UTILIZING SCHOOL WELLNESS POLICIES

HIDING IN THE TOOLBOX:
UTILIZING SCHOOL
WELLNESS POLICIES
to Get & Keep Kids Physically Active
Written by: Rashmi B. Singh
Edited by: Sheilagh Polk and Barbara Kimport
COACHINGCORPS.ORG

TABLE OF CONTENTS
03
04
05
06
07
09
11
Executive Summary
School Wellness Policies
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010
The Current State of School Wellness Policies
Summary of the Study
How Communities Can Help School Districts
01: Realized Importance of Physical Activity
02: Collaborative and Comprehensive Approach
03: Clear, Defined and Measurable Policy Goals
04: Engage Stakeholders in the Policy
05: Community-Driven Implementation
Expected Challenges to Implementing
Wellness Policies
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Case Studies: What Schools Have to Say
Conclusion
About Coaching Corps
Graph: Opportunities for PA
Graph: Physical Education
Graph: Stakeholder Involvement
Graph: PA and Recess After School
Graph: Monitoring, Evaluating and Reporting
Resource: Finding Grants and Other Funding
Resource: Increasing PA Opportunities for Girls
Resource: Promoting PA Throughout the Day
Resource: Writing / Reviewing Wellness
Policies
Resource: Supporting Recess
Resource: School Staff (Online Training)
Resource: Implementing Walk to School
Programs / Joint Use Agreements
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EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
An often underutilized, but
potentially powerful tool to get
and keep kids physically active,
is a school wellness policy.
For young people in struggling neighborhoods, opportunities to be
physically active — let alone play sports — are too few and far between.
Schools are being forced to slash Physical Education, neighborhood
parks are unsafe, walking to school is out of the question and afterschool
programs don’t have the capacity to fill the void on their own.
School-aged children spend the vast majority of their waking hours at
school, which makes solutions for increasing movement on campus a
logical solution. But pressures to achieve high test scores and other
pressing academic issues make this a difficult conversation to have.
It is imperative that advocates in the fields of physical activity, Physical
Education, organized sports and child wellness identify, promote and
strengthen tools that can aid schools and communities in efforts to
achieve the best possible social, emotional, academic and physical
outcomes for students.
The primary goal of a wellness policy is to make changes in the school
environment to promote lifelong physical activity and healthy eating. 1
But these policies often do little besides gather dust on shelves. In 2010,
Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) with the
objective of strengthening wellness policies by increasing stakeholder
participation, creating new nutrition standards for school meals, increasing
physical activity minutes and ensuring wellness policy implementation
and evaluation.
As a result, there is a renewed interest — and therefore opportunity— to
build and implement new policies that help all students — especially those
who are languishing behind — lead healthy, happy lives.
This report highlights the importance of implementing strong wellness
policies, especially for low-income communities, so that stakeholders and
advocates can use this lever to promote physical activity in the school
setting and increase community stakeholder participation in the writing,
implementation and evaluation of wellness policies.
It concludes with recommendations intended to aid advocates, experts
and community members in improving the health of their schools, students
and neighborhoods, while ensuring that their wellness policies place
adequate emphasis on physical activity and that community stakeholders
play leadership roles in the writing, implementation and evaluation of these
critical tools for health.
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SCHOOL WELLNESS
POLICIES
Beginning in 2004, school districts participating in the National School
Lunch and/or Breakfast Program were required to develop a local wellness
policy that would be implemented over a two-year time period. The main
goal of a wellness policy is to make changes in the school environment
to promote lifelong physical activity and healthy eating. 1 In the wellness
policies, school districts had “to address nutrition standards of available
foods in schools, nutrition education, physical activity and other schoolbased
activities that contribute to student wellness.” 1 This requirement
of a local wellness policy originated out of a concern for young people:
Congress realized that wellness policies could utilize the school
environment to promote healthy, physically active lifestyles and address
the alarming childhood obesity rate. 1
Local wellness policies are especially important for students in low-income
school districts. Historically, these children have had limited access to
fresh foods, safe community spaces to play, organized sports teams
and fitness role models to learn from. 1, 26 As a result, a majority of lowincome
children are forced into unhealthy life styles that jeopardize their
immediate health and threaten to impact their futures.
The Healthy, Hunger-
Free Kids Act of 2010
In 2009, a study by Bridging the Gap highlighted how local school wellness
policies were failing to make an impact. The study concluded that although
many schools (more than 93 percent) had a wellness policy by the
2007–2008 school year, a majority of the policies were weak, with little-tono
plans for implementation or monitoring. 15
The Bridging the Gap report contributed to the momentum that produced
the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA).
The HHFKA strengthens the 2004 legislation by: 2
• Requiring every school in the district, not just those participating in the
National School Lunch and/or School Breakfast Program, to establish
a school wellness policy.
• Increasing stakeholder 1 * involvement: Stakeholders are required to join
the development, implementation and review of school wellness policies.
• Increasing school wellness policy transparency by requiring school
districts to update the public on the implementation and content
of school wellness policies; the names and contact information of
wellness policy leadership are also required to be made available
to the public.
• Requiring at least one school official to be responsible for school
wellness policy leadership: Leader must review, oversee implementation
and compliance of the school’s wellness policy.
• Requiring schools to monitor and assess their wellness policies at least
every three years.
• Making the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) responsible
for defining appropriate nutrition standards for school meals and snacks.
1
*The HHFKA identifies stakeholders
as parents, students and representatives
of the school food authority, Physical
Education teachers, school health
professionals, the school board, school
administrators and the general public.
• Requiring smarter marketing of foods and beverages that are sold during
the school day.
• Providing more detailed guidelines and content to promote lifelong
physical activity habits throughout the school day.
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Coaching Corps’ Active Day, Healthy Life
Campaign encourages in-school and
out-of-school providers to work together
with parents, caregivers and community to
ensure all children receive 60 minutes of
moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each
and every school day.
Also included in the HHFKA are content guidelines for schools to provide
physical activity throughout the school day. These guidelines recommend
districts promote physical activity by including the following in their
wellness policies: 2
• Provide physical activity opportunities so that every student “develops
the knowledge and skills for specific physical activities”.
• Provide opportunities to maintain physical fitness.
• Aim to reduce sedentary time (ideally to no more than 2 hours at a time).
• Allow every student to learn interpersonal skills (cooperation, fair play
and responsible participation) through physical activity.
• Allow students to “gain an appreciation for lifelong physical activity
through a healthy lifestyle”.
• Consider other ways to incorporate physical activity outside of Physical
Education classes (to meet the Department of Health and Human
Services’ recommended 60 minutes a day of physical activity. The
HHFKA recommends districts consider daily recess, classroom-based
physical activity breaks, before and after school programs (sports,
clubs, community-organized programs), incorporating physical activity
into core subjects and active forms of transportation to get to school).
The Current State
of School Wellness
Policies
Four years have passed, and like its predecessor in 2004, HHFKA has
had a mixed impact:
• A recent study conducted by Bridging the Gap found that in the 2010–
2011 school year “Nearly every school ha[d] a wellness policy, [but]
only 46 percent of districts had a wellness policy that addressed all five
wellness aspects: nutrition education, school meals, physical activity,
policy implementation and evaluation, and competitive foods.” 3
• Physical activity was often the weakest component addressed in
wellness policies. 16,18
• Similarly, a joint study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and Bridging the Gap looked at wellness policies
during the 2011–2012 school year and concluded that wellness policies
were still not successfully promoting student wellness, especially with
regards to physical activity (PA). 4,16
SUMMARY OF THE STUDY
For a more detailed breakdown, see page 14
• Although PA is mentioned in many of the school districts’ wellness
policies, many policies are not specific in their requirements for PA.
• Many wellness policies do not make use of before and after school
opportunities for PA ( joint-use, walking or biking to school, partnering
with community agencies to provide PA before and after school).
• A majority of wellness policies that address Physical Education
do not effectively use it as a resource to increase students’ PA.
Many policies do not have Physical Education time requirements or
have students spend at least 50 percent of Physical Education
class time engaged in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA)
or require safe and adequate equipment and facilities for Physical
Education classes.
COACHING CORPS 5

