School Wellness
"Making the healthy choice, the easy choice..."
The current generation of children in the United States is expected to have shorter life spans than those of their parents, due to disease related to sedentary lifestyles and inadequate nutrition. Society faces a twin epidemic of physical inactivity and poor nutrition.
The Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative is helping schools meet the growing need to improve student health and academic performance. Recognizing the interdependency between food and fitness, the NE Iowa FFI supports two successful national programs Farm to School and Safe Routes to School.
Check out what's happening in the School Wellness Newsletters!
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
To extend Farm to School and Safe Routes to School program opportunities to the region's 27 school districts, the NE Iowa FFI developed the School Wellness Team Action Plan Guide.
School Wellness Team Action Plan Application Spring 2011 ( Word doc) (pdf)
Additional Resources for schools:
Alliance for a Healthier Generation Toolkit: School Wellness Council
Promoting Healthy Youth, Schools, and Communities
NE Iowa FFI staff serve as "resource contacts"— liaisons between the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative and area schools, who help schools assess their assets and needs, set food and fitness goals, complete the School Wellness Team Action Plan Guide and build local capacity for policy and environmental changes in schools to support healthy eating and active living. General questions about school wellness may be directed to, Rachel Wobeter, School Wellness Liaison at 563-387-1573 or email us.
The School Wellness Team Action Plan helps school communities mobilize school-based wellness teams. It also helps schools meet standards established by the Iowa Healthy Kids Act— legislation that establishes physical activity requirements for students and nutritional content standards for food and beverages sold or provided on school grounds.
The NE Iowa FFI celebrates many strong local leaders who are working together to create vibrant schools where the healthy choice is the easy choice.
School Wellness Policy Pointers
Who Should Be on a School Wellness Team & Why?
Students are respected leaders, change agents and advocates for their school and community.
Teachers exercise direct influence on instruction of students
School food service providers deal directly with the procurement of food and finances for school meals
Administration focused on the use of resources to create and implement plans in a standardized way
School board members provide representation of the community, are focused on how the school serves its families and students, and address the values, vision, and goals of the district
Parents have a vested interest in their child's well-being and the school environment
School nurses provide health screenings for students, have expert knowledge of the status and trends of student's health, and can provide concrete ways to improve the health environment in schools
Local government officials help address many of the infrastructure needs and city codes
Community members provide a community-wide perspective
Community health care professionals bring a distinct perspective to the school wellness team that may help change student and family behaviors as well as support school nurses
School Wellness Teams Help Build Capacity For:
Integration of the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative: Farm to School, Safe Routes to School and Youth Engagement to increase the daily access of local healthy food and physical activity opportunities in the school-community environment.
Program planning: curriculum review, identifying emerging health issues, encourage innovation in health education and in-service trainings
Advocacy: build understanding of school wellness in the school and community
Education: school-wide health promotion events
Evaluation and accountability: ensure people are achieving goals, collect information and ideas from parents and staff, and identify health needs
Resource mapping: identify county resources and match them to specific program need
Fiscal planning: raise money for school wellness activities and apply for applicable grants
Youth Taking Charge
Youth Change Concession Stand Food
Youth Attend Conference in Boston
