BE WELL: Schools
Children spend the majority of their waking hours at school where they consume 30 - 60 percent of their daily calories. Schools can, therefore, be a champion in encouraging kids to eat healthy and stay active now, which helps them develop healthy habits that will serve them later in life. Not only does this make for healthier kids (and future adults), but it also helps them to be better learners, through improved attendance, behavior, and academic performance.
BE WELL partners with schools to provide technical assistance and funding in support of the following healthy school best practices, which become the backbone of a comprehensive and sustainable healthy school environment:
* Convene a wellness committee
* Complete or update a school health assessment
CDC School Health Index (SHI)* Develop or update an action plan
Alliance for a Healthier Generation SHI
Action for Healthy Kids SHI
WellSAT
* Implement and evaluate
* Update your wellness policy accordingly
Wellness Policy Requirements* Promote and sustain efforts
Wellness Policy Checklist
Model Wellness Policy by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
* NEW School Partner BE WELL Application
* RETURNING School Partner BE WELL Application
ACTIVE SCHOOLS
What Active Schools Look Like
- Active Schools Minnesota
- Moving Matters: A School Implementation Toolkit from Active Schools Minnesota, an initiative of the MN Department of Education and the MN Department of Health
Active School Initiatives
- Active School Day
- Active Classrooms
- Active Recess
- Indoor Activity Resources
- ABC for Fitness Activity Bursts in the Classroom
- Adventures to Fitness
- CHALK Just Move Activity Cards
- GoNoodle
- Yoga Recess
- Quality Physical Education
- Physical Activity Opportunities Before & After School
- Safe Routes to School
- Education (e.g. Pedestrian andBicycling Safety Curriculum: Walk! Bike! Fun!)
- Encouragement (e.g. Walking School Bus Guide)
- Enforcement (e.g. Law Enforcement Involvement; Crossing Guards; Student Safety Patrol)
- Engineering (e.g. Assessing Routes)
- Evaluation (e.g. Parent Surveys or Student Travel Tally)
- Equity
HEALTHY SCHOOL FOOD
Healthy School Food Initiatives
- Farm to School through food service, school gardens, and curriculum
- Resources from the MN Dept of Health
- Resources from the U of M Extension
- School gardens: Minnesota School Gardens Curriculum
- Smarter Lunchrooms
- In-person Workshops for Food Service Professionals through the U of M Extension
- Team Nutrition print materials for schools
- Menu Planners for School Meals
- Breakfast Programs (Project breakFAST toolkit)
- Salad Bars to Schools
- Nutrition Education
- Healthy Snacks during the school day
- snack carts
- classroom rewards or celebrations
- healthy beverages: ReThink Your Drink
- Healthy Snacks outside of the school day
Other Healthy School Resources
- School Wellness WORKS! Guide
- School E-Cigarette Toolkit: Addressing Student Use of E-Cigarettes and Other Vaping Products
For more information
To learn more about what BE WELL is doing in Blue Earth County, including how to partner with us in making our communities healthier places to live, feel free to contact us.
To learn more about what BE WELL is doing in Blue Earth County, including how to partner with us in making our communities healthier places to live, feel free to contact us.
To learn more about what SHIP is doing in the rest of Minnesota, visit the Minnesota Department of Health SHIP webpage.