This national trend holds true in California as well. The chart below offers
a basic look at some of the largest school districts’ wellness policies
across the state: 2 *
CA School District Physical Education PA (recess and/or Walking/ Biking Before and AFTER Joint-Use Wellness Advisory
rEquirements PA breaks) to School School PA Agreements Council(s)
Berkeley Unified yES no no no no no
Fresno Unified yES yES no yES no yES
Los Angeles Unified yES yES no yES yES yES
Oakland Unified yES yES yES yES no yES
San Diego Unified yES no no yES no yES
San Francisco Unified yES no no no no yES
2
*A “yes” indicates that the district wellness
policy mentions the category in some
respect (policy language may include
“recommends,” “requires” or “encourages”).
A “no” indicates that the district wellness
policy makes no mention of the category.
District wellness policies were primarily
accessed through district websites. 27-35
Several districts are currently working on
updating their policies; consequently, many
of their websites still display older policies.
While research exposes the weak state of wellness policies across the
country, the National State School Health Policy Database reminds us
of some limitations to evaluating district wellness policies. 5
A school district may have a weak wellness policy with little to no
requirements, but some schools within the district may have started
their own initiatives to promote student wellness. The reverse may also
be true: A strong district wellness policy does not necessarily guarantee
implementation from every school in the district. In addition to this issue
of policy vs. practice, school district wellness policies may also differ in
their use of terms. The same term can carry different meanings or “carry
different degrees of authority” from one district to another. 5 Many districts
have also just begun revising their wellness policies to reflect the new
legislation; it may be some time until the full effects of the HHFKA are
realized. Despite these limitations, however, it is still worthwhile to study
available wellness policies and determine policy trends.
HOW COMMUNITIES CAN
HELP SCHOOL DISTRICTS
As school districts continue to revise and update their wellness policies,
stakeholders are presented with a unique opportunity to get engaged
in the process. Coaching Corps recommends stakeholders encourage
school districts to include the following five elements in their wellness
policies: 3 *
01
A stated value of the importance of physical
activity for improvements in student performance,
attendance and behavior in school and overall
student health
• This builds support for physical activity and Physical Education
right from the start.
• Studies have suggested that comprehensive school health
programs can lower “suspension and expulsion rates, [and
lead to] fewer disciplinary hearings, and fewer assignments
to alternative schools.” 1
3
*These recommendations focus on
strategies to promote physical activity
in wellness policies.
• Low-income schools that are challenged with student behavior
problems can benefit from this connection between
increased physical activity and improved student behavior.
COACHING CORPS 6

