UTILIZING SCHOOL WELLNESS POLICIES
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HIDING IN THE TOOLBOX:<br />
<strong>UTILIZING</strong> <strong>SCHOOL</strong><br />
<strong>WELLNESS</strong> <strong>POLICIES</strong><br />
to Get & Keep Kids Physically Active<br />
Written by: Rashmi B. Singh<br />
Edited by: Sheilagh Polk and Barbara Kimport<br />
COACHINGCORPS.ORG
TABLE OF CONTENTS<br />
03<br />
04<br />
05<br />
06<br />
07<br />
09<br />
11<br />
Executive Summary<br />
School Wellness Policies<br />
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010<br />
The Current State of School Wellness Policies<br />
Summary of the Study<br />
How Communities Can Help School Districts<br />
01: Realized Importance of Physical Activity<br />
02: Collaborative and Comprehensive Approach<br />
03: Clear, Defined and Measurable Policy Goals<br />
04: Engage Stakeholders in the Policy<br />
05: Community-Driven Implementation<br />
Expected Challenges to Implementing<br />
Wellness Policies<br />
13<br />
14<br />
15<br />
16<br />
17<br />
18<br />
19<br />
Case Studies: What Schools Have to Say<br />
Conclusion<br />
About Coaching Corps<br />
Graph: Opportunities for PA<br />
Graph: Physical Education<br />
Graph: Stakeholder Involvement<br />
Graph: PA and Recess After School<br />
Graph: Monitoring, Evaluating and Reporting<br />
Resource: Finding Grants and Other Funding<br />
Resource: Increasing PA Opportunities for Girls<br />
Resource: Promoting PA Throughout the Day<br />
Resource: Writing / Reviewing Wellness<br />
Policies<br />
Resource: Supporting Recess<br />
Resource: School Staff (Online Training)<br />
Resource: Implementing Walk to School<br />
Programs / Joint Use Agreements<br />
Changing The Game<br />
For Kids<br />
COACHINGCORPS.ORG<br />
We improve the health, educational and social outcomes<br />
for kids living in struggling communities through the power<br />
of coaching and sports.<br />
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EXECUTIVE<br />
SUMMARY<br />
An often underutilized, but<br />
potentially powerful tool to get<br />
and keep kids physically active,<br />
is a school wellness policy.<br />
For young people in struggling neighborhoods, opportunities to be<br />
physically active — let alone play sports — are too few and far between.<br />
Schools are being forced to slash Physical Education, neighborhood<br />
parks are unsafe, walking to school is out of the question and afterschool<br />
programs don’t have the capacity to fill the void on their own.<br />
School-aged children spend the vast majority of their waking hours at<br />
school, which makes solutions for increasing movement on campus a<br />
logical solution. But pressures to achieve high test scores and other<br />
pressing academic issues make this a difficult conversation to have.<br />
It is imperative that advocates in the fields of physical activity, Physical<br />
Education, organized sports and child wellness identify, promote and<br />
strengthen tools that can aid schools and communities in efforts to<br />
achieve the best possible social, emotional, academic and physical<br />
outcomes for students.<br />
The primary goal of a wellness policy is to make changes in the school<br />
environment to promote lifelong physical activity and healthy eating. 1<br />
But these policies often do little besides gather dust on shelves. In 2010,<br />
Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) with the<br />
objective of strengthening wellness policies by increasing stakeholder<br />
participation, creating new nutrition standards for school meals, increasing<br />
physical activity minutes and ensuring wellness policy implementation<br />
and evaluation.<br />
As a result, there is a renewed interest — and therefore opportunity— to<br />
build and implement new policies that help all students — especially those<br />
who are languishing behind — lead healthy, happy lives.<br />
This report highlights the importance of implementing strong wellness<br />
policies, especially for low-income communities, so that stakeholders and<br />
advocates can use this lever to promote physical activity in the school<br />
setting and increase community stakeholder participation in the writing,<br />
implementation and evaluation of wellness policies.<br />
It concludes with recommendations intended to aid advocates, experts<br />
and community members in improving the health of their schools, students<br />
and neighborhoods, while ensuring that their wellness policies place<br />
adequate emphasis on physical activity and that community stakeholders<br />
play leadership roles in the writing, implementation and evaluation of these<br />
critical tools for health.<br />
COACHING CORPS 3
<strong>SCHOOL</strong> <strong>WELLNESS</strong><br />
<strong>POLICIES</strong><br />
Beginning in 2004, school districts participating in the National School<br />
Lunch and/or Breakfast Program were required to develop a local wellness<br />
policy that would be implemented over a two-year time period. The main<br />
goal of a wellness policy is to make changes in the school environment<br />
to promote lifelong physical activity and healthy eating. 1 In the wellness<br />
policies, school districts had “to address nutrition standards of available<br />
foods in schools, nutrition education, physical activity and other schoolbased<br />
activities that contribute to student wellness.” 1 This requirement<br />
of a local wellness policy originated out of a concern for young people:<br />
Congress realized that wellness policies could utilize the school<br />
environment to promote healthy, physically active lifestyles and address<br />
the alarming childhood obesity rate. 1<br />
Local wellness policies are especially important for students in low-income<br />
school districts. Historically, these children have had limited access to<br />
fresh foods, safe community spaces to play, organized sports teams<br />
and fitness role models to learn from. 1, 26 As a result, a majority of lowincome<br />
children are forced into unhealthy life styles that jeopardize their<br />
immediate health and threaten to impact their futures.<br />
The Healthy, Hunger-<br />
Free Kids Act of 2010<br />
In 2009, a study by Bridging the Gap highlighted how local school wellness<br />
policies were failing to make an impact. The study concluded that although<br />
many schools (more than 93 percent) had a wellness policy by the<br />
2007–2008 school year, a majority of the policies were weak, with little-tono<br />
plans for implementation or monitoring. 15<br />
The Bridging the Gap report contributed to the momentum that produced<br />
the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA).<br />
The HHFKA strengthens the 2004 legislation by: 2<br />
