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Programs & Grants
Numerous school wellness programs and demonstration
projects are available to schools and districts. These programs
typically provide guidelines, materials, training and evaluation
resources. In some cases, funding is also provided. The following
is a brief selection of national programs. On our website, you will
find frequently updated resources and links to other school wellness
grant opportunities.
Founded in response to U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher's report,
AFHK is a public-private partnership of more than 50 national organizations
and government agencies representing education, health, fitness
and nutrition. Its goal is to address the epidemic of overweight,
sedentary, and undernourished youth by focusing on changes in schools
to improve nutrition and increase physical activity. State-level
teams coordinate school-based programs, and provide tools and other
resources. Anyone interested in nutrition and physical activity
is invited to join their state's team. The national organization
conducts research, issues reports and offers an online wellness
policy tool and other resources. For more information, visit Action
for Healthy Kids
on the web.
Research indicates that student health and learning improve when
families, health care workers, the media, religious organizations,
community organizations that serve youth, and young people themselves
are systematically involved. With that in mind, the CDC developed
the CSHP model to promote youth well-being through eight interactive
components covering nutrition services, health services, health
education, physical education, staff wellness, counseling and social
services, and family and community involvement. This program is
currently being implemented in many schools across the nation. For
more information, visit the
CDC's Coordinated School Health Program
Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH) is a coordinated school
health program which builds an alliance of parents, teachers, child
nutrition personnel, school staff, and community partners to teach
children and their families how to be healthy for a lifetime. It
is based on the largest school-based health promotion study ever
done. Over 5,000 children participated in the study, which demonstrated
that a multi-pronged approach helped increase levels of moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity and improved eating habits. Schools in 20 states
have adopted the program, which is coordinated by a Texas based
consortium. Note that there are fees associated with the program's
training and curriculum. For more information, visit CATCH.
President's Council on Physical Fitness sponsors The President's
Challenge, a program that encourages all Americans to make being
active part of their everyday lives. Under this umbrella, The Physical
Fitness and Health Fitness program for schools was developed. The
Challenge also provides extras like Fitness File, a free new online
tool that makes fitness testing as simple for schools as possible.
When you register your school, you can use Fitness File to track
all your students' results in both the Physical Fitness and Health
Fitness programs. Or you can register a group to use the free group
Activity Tracker for the Active Lifestyle and Presidential Champions
programs. For more information, visit the President's
Council on Physical Fitness.
Launched in 2006 by Alliance for a Healthier Generation with funding
from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, The Healthy Schools Program
sets standards for schools, helps schools meet those standards,
and recognizes and rewards those schools that meet the standards.
The program provides individual consultation to schools and school
districts to support their efforts to meet goals of the program.
It also provides tools and materials on good nutrition, appropriate
physical activity for children and staff wellness. While any school
is eligible to apply for the recognition program, the program places
special emphasis on reaching schools that have limited resources
and serve students of disadvantaged socioeconomic status. For more
information, visit the Healthy
Schools Program.
PE4life is a nonprofit organization that promotes healthy living
by advancing the development of quality, daily physical education
programs for all children. The program seeks to engage all students
in physical activity, regardless of their current fitness level.
The organization offers resources, training and grants to help schools
improve their PE programs. For more information, visit PE4life.
Schools across the U.S. are using Safe Routes to School programs
to encourage and enable more children to safely walk and bike to
school. The National Center for Safe Routes to School aims to assist
communities in developing successful Safe Routes programs and strategies.
The Center offers a centralized resource of information on how to
start and sustain a Safe Routes to School program, case studies
of successful programs, and many other resources for training and
technical assistance. For more information, visit Safe
Routes.
Eat Smart. Play Hard is a campaign sponsored by the United States
Department of Agriculture that provides practical suggestions and
resources to help motivate children and their caregivers to eat
healthy and be active. Many states have adopted this program or
adapted it to meet their state goals. The campaign website contains
information and resources to help get started, make smart choices,
prepare meals, and increase physical activity. In addition, visitors
can download a Calorie Burner Chart, the My Pyramid Tracker and
the ESPH Tracking Card. For more information, visit the USDA's
Eat Smart Program.
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has established the HealthierUS
School Challenge to encourage schools to take specific steps to
improve their programs and address obesity, recognize those who
chose to do so and encourage other schools to follow their lead.
HealthierUS Schools can be certified as either Silver or Gold Schools,
according to standards established by FNS. For more information,
visit the HealthierUS
School Challenge.
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Five Ways