• A study conducted by the CDC demonstrates “that there is
substantial evidence that physical activity can help improve
academic achievement, including grades and standardized
test scores; physical activity can have an impact on cognitive
skills attitudes and academic behavior (including enhanced
concentration, attentiveness and improved classroom behavior).” 38
02
A collaborative and comprehensive approach
to promoting 60 minutes of physical activity,
with opportunities before, during and after the
school day
• Encourage or require elementary schools to provide daily
supervised recess (of at least 20 minutes), with opportunities
for students to engage in MVPA. 37
• Schools should provide adequate equipment and facilities
either through joint-use or community partnerships, hold
recess outdoors and not withhold it as a form of punishment
or use it as a study period. 37,44
• Recess should not be scheduled before or after Physical
Education classes and should not replace Physical
Education classes. 37
Meeting the recommended time for Physical
Education still does not guarantee that
students will get 60 minutes per day of PA.
That’s why programs like Active Day, Healthy
Life are important for coordinating the school
and community’s resources to help get kids
physically active for 60 minutes per day. 42
• Design Physical Education and PA activities with specific needs
of students in mind.
• Consider the different needs of girls and boys for PA
(i.e., differences in motivations for participating in
physical activity). 19
• Several PA opportunities should be provided for
girls, since they typically face greater obstacles
to participate in PA. 1
• Consider differences in student’s culture, background and
individual preferences.
• Consider students with special needs and English-language
learners. 44
• Strengthen Physical Education and afterschool programs:
• Encourage or require schools to have students spend at
least 50 percent of Physical Education class time engaged
in MVPA. 7
• Encourage schools to provide adequate equipment and
facilities, either through joint-use or community partnerships,
for students to participate in MVPA (California After School
Physical Activity Guidelines recommends afterschool programs
provide 30 to 60 minutes of MVPA). 7
• Prohibit school staff and afterschool coordinators from using
PA or withholding it as punishment. 36
COACHING CORPS 7