• Requiring every school in the district, not just those participating in the<br />
National School Lunch and/or School Breakfast Program, to establish<br />
a school wellness policy.<br />
• Increasing stakeholder 1 * involvement: Stakeholders are required to join<br />
the development, implementation and review of school wellness policies.<br />
• Increasing school wellness policy transparency by requiring school<br />
districts to update the public on the implementation and content<br />
of school wellness policies; the names and contact information of<br />
wellness policy leadership are also required to be made available<br />
to the public.<br />
• Requiring at least one school official to be responsible for school<br />
wellness policy leadership: Leader must review, oversee implementation<br />
and compliance of the school’s wellness policy.<br />
• Requiring schools to monitor and assess their wellness policies at least<br />
every three years.<br />
• Making the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) responsible<br />
for defining appropriate nutrition standards for school meals and snacks.<br />
1<br />
*The HHFKA identifies stakeholders<br />
as parents, students and representatives<br />
of the school food authority, Physical<br />
Education teachers, school health<br />
professionals, the school board, school<br />
administrators and the general public.<br />
• Requiring smarter marketing of foods and beverages that are sold during<br />
the school day.<br />
• Providing more detailed guidelines and content to promote lifelong<br />
physical activity habits throughout the school day.<br />
COACHING CORPS 4
Coaching Corps’ Active Day, Healthy Life<br />
Campaign encourages in-school and<br />
out-of-school providers to work together<br />
with parents, caregivers and community to<br />
ensure all children receive 60 minutes of<br />
moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each<br />
and every school day.<br />
Also included in the HHFKA are content guidelines for schools to provide<br />
physical activity throughout the school day. These guidelines recommend<br />
districts promote physical activity by including the following in their<br />
wellness policies: 2<br />
• Provide physical activity opportunities so that every student “develops<br />
the knowledge and skills for specific physical activities”.<br />
• Provide opportunities to maintain physical fitness.<br />
• Aim to reduce sedentary time (ideally to no more than 2 hours at a time).<br />
• Allow every student to learn interpersonal skills (cooperation, fair play<br />
and responsible participation) through physical activity.<br />
• Allow students to “gain an appreciation for lifelong physical activity<br />
through a healthy lifestyle”.<br />
• Consider other ways to incorporate physical activity outside of Physical<br />
Education classes (to meet the Department of Health and Human<br />
Services’ recommended 60 minutes a day of physical activity. The<br />
HHFKA recommends districts consider daily recess, classroom-based<br />
physical activity breaks, before and after school programs (sports,<br />
clubs, community-organized programs), incorporating physical activity<br />
into core subjects and active forms of transportation to get to school).<br />
The Current State<br />
of School Wellness<br />
Policies<br />
Four years have passed, and like its predecessor in 2004, HHFKA has<br />
had a mixed impact:<br />
• A recent study conducted by Bridging the Gap found that in the 2010–<br />
2011 school year “Nearly every school ha[d] a wellness policy, [but]<br />
only 46 percent of districts had a wellness policy that addressed all five<br />
wellness aspects: nutrition education, school meals, physical activity,<br />
policy implementation and evaluation, and competitive foods.” 3<br />
• Physical activity was often the weakest component addressed in<br />
wellness policies. 16,18<br />
• Similarly, a joint study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and<br />
Prevention (CDC) and Bridging the Gap looked at wellness policies<br />
during the 2011–2012 school year and concluded that wellness policies<br />
were still not successfully promoting student wellness, especially with<br />
regards to physical activity (PA). 4,16<br />
SUMMARY OF THE STUDY<br />
For a more detailed breakdown, see page 14<br />
• Although PA is mentioned in many of the school districts’ wellness<br />
policies, many policies are not specific in their requirements for PA.<br />
• Many wellness policies do not make use of before and after school<br />
opportunities for PA ( joint-use, walking or biking to school, partnering<br />
with community agencies to provide PA before and after school).<br />
• A majority of wellness policies that address Physical Education<br />
do not effectively use it as a resource to increase students’ PA.<br />
Many policies do not have Physical Education time requirements or<br />
have students spend at least 50 percent of Physical Education<br />
class time engaged in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA)<br />
or require safe and adequate equipment and facilities for Physical<br />
Education classes.<br />
COACHING CORPS 5
This national trend holds true in California as well. The chart below offers<br />
a basic look at some of the largest school districts’ wellness policies<br />
across the state: 2 *<br />
CA School District Physical Education PA (recess and/or Walking/ Biking Before and AFTER Joint-Use Wellness Advisory<br />
rEquirements PA breaks) to School School PA Agreements Council(s)<br />
Berkeley Unified yES no no no no no<br />
Fresno Unified yES yES no yES no yES<br />
Los Angeles Unified yES yES no yES yES yES<br />
Oakland Unified yES yES yES yES no yES<br />
San Diego Unified yES no no yES no yES<br />
San Francisco Unified yES no no no no yES<br />
2<br />
*A “yes” indicates that the district wellness<br />
policy mentions the category in some<br />
respect (policy language may include<br />
“recommends,” “requires” or “encourages”).<br />
A “no” indicates that the district wellness<br />
policy makes no mention of the category.<br />
District wellness policies were primarily<br />
accessed through district websites. 27-35<br />
Several districts are currently working on<br />
updating their policies; consequently, many<br />
of their websites still display older policies.<br />
While research exposes the weak state of wellness policies across the<br />
country, the National State School Health Policy Database reminds us<br />
of some limitations to evaluating district wellness policies. 5<br />
A school district may have a weak wellness policy with little to no<br />
requirements, but some schools within the district may have started<br />
