Healthy Schools

The resources listed below help improve children's health in schools. Research shows that behavior change is more likely to last when people and their communities make similar healthy changes. These tools help create places that support and improve children's health.

Resources That Address Nutrition and Physical Activity

• Healthy School Celebrations With a few easy changes, parents, teachers and school administrators can shift the focus from unhealthy food to healthy fun.
  
• Joint Use Agreements
  • Community/School Gardens
  • Opening School Grounds to the Community After Hours - a tool kit for increasing physical activity
• Parent/Teacher Resources provide simple tips to help children eat better and be more active.
• Recess Before Lunch Policies help improve student behavior on the playground, in the cafeteria, and the classroom. Schools that implement this policy also experience reduced food waste and increased milk consumption.
• What Works in Schools - developed by the Wisconsin Nutrition and Physical Activity Program identifies policies and interventions that can help schools create a healthier place for students and staff.

Nutrition Resources

• Developing a Healthy Beverage Vending Agreement outlines what to look for in a vendor, best practices to ensure a sound agreement, and ways to get involved.
• District Policy Establishing a Healthy Vending Program provides sample policy language.
• Drinking Water Access in Schools reviews the issues and suggests four solutions.
• Guidelines for Offering Healthy Foods at Meetings, Seminars, and Catered Events - from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health
• Healthy Concessions Guide addresses guidelines for food and beverages, rationale for recommendations, and sample policy language.
• Healthy Recipes and Cooking - including the Fruit and Veggie Quantity Cookbook.
• Healthy Vending Guide addresses healthy vending guidelines for foods and beverages, sample policy language, and marketing strategies to promote healthy options.
• Implementing Strong Nutrition Standards for Schools: Financial Implications - Experience shows that schools can have strong nutrition standards and still maintain financial stability.
• IOM Report on Competitive Foods in Schools
• IOM Report on School Meals
• Model Healthy Beverage Vending Agreement helps nutrition advocates and school districts use the contracting process to improve the nutritional quality of beverages.
• Smarter Lunchrooms challenges school cafeterias to make one or two research-based low-cost or no-cost changes that encourage kids to select healthier foods.

Physical Activity Resources

• Safe Routes to School (SRTS) encourages children to walk and bicycle to school. New Hampshire communities and schools can apply to the NH Department of Transportation, and, if selected, are eligible for 100% reimbursement of approved costs.
• Youth Physical Activity: The Role of Schools

Adobe Acrobat Reader format. You can download a free reader from Adobe.