Schools in low-income communities can consider adopting a walking school bus program, where
an adult supervises and leads a group of children walking to school. 21
• Provide equal opportunities in afterschool programs for PA
participation, which may mean shifting resources from
competitive, often selective athletic programs to intramurals
and/or PA clubs that promote and provide PA opportunities
for every student. 11
• Ask schools that do not already have one to develop an
afterschool program to promote PA and health nutrition that
are consistent with the school’s wellness policy and, when
applicable, complement the school’s academic and Physical
Education content. 7
• Developing an afterschool program is especially important in
low-income communities, where nearly 36 percent more kids
in CA (about 2 million) would join an afterschool program if
their schools/community had one. 10
• Use Physical Education teachers to help strengthen/design
physical activities for afterschool programs. 7
• Train and support teachers to provide PA breaks in the classroom;
parent volunteers are also good candidates for this.
• Promote jumping jacks, Brain Gym, TAKE 10!, JAMmin’
Minute, “taking a 5-minute stretch break, marching in place,
jumping with an invisible jump rope, doing semi-squats
followed by knee lifts.” 8,23
• Integrate PA within the core curriculum: Teachers can use the
Coordinated Approach to Child and Health Series (CATCH)
and SPARK. 11
• Involve community-based programs like Coaching Corps and
others to provide more opportunities for PA.
• Use school gardens and nutrition education to promote PA. 1
• Encourage or require schools to adopt schoolwide PA breaks:
regular lunchtime running/walking clubs, before and/or after school
PA clubs. 23
• Encourage or require schools to adopt joint-use agreements. 16
In the Belmont area of Los Angeles, some
schools collaborated with several stakeholders
(law enforcement, parent volunteers and
gang violence interventionists) to increase
active transportation to school and address
community violence concerns. 43
• Joint-use agreements can be particularly useful for
low-income communities because they provide
students with a guaranteed space (school or local
community facilities) to play and be active after school.
• Encourage or require schools to implement a Safe Routes
to School Program to promote safe and active transportation
to school. 16
COACHING CORPS 8

03
Clear, defined and measurable policy goals
• Write stronger goals and establish priorities (writing down
and assessing goals can help schools prioritize) within their
wellness policies. 13
• Have “buy-in” for goals: Involve stakeholders throughout goal
setting and writing process.
• Set realistic goals: Make sure an attainable amount of goals
are set for a given time period. 13
• Categorize goals into short, intermediate and long term; simple
and complex. 13
• Link goals to specific changes or outcomes in school
environments. 13
• Include a required time mandate for Physical Education and PA at
every grade level.
Programs like Coaching Corps can support
schools and afterschool programs in providing
physical activity programs to students through
the training and supporting of volunteer
parents, caregivers and community coaches.
04
• Provide a minimum of 150 minutes per week of Physical
Education for elementary school students and 225 minutes per
week for secondary school students. 6
• Use FitnessGram testing to measure physical fitness in
students and design Physical Education activities that address
areas where students are struggling. 7
Engage stakeholders in every aspect of the
wellness policy, with a special focus on parents,
caregivers and community members.
• Common stakeholders include parents, caregivers, students,
representatives of the school food authority, Physical Education
teachers, school health professionals (school nurses), the school
board, school administrators, before and after school coordinators,
special education staff, English Language Learners specialists,
school guidance counselors, teachers, local public health
departments, the general public, public health advocacy
organizations, health insurance and managed care companies.
• Schools in low-income neighborhoods should be mindful of
parents’/caregivers’ challenging work schedules: many
typically face long commutes on public transportation, longer
work hours and/or non-traditional hours. 1
• Schedule meetings at different times of the day, so
that parents with non-traditional working hours can be
a part of the policy process and in multiple locations
throughout the school district. 1
• Involve students in the policy review process.
• Low-income neighborhoods can benefit from involving
students and getting their input on nutrition education
and PA, since many low-income students are more
likely to participate in school nutrition programs and
face fewer opportunities to engage in PA. 1
COACHING CORPS 9

• Communicate wellness policy and supporting documents to
the community.
• “Communication should be repetitive, through varied
channels, and ongoing.” 12
• Communication should be two-way: Stakeholders should be
able to provide feedback. 23
• Schools can post their wellness policy drafts online
and in multiple languages to allow the public
an opportunity to comment.
• Schools can provide hard copy drafts of their wellness
policy at the school’s office. 44
• Communication should frame information in a way that is
culturally sensitive and appropriate for the intended audience.
• Encourage or require information to be made
available in multiple languages and to consider
equity and inclusion.
• Parents and larger communities can be empowered as
advocates for the school’s wellness policy. 26
• Encourage Fitness Role Models.
• Promote and support PA and nutrition for stakeholders.
• Schools can “offer staff wellness activities...related
to health and nutrition that inspire school staff
to serve as role models and practice healthy eating
[and] physical activity. 2
• Offer Professional Development Days for teachers
and school staff to help them incorporate PA into
lessons; make sure the purpose of these Development
Days is known. 26
• Schools can consider recruiting older students to serve as
fitness role models. 44
Train and empower volunteer parents/caregivers to provide students with quality PA. 42
• Involve parents/caregivers with PA efforts to promote lifelong
Physical Activity.
• Parents can teach yoga or aerobic activities like
Zumba to other parents.
• Research has shown how active parents “have more
active pre-school children, older children
and adolescents”; this trend holds true for low-income
parents/caregivers. 19,20
Examples of activities for school staff include
walking clubs before, during lunch or after
school; weight management meetings on
school property; smoking cessation or healthy
cooking classes after school. 2
• This is especially useful for low-income communities
that may struggle finding resources to employ key
fitness personnel.
• Train and support parents and caregivers to coach
sports and other physical activity before, during
and after school.
COACHING CORPS 10