their own initiatives to promote student wellness. The reverse may also<br />
be true: A strong district wellness policy does not necessarily guarantee<br />
implementation from every school in the district. In addition to this issue<br />
of policy vs. practice, school district wellness policies may also differ in<br />
their use of terms. The same term can carry different meanings or “carry<br />
different degrees of authority” from one district to another. 5 Many districts<br />
have also just begun revising their wellness policies to reflect the new<br />
legislation; it may be some time until the full effects of the HHFKA are<br />
realized. Despite these limitations, however, it is still worthwhile to study<br />
available wellness policies and determine policy trends.<br />
HOW COMMUNITIES CAN<br />
HELP <strong>SCHOOL</strong> DISTRICTS<br />
As school districts continue to revise and update their wellness policies,<br />
stakeholders are presented with a unique opportunity to get engaged<br />
in the process. Coaching Corps recommends stakeholders encourage<br />
school districts to include the following five elements in their wellness<br />
policies: 3 *<br />
01<br />
A stated value of the importance of physical<br />
activity for improvements in student performance,<br />
attendance and behavior in school and overall<br />
student health<br />
• This builds support for physical activity and Physical Education<br />
right from the start.<br />
• Studies have suggested that comprehensive school health<br />
programs can lower “suspension and expulsion rates, [and<br />
lead to] fewer disciplinary hearings, and fewer assignments<br />
to alternative schools.” 1<br />
3<br />
*These recommendations focus on<br />
strategies to promote physical activity<br />
in wellness policies.<br />
• Low-income schools that are challenged with student behavior<br />
problems can benefit from this connection between<br />
increased physical activity and improved student behavior.<br />
COACHING CORPS 6
• A study conducted by the CDC demonstrates “that there is<br />
substantial evidence that physical activity can help improve<br />
academic achievement, including grades and standardized<br />
test scores; physical activity can have an impact on cognitive<br />
skills attitudes and academic behavior (including enhanced<br />
concentration, attentiveness and improved classroom behavior).” 38<br />
02<br />
A collaborative and comprehensive approach<br />
to promoting 60 minutes of physical activity,<br />
with opportunities before, during and after the<br />
school day<br />
• Encourage or require elementary schools to provide daily<br />
supervised recess (of at least 20 minutes), with opportunities<br />
for students to engage in MVPA. 37<br />
• Schools should provide adequate equipment and facilities<br />
either through joint-use or community partnerships, hold<br />
recess outdoors and not withhold it as a form of punishment<br />
or use it as a study period. 37,44<br />
• Recess should not be scheduled before or after Physical<br />
Education classes and should not replace Physical<br />
Education classes. 37<br />
Meeting the recommended time for Physical<br />
Education still does not guarantee that<br />
students will get 60 minutes per day of PA.<br />
That’s why programs like Active Day, Healthy<br />
Life are important for coordinating the school<br />
and community’s resources to help get kids<br />
physically active for 60 minutes per day. 42<br />
• Design Physical Education and PA activities with specific needs<br />
of students in mind.<br />
• Consider the different needs of girls and boys for PA<br />
(i.e., differences in motivations for participating in<br />
physical activity). 19<br />
• Several PA opportunities should be provided for<br />
girls, since they typically face greater obstacles<br />
to participate in PA. 1<br />
• Consider differences in student’s culture, background and<br />
individual preferences.<br />
• Consider students with special needs and English-language<br />
learners. 44<br />
• Strengthen Physical Education and afterschool programs:<br />
• Encourage or require schools to have students spend at<br />
least 50 percent of Physical Education class time engaged<br />
in MVPA. 7<br />
• Encourage schools to provide adequate equipment and<br />
facilities, either through joint-use or community partnerships,<br />
for students to participate in MVPA (California After School<br />
Physical Activity Guidelines recommends afterschool programs<br />
provide 30 to 60 minutes of MVPA). 7<br />
• Prohibit school staff and afterschool coordinators from using<br />
PA or withholding it as punishment. 36<br />
COACHING CORPS 7
Schools in low-income communities can consider adopting a walking school bus program, where<br />
an adult supervises and leads a group of children walking to school. 21<br />
• Provide equal opportunities in afterschool programs for PA<br />
participation, which may mean shifting resources from<br />
competitive, often selective athletic programs to intramurals<br />
and/or PA clubs that promote and provide PA opportunities<br />
for every student. 11<br />
• Ask schools that do not already have one to develop an<br />
afterschool program to promote PA and health nutrition that<br />
are consistent with the school’s wellness policy and, when<br />
applicable, complement the school’s academic and Physical<br />
Education content. 7<br />
• Developing an afterschool program is especially important in<br />
low-income communities, where nearly 36 percent more kids<br />
in CA (about 2 million) would join an afterschool program if<br />
their schools/community had one. 10<br />
• Use Physical Education teachers to help strengthen/design<br />
physical activities for afterschool programs. 7<br />
• Train and support teachers to provide PA breaks in the classroom;<br />
parent volunteers are also good candidates for this.<br />
• Promote jumping jacks, Brain Gym, TAKE 10!, JAMmin’<br />
Minute, “taking a 5-minute stretch break, marching in place,<br />
jumping with an invisible jump rope, doing semi-squats<br />
followed by knee lifts.” 8,23<br />
• Integrate PA within the core curriculum: Teachers can use the<br />
Coordinated Approach to Child and Health Series (CATCH)<br />
and SPARK. 11<br />
• Involve community-based programs like Coaching Corps and<br />
others to provide more opportunities for PA.<br />
• Use school gardens and nutrition education to promote PA. 1<br />
• Encourage or require schools to adopt schoolwide PA breaks:<br />
regular lunchtime running/walking clubs, before and/or after school<br />
PA clubs. 23<br />
• Encourage or require schools to adopt joint-use agreements. 16<br />
In the Belmont area of Los Angeles, some<br />
schools collaborated with several stakeholders<br />
