates win-win situation Maximizes financial

resources Avoids duplication of

public facilities and services

Enhances programs and allows expansion

Provides a united community image

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Know What You Need and Can Offer

Building Healthy Communities: A School Leader’s Guide to Collaboration and Community Engagement, : www.csba.org/~/media/4D07909373B14A0BB5CA2CCF41F98351.ashx

Designing a more walkable city Improving access to healthy food◦ Farmer’s markets, healthy restaurant menu items, healthier

vending items, farm to school Promoting nutrition education◦ Education at food banks, parent workshops, schools

Promoting physical activity in school and during out of school time◦ Joint use agreements, after school and summer physical

activity requirements, walk to school programs Engaging residents in city-wide programs◦ Soda-free summers◦ Co-brand fitness programs

Community Wellness: Comprehensive City-School Strategies to Reduce Childhood Obesity at http://www.nlc.org/find-city-solutions/institute-for-youth-education-and-families/community-wellness/city-and-school-leaders-collaborating-on-local-wellness-policies-project

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High-level leadership Shared vision for community wellness Engaging diverse stakeholders Use of data to set goals and measure

progress◦ Measure in achievement, not process

Comprehensive strategy built upon existing local assets and resource◦ Tapping and blending range of funding sources

to promote wellness

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Develop internal stakeholder collaboration for LSWP

Review your LSWP implementation plan to identify opportunities for outside collaboration

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Identify who would be good partners

Determine best forum to work with others

Begin by networking, then coordinating, before moving to broad collaboration

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Support

Assistance

Funding

Knowledge

Communication

Review your practice implementation plan to identify an area you need support from community partners

Complete a section on your partner worksheet for possible community partners◦ Select a few community partners to help you with

the actions on the plan that you filled in

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Questions?Please contact me:

Heather Reed, MA, RDNutrition Education Consultant

Nutrition Services Division, California Department of Educationhreed@cde.ca.gov