05
A community-led and community-designed
implementation and monitoring plan to ensure
compliance and evaluate policy strength.
• Create an active Wellness Committee consisting of several
invested stakeholders and fitness leaders. 26
• The Wellness Committee will be responsible for
developing the implementation and monitoring plan
and overseeing any other aspect (funding, sustainability,
leadership) relating to the school’s wellness policy. 26
• Implementation plan will “explain the Where, When and to Whom
this element of the policy applies; who needs to know about the
changes; and identify the tasks required, timeline and person
responsible for completing tasks.” 12
• A strong implementation plan will break down the elements
of a school’s wellness policy “into separate goals, activities
and action steps.” 13
• Implementation plan will help schools identify the challenges
and resources to enacting specific parts of their wellness
policies. 22
• Monitoring plan will include “benchmarks, track changes and
progress to help develop an annual report that summarizes policy
results and can be used as a guide for future revisions.” 44
• Monitoring and implementation plan will provide stakeholders with
opportunities to give input and schedule check-ins to review the policy.
EXPECTED CHALLENGES
TO IMPLEMENTING
WELLNESS POLICIES
A study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information
evaluated wellness policies in Connecticut and cited three common
challenges schools faced when implementing wellness policies:
35%
“…insufficient staff to implement the
programs and activities
34%
48%
lack of a key point person
time to plan and coordinate efforts.”
17
Another study that looked at a total of 84 schools in three different states
(California, Iowa and Pennsylvania) also identified lack of time and financial
resources as common challenges to implementing school wellness policies. 25
In addition to these challenges, low-income schools are faced with added
pressures, like increasing student test scores, high staff turnover rates,
lack of adequate facilities to promote PA, and continuous budget cuts. 26
COACHING CORPS 11

Despite these challenges, several schools have successfully implemented
strong school wellness policies, and some low-income schools were found
to have had some of the strongest policies overall. 18 Listed below are
strategies schools have used to overcome common barriers.
Lack of time:
• Establishing a wellness committee, where multiple stakeholders
are together in one place and meeting on a regular basis, can
streamline the implementation and policy review process and help
coordinate policy efforts. 26
• Identifying and partnering with established community
organizations like Coaching Corps and others can give schools
immediate resources (facilities and personnel) to implement their
wellness policies. 7
Lack of FACILITIES:
• Incorporating PA into the classroom, through brain breaks, does not
require schools to find extra space or fitness personnel. 18
• Implementing a joint-use agreement will help schools take
advantage of available community resources. 7
• Utilizing Parks and Recreation aides will help schools provide
additional opportunities for physical activity. 44
Lack of KEY PERSONNEL:
• Utilizing students as resources: Schools can ask students to take
leadership roles in designing, choosing or explaining physical
activities to their peers; this will also increase PA participation in
schools. 9,23
• Empowering parents/caregivers as volunteer coaches, afterschool
coordinators and wellness policy advocates will help increase the
school’s personnel. 42
• Keeping staff and school personnel aware of and dedicated to
modeling wellness policy goals will allow schools to use teachers
and staff as key resources. 25
Lack of KEY FINANCIAL RESOURCES:
• Identifying funding sources (grants, local organizations, parents,
parent teacher associations (PTAs), local civic groups, hospitals,
health insurance companies, retail stores and businesses, local
sports teams, government agencies) have helped schools fund
elements of their wellness policy. 7,17
• Some organizations will provide in-kind services or be willing to
give schools tips on how to apply for grants .7,17
COACHING CORPS 12