(law enforcement, parent volunteers and<br />
gang violence interventionists) to increase<br />
active transportation to school and address<br />
community violence concerns. 43<br />
• Joint-use agreements can be particularly useful for<br />
low-income communities because they provide<br />
students with a guaranteed space (school or local<br />
community facilities) to play and be active after school.<br />
• Encourage or require schools to implement a Safe Routes<br />
to School Program to promote safe and active transportation<br />
to school. 16<br />
COACHING CORPS 8
03<br />
Clear, defined and measurable policy goals<br />
• Write stronger goals and establish priorities (writing down<br />
and assessing goals can help schools prioritize) within their<br />
wellness policies. 13<br />
• Have “buy-in” for goals: Involve stakeholders throughout goal<br />
setting and writing process.<br />
• Set realistic goals: Make sure an attainable amount of goals<br />
are set for a given time period. 13<br />
• Categorize goals into short, intermediate and long term; simple<br />
and complex. 13<br />
• Link goals to specific changes or outcomes in school<br />
environments. 13<br />
• Include a required time mandate for Physical Education and PA at<br />
every grade level.<br />
Programs like Coaching Corps can support<br />
schools and afterschool programs in providing<br />
physical activity programs to students through<br />
the training and supporting of volunteer<br />
parents, caregivers and community coaches.<br />
04<br />
• Provide a minimum of 150 minutes per week of Physical<br />
Education for elementary school students and 225 minutes per<br />
week for secondary school students. 6<br />
• Use FitnessGram testing to measure physical fitness in<br />
students and design Physical Education activities that address<br />
areas where students are struggling. 7<br />
Engage stakeholders in every aspect of the<br />
wellness policy, with a special focus on parents,<br />
caregivers and community members.<br />
• Common stakeholders include parents, caregivers, students,<br />
representatives of the school food authority, Physical Education<br />
teachers, school health professionals (school nurses), the school<br />
board, school administrators, before and after school coordinators,<br />
special education staff, English Language Learners specialists,<br />
school guidance counselors, teachers, local public health<br />
departments, the general public, public health advocacy<br />
organizations, health insurance and managed care companies.<br />
• Schools in low-income neighborhoods should be mindful of<br />
parents’/caregivers’ challenging work schedules: many<br />
typically face long commutes on public transportation, longer<br />
work hours and/or non-traditional hours. 1<br />
• Schedule meetings at different times of the day, so<br />
that parents with non-traditional working hours can be<br />
a part of the policy process and in multiple locations<br />
throughout the school district. 1<br />
• Involve students in the policy review process.<br />
• Low-income neighborhoods can benefit from involving<br />
students and getting their input on nutrition education<br />
and PA, since many low-income students are more<br />
likely to participate in school nutrition programs and<br />
face fewer opportunities to engage in PA. 1<br />
COACHING CORPS 9
• Communicate wellness policy and supporting documents to<br />
the community.<br />
• “Communication should be repetitive, through varied<br />
channels, and ongoing.” 12<br />
• Communication should be two-way: Stakeholders should be<br />
able to provide feedback. 23<br />
• Schools can post their wellness policy drafts online<br />
and in multiple languages to allow the public<br />
an opportunity to comment.<br />
• Schools can provide hard copy drafts of their wellness<br />
policy at the school’s office. 44<br />
• Communication should frame information in a way that is<br />
culturally sensitive and appropriate for the intended audience.<br />
• Encourage or require information to be made<br />
available in multiple languages and to consider<br />
equity and inclusion.<br />
• Parents and larger communities can be empowered as<br />
advocates for the school’s wellness policy. 26<br />
• Encourage Fitness Role Models.<br />
• Promote and support PA and nutrition for stakeholders.<br />
• Schools can “offer staff wellness activities...related<br />
to health and nutrition that inspire school staff<br />
to serve as role models and practice healthy eating<br />
[and] physical activity. 2<br />
• Offer Professional Development Days for teachers<br />
and school staff to help them incorporate PA into<br />
lessons; make sure the purpose of these Development<br />
Days is known. 26<br />
• Schools can consider recruiting older students to serve as<br />
fitness role models. 44<br />
Train and empower volunteer parents/caregivers to provide students with quality PA. 42<br />
• Involve parents/caregivers with PA efforts to promote lifelong<br />
Physical Activity.<br />
• Parents can teach yoga or aerobic activities like<br />
Zumba to other parents.<br />
• Research has shown how active parents “have more<br />
active pre-school children, older children<br />
and adolescents”; this trend holds true for low-income<br />
parents/caregivers. 19,20<br />
Examples of activities for school staff include<br />
walking clubs before, during lunch or after<br />
school; weight management meetings on<br />
school property; smoking cessation or healthy<br />
cooking classes after school. 2<br />
• This is especially useful for low-income communities<br />
that may struggle finding resources to employ key<br />
fitness personnel.<br />
• Train and support parents and caregivers to coach<br />
sports and other physical activity before, during<br />
and after school.<br />
COACHING CORPS 10
05<br />
A community-led and community-designed<br />
implementation and monitoring plan to ensure<br />
compliance and evaluate policy strength.<br />
• Create an active Wellness Committee consisting of several<br />
invested stakeholders and fitness leaders. 26<br />
• The Wellness Committee will be responsible for<br />
developing the implementation and monitoring plan<br />
and overseeing any other aspect (funding, sustainability,<br />
leadership) relating to the school’s wellness policy. 26<br />
• Implementation plan will “explain the Where, When and to Whom<br />
this element of the policy applies; who needs to know about the<br />
changes; and identify the tasks required, timeline and person<br />
responsible for completing tasks.” 12<br />
• A strong implementation plan will break down the elements<br />
of a school’s wellness policy “into separate goals, activities<br />
and action steps.” 13<br />