CASE STUDIES: WHAT
SCHOOLS HAVE TO SAY
Howard County Public School System, Maryland
A representative from the Howard County Public School System cited
the district’s standard policy review process and policy element evaluation
as the biggest reasons for their success. 39 Having a standard process
for reviewing policies, that includes several opportunities for stakeholder
input, made it easier for the school district to review their wellness policy.
In addition to having this standard review process, the district also
identified which wellness policy elements could be implemented quickly,
intermediately or long term. Separating policy elements into time frames
gave the district a realistic perspective for policy implementation. Things
seem to be working for Howard County: The district’s wellness policy
recently scored a 95 percent (nearly twice as high as the national average)
by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. 40
Oakland Unified School District
Oakland Unified School District worked to overcome the challenge of
involving several stakeholders. 41 Their wellness policy revision took two
years to complete, and in that time, the district held three public events
in different geographic locations so a diverse set of parents/caregivers
and students could provide input. The district also posted drafts of their
wellness policy online to allow parents/caregivers and other stakeholders
opportunities for feedback. The district worked hard to involve as many
stakeholders as possible, and their wellness policy benefitted as a
result: Oakland Unified School District’s wellness policy goes beyond
the requirements in the HHFKA. 41
CONCLUSION
Strong wellness policies can be used to improve the health and quality of
life for thousands of students: They can increase physical activity, improve
attendance, performance and behavior in school, increase self-esteem
and confidence, help maintain lifelong physically active and healthy eating
habits and help address the obesity epidemic. Schools in low-income
communities have an even greater need to strengthen and start using their
wellness policies, as their students face bigger obstacles to engage in
physical activity and are dealing with a wide range of emotional, social and
physical health issues.
Failing to improve wellness policies will come at the cost of our children’s
health and futures. It’s time to comply with the federal mandate and create
strong wellness policies that increase opportunities for physical activity
and involve community stakeholders in the policy revision process — the
benefits from doing so are too great to ignore.
ABOUT COACHING CORPS
Coaching Corps is a nonprofit based in Oakland, CA, committed to closing
the sports gap for young people living in low-income communities.
The Sports Gap is the inequity of access to organized sports with trained
and caring coaches between children living in low-income communities
and their wealthier counterparts. Through the recruitment, training and
placement of volunteers as coaches and mentors — Coaching Corps
ensures that these young people experience the many benefits of team
sports participation with a quality coach.
In addition to providing young people with the critical minutes of physical
activity they need to forge healthy and successful lives, sports with a
caring coach infuses youth with life lessons like persistence, confidence,
empathy and teamwork.
COACHING CORPS 13

16
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PA (BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL)
30%
13%
16%
Nearly 30% of district wellness
policies required or recommended
joint-use.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
13% of district policies required or
recommended PA opportunities
be provided before or after
school through agreements with
community agencies.
Only 16% of district wellness
policies required or recommended
walking or biking to school using
safe routes and safe practices.
70% 5%
min/week
30-150
elementary
30-250
middle school
30-225
high school
Over 70% of district policies did
not address time requirements
for PE classes.
11%
Less than 5% of district policies
met the AAHPERD* recommended
PE time.
When addressed, district PE time
provisions ranged from 30–150
minutes/week at the elementary
level, 30–250 minutes/week at
the middle school level and
30–225 minutes/week at the high
school level.
Only 11% of districts required
students to spend at least 50% of PE
time in moderate-to-vigorous PA.”
*The American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
(AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, recommends elementary school students
receive 150 minutes per week of Physical Education and secondary school students
receive 225 minutes per week of Physical Education throughout the entire school year. 16
COACHING CORPS 14

STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT
30%
25%
25%
About 30% of district policies
required stakeholder involvement
in wellness policy development.
About 25% required staff role
modeling required staff to
model good eating and physical
activity habits.
About 25% required stakeholder
involvement in policy review
and update.
PA AND RECESS DURING SCHOOL
44%
14%
7%
3%
2%
Less than half (44%) of districts
required PA opportunities to be
provided for every grade level.
22%
Less than a quarter (14%) of districts
required that PA be integrated
throughout the school day.
Only 7%, 3%, and 2% of districts
specified an amount of time for PA
at the elementary, middle, or high
school levels, respectively.
“Only 22% of districts required and
18% of districts recommended daily
recess for elementary school students.”
COACHING CORPS 15

MONITORING, EVALUATING AND REPORTING
30%
10%
10%
About 30% of districts required
policy reporting.
48%
About 10% of districts
required evaluation.
Less than 10% of districts
required making the policies
publicly accessible (e.g.,: on
district website).
“48% of districts required an
ongoing health advisory or
wellness committee.”
COACHING CORPS 16

RESOURCES FOR
FINDING GRANTS
AND OTHER FUNDING
• The United States Department of Agriculture offers a database
of grants that schools can use to fund wellness policies.
http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/local-wellness-policy-resources/
school-nutrition-environment-and-wellness-resources/grantsfunding
• School-Grants’s website provides grant writing tips and sample grant
proposals for teachers.
http://www.school-grants.org/.htm
• Playworks has an updated list of federal and state grants available to
school districts and nonprofits.
http://www.playworks.org/training/grant-resources/database
• The Carol M. White Physical Education program is a competitive grant
that provides funding for Physical Education programs.
http://www2.ed.gov/ programs/whitephysed/index.html
RESOURCES FOR
INCREASING PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITIES
FOR GIRLS
RESOURCES FOR
PROMOTING PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT
THE SCHOOL DAY
• Women’s Sports Foundation has links to their programs that promote
physical activity for girls and use sports to build self-confidence and
good health.
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org
• Bridging the Gap and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
developed a policy brief to support quality Physical Education and
physical activity in schools.
http://www.bridgingthegapresearch.org/_asset/7bm7jq/BTG_LWP_
PEPA_brief_Jun_14.pdf?utm_source=BTG+%26+CDC+briefs+releas
e&utm_campaign=BTG+%26+CDC+LWP+Briefs&utm_medium=email
• GoNoodle is a useful site to help teachers incorporate brain breaks
into the classroom.
https://www.gonoodle.com/
• CATCH USA provides schools with ways to incorporate physical
activity throughout the school day.
http://catchusa.org/
• SPARK provides teachers with ways to incorporate physical activity
breaks in the classroom.
http://www.sparkpe.org/
• Instant Recess provides simple, structured group physical activities
suitable for the school setting.
http://www.toniyancey.com/IR_Home_4_-_old.html
• The California Department of Education provides model content
standards for Physical Education by grade level.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/pestandards.pdf
• The School-Based Health Alliance’s campaign, Hallways to Health,
promotes student-focused physical activity and health initiatives.
http://www.sbh4all.org/site/c.ckLQKbOVLkK6E/b.8808107/k.C0DB
Hallways_to_Health.htm
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• The Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch in the
California Department of Public Health provides resources to
increase physical activity amongst the SNAP-eligible California
population. http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/cpns/Pages/
PhysicalActivityIntegration.aspx
• Active Day, Healthy Life Toolkit includes steps and links to other
resources for parents, caregivers, schools and communities to
promote physical activity in schools.
http://www.coachingcorps.org/wp-content/files_mf/1357250058Acti
veDayHealthyLife_web2.pdf
RESOURCES FOR
WRITING AND REVIEWING
WELLNESS POLICIES
• A World Fit for Kids provides healthy behaviors and personal
empowerment programs and training throughout Los Angeles.
http://worldfit.ehclients.com/
• The California Center for Research on Women and Families
offers a checklist of required elements in local school wellness
policies and provides links to other California organizations that
offer additional guidance material on wellness policies.
http://ccrwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Local-School-
Wellness-Policies-Nutrition-Primer-Module.pdf
• The California Department of Education provides several resources
for writing, implementing and evaluating wellness policies.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/he/wellness.asp
• California Project LEAN provides worksheets, fact sheets
and research briefs to help schools implement and strengthen
their wellness policies.
http://www.californiaprojectlean.org/doc.asp?id=168&parentid=20#
Research_and_Policy_Briefs
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides an online
self-assessment tool for evaluating wellness policies.
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/shi/
• Team California for Healthy Kids provides a Local School Wellness
Policy Administrative Review Toolkit, which contains multiple
resources for policy implementation and review.
http://www.teamcaliforniaforhealthykids.org/school-wellness/localschool-wellness-policy-collaborative-2/local-school-wellness-policylswp-administrative-review-toolkit/
• The Dairy Council of California maintains an online database
of over 700 California school district wellness policies.
http://www.healthyeating.org/Schools/School-Wellness/School-
Wellness-Policies.aspx
• The Alliance for a Healthier Generation provides resources
for developing wellness councils, wellness policies and policy
evaluations. https://www.healthiergeneration.org/take_action/
schools/wellness_councils__policies/
• The California School-Based Health Alliance provides links to help
schools and the community develop and implement their wellness
policies. http://www.schoolhealthcenters.org/healthlearning/
nutritionfitness/nutritionfitnessresources/schoolwellnesspolicies/
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RESOURCES FOR
SUPPORTING RECESS
• Playworks offers game ideas for indoor recess and/or physical
activity breaks.
http://www.playworks.org/playbook/what-is-a-great-recess/
playground-strategies/recess-rain-and-snow-and
• Bridging the Gap and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention developed a policy brief to help elementary schools
support recess.
http://www.bridgingthegapresearch.org/_asset/dqryqb/BTG_LWP_
recess_brief_Jun_14.pdf?utm_source=BTG+%26+CDC+briefs+
release&utm_campaign=BTG+%26+CDC+LWP+Briefs&utm_
medium=email
RESOURCES FOR SCHOOL
STAFF (ONLINE TRAINING)
RESOURCES FOR
IMPLEMENTING WALK TO
SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND
JOINT-USE AGREEMENTS
• The California After School Resource Center provides online
training for school staff and afterschool organizers to promote
physical activity.
http://californiaafterschool.org/onlinetraining
• The California Healthy Kids Resource Center provides online
training for school staff and afterschool organizers to promote
physical activity.
http://www.californiahealthykids.org
• California Active Communities provides resources for schools to
plan their own walk to school events.
http://www.cawalktoschool.com
• Joint-Use provides a toolkit, policy template and other resources for
schools to adopt joint-use agreements.
http://jointuse.org
• The Safe Routes to School National Partnership developed a
resource guide for low-income schools to implement a Safe Routes
to School program.
http://saferoutespartnership.org/sites/default/files/pdf/
LowIncomeGuide.pdf
COACHING CORPS 19