• Implementation plan will help schools identify the challenges<br />
and resources to enacting specific parts of their wellness<br />
policies. 22<br />
• Monitoring plan will include “benchmarks, track changes and<br />
progress to help develop an annual report that summarizes policy<br />
results and can be used as a guide for future revisions.” 44<br />
• Monitoring and implementation plan will provide stakeholders with<br />
opportunities to give input and schedule check-ins to review the policy.<br />
EXPECTED CHALLENGES<br />
TO IMPLEMENTING<br />
<strong>WELLNESS</strong> <strong>POLICIES</strong><br />
A study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information<br />
evaluated wellness policies in Connecticut and cited three common<br />
challenges schools faced when implementing wellness policies:<br />
35%<br />
“…insufficient staff to implement the<br />
programs and activities<br />
34%<br />
48%<br />
lack of a key point person<br />
time to plan and coordinate efforts.”<br />
17<br />
Another study that looked at a total of 84 schools in three different states<br />
(California, Iowa and Pennsylvania) also identified lack of time and financial<br />
resources as common challenges to implementing school wellness policies. 25<br />
In addition to these challenges, low-income schools are faced with added<br />
pressures, like increasing student test scores, high staff turnover rates,<br />
lack of adequate facilities to promote PA, and continuous budget cuts. 26<br />
COACHING CORPS 11
Despite these challenges, several schools have successfully implemented<br />
strong school wellness policies, and some low-income schools were found<br />
to have had some of the strongest policies overall. 18 Listed below are<br />
strategies schools have used to overcome common barriers.<br />
Lack of time:<br />
• Establishing a wellness committee, where multiple stakeholders<br />
are together in one place and meeting on a regular basis, can<br />
streamline the implementation and policy review process and help<br />
coordinate policy efforts. 26<br />
• Identifying and partnering with established community<br />
organizations like Coaching Corps and others can give schools<br />
immediate resources (facilities and personnel) to implement their<br />
wellness policies. 7<br />
Lack of FACILITIES:<br />
• Incorporating PA into the classroom, through brain breaks, does not<br />
require schools to find extra space or fitness personnel. 18<br />
• Implementing a joint-use agreement will help schools take<br />
advantage of available community resources. 7<br />
• Utilizing Parks and Recreation aides will help schools provide<br />
additional opportunities for physical activity. 44<br />
Lack of KEY PERSONNEL:<br />
• Utilizing students as resources: Schools can ask students to take<br />
leadership roles in designing, choosing or explaining physical<br />
activities to their peers; this will also increase PA participation in<br />
schools. 9,23<br />
• Empowering parents/caregivers as volunteer coaches, afterschool<br />
coordinators and wellness policy advocates will help increase the<br />
school’s personnel. 42<br />
• Keeping staff and school personnel aware of and dedicated to<br />
modeling wellness policy goals will allow schools to use teachers<br />
and staff as key resources. 25<br />
Lack of KEY FINANCIAL RESOURCES:<br />
• Identifying funding sources (grants, local organizations, parents,<br />
parent teacher associations (PTAs), local civic groups, hospitals,<br />
health insurance companies, retail stores and businesses, local<br />
sports teams, government agencies) have helped schools fund<br />
elements of their wellness policy. 7,17<br />
• Some organizations will provide in-kind services or be willing to<br />
give schools tips on how to apply for grants .7,17<br />
COACHING CORPS 12
CASE STUDIES: WHAT<br />
<strong>SCHOOL</strong>S HAVE TO SAY<br />
Howard County Public School System, Maryland<br />
A representative from the Howard County Public School System cited<br />
the district’s standard policy review process and policy element evaluation<br />
as the biggest reasons for their success. 39 Having a standard process<br />
for reviewing policies, that includes several opportunities for stakeholder<br />
input, made it easier for the school district to review their wellness policy.<br />
In addition to having this standard review process, the district also<br />
identified which wellness policy elements could be implemented quickly,<br />
intermediately or long term. Separating policy elements into time frames<br />
gave the district a realistic perspective for policy implementation. Things<br />
seem to be working for Howard County: The district’s wellness policy<br />
recently scored a 95 percent (nearly twice as high as the national average)<br />
by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. 40<br />
Oakland Unified School District<br />
Oakland Unified School District worked to overcome the challenge of<br />
involving several stakeholders. 41 Their wellness policy revision took two<br />
years to complete, and in that time, the district held three public events<br />
in different geographic locations so a diverse set of parents/caregivers<br />
and students could provide input. The district also posted drafts of their<br />
wellness policy online to allow parents/caregivers and other stakeholders<br />
opportunities for feedback. The district worked hard to involve as many<br />
stakeholders as possible, and their wellness policy benefitted as a<br />
result: Oakland Unified School District’s wellness policy goes beyond<br />
the requirements in the HHFKA. 41<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
Strong wellness policies can be used to improve the health and quality of<br />
life for thousands of students: They can increase physical activity, improve<br />
attendance, performance and behavior in school, increase self-esteem<br />
and confidence, help maintain lifelong physically active and healthy eating<br />
habits and help address the obesity epidemic. Schools in low-income<br />
communities have an even greater need to strengthen and start using their<br />
wellness policies, as their students face bigger obstacles to engage in<br />
physical activity and are dealing with a wide range of emotional, social and<br />
physical health issues.<br />
Failing to improve wellness policies will come at the cost of our children’s<br />
health and futures. It’s time to comply with the federal mandate and create<br />
strong wellness policies that increase opportunities for physical activity<br />
and involve community stakeholders in the policy revision process — the<br />
benefits from doing so are too great to ignore.<br />
ABOUT COACHING CORPS<br />
Coaching Corps is a nonprofit based in Oakland, CA, committed to closing<br />
the sports gap for young people living in low-income communities.<br />
The Sports Gap is the inequity of access to organized sports with trained<br />
and caring coaches between children living in low-income communities<br />
and their wealthier counterparts. Through the recruitment, training and<br />
placement of volunteers as coaches and mentors — Coaching Corps<br />
ensures that these young people experience the many benefits of team<br />
sports participation with a quality coach.<br />
In addition to providing young people with the critical minutes of physical<br />
activity they need to forge healthy and successful lives, sports with a<br />
caring coach infuses youth with life lessons like persistence, confidence,<br />
empathy and teamwork.<br />
COACHING CORPS 13
16<br />
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PA (BEFORE AND AFTER <strong>SCHOOL</strong>)<br />
30%<br />
13%<br />
16%<br />
Nearly 30% of district wellness<br />
policies required or recommended<br />
joint-use.<br />
PHYSICAL EDUCATION<br />
13% of district policies required or<br />
recommended PA opportunities<br />
be provided before or after<br />
school through agreements with<br />
community agencies.<br />
Only 16% of district wellness<br />
policies required or recommended<br />
walking or biking to school using<br />
safe routes and safe practices.<br />
70% 5%<br />
min/week<br />
30-150<br />
elementary<br />
30-250<br />
middle school<br />
30-225<br />
high school<br />
Over 70% of district policies did<br />
not address time requirements<br />
for PE classes.<br />
11%<br />
Less than 5% of district policies<br />
met the AAHPERD* recommended<br />
PE time.<br />
When addressed, district PE time<br />
provisions ranged from 30–150<br />
minutes/week at the elementary<br />
level, 30–250 minutes/week at<br />
the middle school level and<br />
30–225 minutes/week at the high<br />
school level.<br />
Only 11% of districts required<br />
students to spend at least 50% of PE<br />
time in moderate-to-vigorous PA.”<br />
*The American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance<br />
(AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, recommends elementary school students<br />
receive 150 minutes per week of Physical Education and secondary school students<br />
receive 225 minutes per week of Physical Education throughout the entire school year. 16<br />
COACHING CORPS 14
STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT<br />
30%<br />
25%<br />
25%<br />
About 30% of district policies<br />
required stakeholder involvement<br />
in wellness policy development.<br />
About 25% required staff role<br />
modeling required staff to<br />
model good eating and physical<br />
activity habits.<br />
About 25% required stakeholder<br />
involvement in policy review<br />
and update.<br />
PA AND RECESS DURING <strong>SCHOOL</strong><br />
44%<br />
14%<br />
7%<br />
3%<br />
2%<br />
Less than half (44%) of districts<br />
required PA opportunities to be<br />
provided for every grade level.<br />
22%<br />
Less than a quarter (14%) of districts<br />
required that PA be integrated<br />
throughout the school day.<br />
Only 7%, 3%, and 2% of districts<br />
specified an amount of time for PA<br />
at the elementary, middle, or high<br />
school levels, respectively.<br />
“Only 22% of districts required and<br />
18% of districts recommended daily<br />
recess for elementary school students.”<br />
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MONITORING, EVALUATING AND REPORTING<br />
30%<br />
10%<br />
10%<br />
About 30% of districts required<br />
policy reporting.<br />
48%<br />
About 10% of districts<br />
required evaluation.<br />
Less than 10% of districts<br />
required making the policies<br />
publicly accessible (e.g.,: on<br />
district website).<br />
“48% of districts required an<br />
ongoing health advisory or<br />
wellness committee.”<br />
COACHING CORPS 16
RESOURCES FOR<br />
FINDING GRANTS<br />
AND OTHER FUNDING<br />
• The United States Department of Agriculture offers a database<br />
of grants that schools can use to fund wellness policies.<br />
http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/local-wellness-policy-resources/<br />
school-nutrition-environment-and-wellness-resources/grantsfunding<br />
• School-Grants’s website provides grant writing tips and sample grant<br />
proposals for teachers.<br />
http://www.school-grants.org/.htm<br />
• Playworks has an updated list of federal and state grants available to<br />
school districts and nonprofits.<br />
http://www.playworks.org/training/grant-resources/database<br />
• The Carol M. White Physical Education program is a competitive grant<br />
that provides funding for Physical Education programs.<br />
http://www2.ed.gov/ programs/whitephysed/index.html<br />
RESOURCES FOR<br />
INCREASING PHYSICAL<br />
ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITIES<br />
FOR GIRLS<br />
RESOURCES FOR<br />
PROMOTING PHYSICAL<br />
ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT<br />
THE <strong>SCHOOL</strong> DAY<br />
• Women’s Sports Foundation has links to their programs that promote<br />
physical activity for girls and use sports to build self-confidence and<br />
good health.<br />
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org<br />
• Bridging the Gap and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<br />
developed a policy brief to support quality Physical Education and<br />
physical activity in schools.<br />
http://www.bridgingthegapresearch.org/_asset/7bm7jq/BTG_LWP_<br />
PEPA_brief_Jun_14.pdf?utm_source=BTG+%26+CDC+briefs+releas<br />
e&utm_campaign=BTG+%26+CDC+LWP+Briefs&utm_medium=email<br />
• GoNoodle is a useful site to help teachers incorporate brain breaks<br />
into the classroom.<br />
https://www.gonoodle.com/<br />
• CATCH USA provides schools with ways to incorporate physical<br />
activity throughout the school day.<br />
http://catchusa.org/<br />
• SPARK provides teachers with ways to incorporate physical activity<br />
breaks in the classroom.<br />
http://www.sparkpe.org/<br />
• Instant Recess provides simple, structured group physical activities<br />
suitable for the school setting.<br />
http://www.toniyancey.com/IR_Home_4_-_old.html<br />
• The California Department of Education provides model content<br />
standards for Physical Education by grade level.<br />
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/pestandards.pdf<br />
• The School-Based Health Alliance’s campaign, Hallways to Health,<br />
promotes student-focused physical activity and health initiatives.<br />
http://www.sbh4all.org/site/c.ckLQKbOVLkK6E/b.8808107/k.C0DB<br />
Hallways_to_Health.htm<br />