SOURCES
1. Cama, S., Emerson, B., Parker, L., Levin, M., Fitzsimons,
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2. Food and Nutrition Service. (2014, February 26). Local
School Wellness Policy Implementation under the
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Federal Register.
3. Chriqui, JF., Resnick, EA., Schneider, L., Schermbeck, R.,
Adcock, T., Carrion, V., & Chaloupka, FJ. (2013,
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Five Years after the Federal Mandate. School Years
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the Gap Research Program. (2014, May). Local School
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6. California Afterschool California Project LEAN. (2008).
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of Education. (2009). California After School Physical
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8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(2013, December). Comprehensive School Physical
Activity Programs: A Guide for Schools. Atlanta, GA:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
9. Morrison, N. (2014, June 29). How can we get girls to
take up sport? Forbes.
10. Afterschool Alliance. (n.d.). Afterschool in California
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11. Center for Collaborative Solutions Healthy Behaviors
Initiative. (2010, March). Changing Lives, Saving Lives
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Practices in Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Food
Security in Afterschool Programs.
12. California Project LEAN, The Center for Weight
and Health. (2006, October). Policy In Action A Guide
to Implementing Your Local School Wellness Policy.
13. Maryland State Department of Education School
and Community Nutrition Programs Branch.
(2009, January). Making Wellness Work: A Guide
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Childhood Obesity: Parents Weigh In.
15. Chriqui, JF., Schneider, L., Chaloupka, FJ., Ide, K. &
Pugach, O. (2009, July). Local Wellness Policies:
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Chicago, IL: Bridging the Gap, Health Policy Center,
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18. Belansky, E., Chriqui, J.F. & Schwartz, M.B.
(2009, June). Local School Wellness Policies:
How Are Schools Implementing the Congressional
Mandate. Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.
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23. Subcommittee of the President’s Council on Fitness
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Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Strategies
to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth. Washington,
DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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24. Sridhar, V. (2014, July 8). Study looks at how Twitter
can be used to address specific health issues.
Washington University in St. Louis.
25. Wood, Y., Cody, M. M. & Nettles, M. F. (2010, July 1).
Team Nutrition Local Wellness Demonstration Project
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National Food Service Management Institute.
26. Patterson, T. (n.d.). School Health Connection Healthy
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27. Oppen, M. (2013, August 9). OUSD School Wellness.
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29. Oakland Unified School District. (2012, September 12).
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32. Coordinated School Health District Council. (2008-2009).
Blueprint for Wellness Developed by The Coordinated
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(2006, June 13). Policy on Wellness in the Los Angeles
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39. Howard County Public School System, Personal
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40. Yaeger, A. (2014, July 9). Howard schools’ wellness policy
gets top grades. The Baltimore Sun.
41. Oppen, M. Program Manager Wellness, Oakland Unified
School District, Personal Communication, July 7, 2014.
42. Polk, S. (2014). Active Day, Healthy Life A school-based
solution to getting kids physically active.
Coaching Corps.
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Advancement Project California.
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34. (n.d.). Berkeley Unified School District Wellness Policy.
35. (2006, January 30). Students Student OK? Wellness.
School Nutrition and Fitness.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
OR QUESTIONS,
PLEASE CONTACT
SHEILAGH POLK
Director Of Community Engagement And Advocacy
sheilaghp@coachingcorps.org or (510) 496-5101
COACHING CORPS
310 8th Street, Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 663-9200 or CoachingCorps.org
Executive Director: Janet Carter
COACHING CORPS 21