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• The Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch in the<br />
California Department of Public Health provides resources to<br />
increase physical activity amongst the SNAP-eligible California<br />
population. http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/cpns/Pages/<br />
PhysicalActivityIntegration.aspx<br />
• Active Day, Healthy Life Toolkit includes steps and links to other<br />
resources for parents, caregivers, schools and communities to<br />
promote physical activity in schools.<br />
http://www.coachingcorps.org/wp-content/files_mf/1357250058Acti<br />
veDayHealthyLife_web2.pdf<br />
RESOURCES FOR<br />
WRITING AND REVIEWING<br />
<strong>WELLNESS</strong> <strong>POLICIES</strong><br />
• A World Fit for Kids provides healthy behaviors and personal<br />
empowerment programs and training throughout Los Angeles.<br />
http://worldfit.ehclients.com/<br />
• The California Center for Research on Women and Families<br />
offers a checklist of required elements in local school wellness<br />
policies and provides links to other California organizations that<br />
offer additional guidance material on wellness policies.<br />
http://ccrwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Local-School-<br />
Wellness-Policies-Nutrition-Primer-Module.pdf<br />
• The California Department of Education provides several resources<br />
for writing, implementing and evaluating wellness policies.<br />
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/he/wellness.asp<br />
• California Project LEAN provides worksheets, fact sheets<br />
and research briefs to help schools implement and strengthen<br />
their wellness policies.<br />
http://www.californiaprojectlean.org/doc.asp?id=168&parentid=20#<br />
Research_and_Policy_Briefs<br />
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides an online<br />
self-assessment tool for evaluating wellness policies.<br />
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/shi/<br />
• Team California for Healthy Kids provides a Local School Wellness<br />
Policy Administrative Review Toolkit, which contains multiple<br />
resources for policy implementation and review.<br />
http://www.teamcaliforniaforhealthykids.org/school-wellness/localschool-wellness-policy-collaborative-2/local-school-wellness-policylswp-administrative-review-toolkit/<br />
• The Dairy Council of California maintains an online database<br />
of over 700 California school district wellness policies.<br />
http://www.healthyeating.org/Schools/School-Wellness/School-<br />
Wellness-Policies.aspx<br />
• The Alliance for a Healthier Generation provides resources<br />
for developing wellness councils, wellness policies and policy<br />
evaluations. https://www.healthiergeneration.org/take_action/<br />
schools/wellness_councils__policies/<br />
• The California School-Based Health Alliance provides links to help<br />
schools and the community develop and implement their wellness<br />
policies. http://www.schoolhealthcenters.org/healthlearning/<br />
nutritionfitness/nutritionfitnessresources/schoolwellnesspolicies/<br />
COACHING CORPS 18
RESOURCES FOR<br />
SUPPORTING RECESS<br />
• Playworks offers game ideas for indoor recess and/or physical<br />
activity breaks.<br />
http://www.playworks.org/playbook/what-is-a-great-recess/<br />
playground-strategies/recess-rain-and-snow-and<br />
• Bridging the Gap and the Centers for Disease Control and<br />
Prevention developed a policy brief to help elementary schools<br />
support recess.<br />
http://www.bridgingthegapresearch.org/_asset/dqryqb/BTG_LWP_<br />
recess_brief_Jun_14.pdf?utm_source=BTG+%26+CDC+briefs+<br />
release&utm_campaign=BTG+%26+CDC+LWP+Briefs&utm_<br />
medium=email<br />
RESOURCES FOR <strong>SCHOOL</strong><br />
STAFF (ONLINE TRAINING)<br />
RESOURCES FOR<br />
IMPLEMENTING WALK TO<br />
<strong>SCHOOL</strong> PROGRAMS AND<br />
JOINT-USE AGREEMENTS<br />
• The California After School Resource Center provides online<br />
training for school staff and afterschool organizers to promote<br />
physical activity.<br />
http://californiaafterschool.org/onlinetraining<br />
• The California Healthy Kids Resource Center provides online<br />
training for school staff and afterschool organizers to promote<br />
physical activity.<br />
http://www.californiahealthykids.org<br />
• California Active Communities provides resources for schools to<br />
plan their own walk to school events.<br />
http://www.cawalktoschool.com<br />
• Joint-Use provides a toolkit, policy template and other resources for<br />
schools to adopt joint-use agreements.<br />
http://jointuse.org<br />
• The Safe Routes to School National Partnership developed a<br />
resource guide for low-income schools to implement a Safe Routes<br />
to School program.<br />
http://saferoutespartnership.org/sites/default/files/pdf/<br />
LowIncomeGuide.pdf<br />
COACHING CORPS 19
SOURCES<br />
1. Cama, S., Emerson, B., Parker, L., Levin, M., Fitzsimons,<br />
C., Megill, L., …Weill, J. (2006, February). School<br />
Wellness Policy and Practice: Meeting the Needs<br />
of Low-Income Students. Food Research and<br />
Action Center.<br />
2. Food and Nutrition Service. (2014, February 26). Local<br />
School Wellness Policy Implementation under the<br />
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Office of the<br />
Federal Register.<br />
3. Chriqui, JF., Resnick, EA., Schneider, L., Schermbeck, R.,<br />
Adcock, T., Carrion, V., & Chaloupka, FJ. (2013,<br />
February). School District Wellness Policies: Evaluating<br />
Progress and Potential for Improving Children’s Health<br />
Five Years after the Federal Mandate. School Years<br />
2006–07 through 2010–11. Volume 3. Chicago, IL:<br />
Bridging the Gap Program, Health Policy Center,<br />
Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of<br />
Illinois at Chicago.<br />
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Bridging<br />
the Gap Research Program. (2014, May). Local School<br />
Wellness Policies: Where Do They Stand and What Can<br />
You Do? Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and<br />
Human Services.<br />
5. (n.d.). Adapted from Chapter B: The Art of Policymaking<br />
of NASEBE’s Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn:<br />
A School Health Policy Guide. National Association<br />
of State Boards of Education.<br />
6. California Afterschool California Project LEAN. (2008).<br />
Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Academic Achievement.<br />
California Afterschool.<br />
7. After School Programs Office of the California Department<br />
of Education. (2009). California After School Physical<br />
Activity Guidelines. Sacramento, CA: U.S. Department<br />
of Education.<br />
8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<br />
(2013, December). Comprehensive School Physical<br />
Activity Programs: A Guide for Schools. Atlanta, GA:<br />
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.<br />
9. Morrison, N. (2014, June 29). How can we get girls to<br />
take up sport? Forbes.<br />
10. Afterschool Alliance. (n.d.). Afterschool in California<br />
[Data File].<br />
11. Center for Collaborative Solutions Healthy Behaviors<br />
Initiative. (2010, March). Changing Lives, Saving Lives<br />
A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Exemplary<br />
Practices in Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Food<br />
Security in Afterschool Programs.<br />
12. California Project LEAN, The Center for Weight<br />
and Health. (2006, October). Policy In Action A Guide<br />
to Implementing Your Local School Wellness Policy.<br />
13. Maryland State Department of Education School<br />
and Community Nutrition Programs Branch.<br />
(2009, January). Making Wellness Work: A Guide<br />
to Implementing and Monitoring Wellness Policies<br />
in Maryland.<br />
14. Coaching Corps’ Policy Brief. (2012, April 12). Tackling<br />
Childhood Obesity: Parents Weigh In.<br />
15. Chriqui, JF., Schneider, L., Chaloupka, FJ., Ide, K. &<br />
Pugach, O. (2009, July). Local Wellness Policies:<br />
Assessing School District Strategies for Improving<br />
Children’s Health. School Years 2006-07 and 2007-08.<br />
Chicago, IL: Bridging the Gap, Health Policy Center,<br />
Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of<br />
Illinois at Chicago.<br />
16. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Bridging<br />
the Gap Research Program. (2014, May). Supporting<br />
Quality Physical Education and Physical Activity in<br />
Schools. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and<br />
Human Services.<br />
17. Schwartz, M.B., Henderson, K.E., Falbe, J., Novak, S.A.,<br />
Wharton, C., Long, M… Fiore, S.S. (2013, Oct 28).<br />
Strength and Comprehensiveness of District School<br />
Wellness Policies Predict Policy Implementation at the<br />
School Level. National Center for Biotechnology<br />
Information.<br />
18. Belansky, E., Chriqui, J.F. & Schwartz, M.B.<br />
(2009, June). Local School Wellness Policies:<br />
How Are Schools Implementing the Congressional<br />
Mandate. Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.<br />
19. Bailey, R., Wellard, I. & Dismore, H. (n.d.). Girls’<br />
Participation in Physical Activities and Sports: Benefits,<br />
Patterns, Influences and Ways Forward. International<br />
Council of Sport Science and Physical Education.<br />
20. Brustad, R.J. (September, 1996). Attraction to physical<br />
activity in urban schoolchildren: parental socialization<br />
and gender influences. National Center for<br />
Biotechnology Information.<br />
21. The Basics. (n.d.). Walking School Bus.<br />
22. Johanson, J. & Weber, J. (n.d.). Model School Wellness<br />
Policies. School Wellness Policies.<br />
23. Subcommittee of the President’s Council on Fitness<br />
Sports & Nutrition. (2012, December). Physical Activity<br />
Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Strategies<br />
to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth. Washington,<br />
DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.<br />
COACHING CORPS 20
24. Sridhar, V. (2014, July 8). Study looks at how Twitter<br />
can be used to address specific health issues.<br />
Washington University in St. Louis.<br />
25. Wood, Y., Cody, M. M. & Nettles, M. F. (2010, July 1).<br />
Team Nutrition Local Wellness Demonstration Project<br />
Report (Technical Report No. R-157-10). University, MS:<br />
National Food Service Management Institute.<br />
26. Patterson, T. (n.d.). School Health Connection Healthy<br />
Kids and Healthy Communities School Wellness Toolkit:<br />
A Guide to Implementing Coordinated School Health in<br />
New Orleans Schools. Louisiana Public Health Institute.<br />
27. Oppen, M. (2013, August 9). OUSD School Wellness.<br />
28. Oakland Unified School District. (n.d.). Administration<br />
Regulations BP 6142.7.<br />
29. Oakland Unified School District. (2012, September 12).<br />
Oakland Unified School District Board Policy.<br />
30. SFUSD Food and Fitness Advisory Committee. (2004).<br />
SFUSD Wellness Policy.<br />
31. Wellness Committee. (n.d.). Healthy Living SFUSD<br />
Wellness Policy.<br />
32. Coordinated School Health District Council. (2008-2009).<br />
Blueprint for Wellness Developed by The Coordinated<br />
School Health District Council in the Los Angeles<br />
Unified School District.<br />
33. Coordinated School Health District Council.<br />
(2006, June 13). Policy on Wellness in the Los Angeles<br />
Unified School District.<br />
36. Lee, S.M. (2011, September 16). School Health<br />
Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical<br />
Activity. Division of Adolescent and School Health,<br />
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and<br />
Health Promotion.<br />
37. Pate, R.R., Davis, M.G., Robinson, T.N., Stone, E.J.,<br />
McKenzie, T.L. & Young, J. (2006, August 14).<br />
Promoting Physical Activity in Children and Youth.<br />
American Heart Association.<br />
38. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010, April).<br />
The Association between school-based physical activity,<br />
including physical education and academic<br />
performance. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health<br />
and Human Services.<br />
39. Howard County Public School System, Personal<br />
Communication, July 21, 2014.<br />
40. Yaeger, A. (2014, July 9). Howard schools’ wellness policy<br />
gets top grades. The Baltimore Sun.<br />
41. Oppen, M. Program Manager Wellness, Oakland Unified<br />
School District, Personal Communication, July 7, 2014.<br />
42. Polk, S. (2014). Active Day, Healthy Life A school-based<br />
solution to getting kids physically active.<br />
Coaching Corps.<br />
43. Advancement Project. (2014). Safe Routes to School.<br />
Advancement Project California.<br />
44. Hearn, J., Cirill, L., & Elliott, K. California Active<br />
Communities, California Department of Public Health,<br />
Personal Communication, August 15, 2014.<br />
34. (n.d.). Berkeley Unified School District Wellness Policy.<br />
35. (2006, January 30). Students Student OK? Wellness.<br />
School Nutrition and Fitness.<br />
FOR MORE INFORMATION<br />
OR QUESTIONS,<br />
PLEASE CONTACT<br />
SHEILAGH POLK<br />
Director Of Community Engagement And Advocacy<br />
sheilaghp@coachingcorps.org or (510) 496-5101<br />
COACHING CORPS<br />
310 8th Street, Oakland, CA 94607<br />
(510) 663-9200 or CoachingCorps.org<br />
Executive Director: Janet Carter<br />
COACHING CORPS 21