Читать книгу Keeping the Whole Child Healthy and Safe - Marge Scherer - Страница 13

Educators across the United States are facilitating changes at the state, district, and school levels to improve student health. Collaborating in teams as part of the Action for Healthy Kids initiative, they are creating and distributing nutritional guidelines, educating policymakers, helping to develop school wellness policies, instituting changes in vending and other noncafeteria food sales, creating school health councils, and improving health education. The teams are successful because they are inclusive and grassroots, representing administrators, teachers, health professionals, community leaders, parents, and students.

The Arizona Action for Healthy Kids team worked in cooperation with the Arizona Department of Education and USDA Team Nutrition to create and implement a model healthy school policy in eight pilot schools (see "Arizona Healthy School Environment Model Policy"). The policy addresses food-service operation, nutrition education, food choices at school, physical education, and a healthy school environment. To facilitate implementation, each pilot school received $5,000–$10,000 as part of a USDA Team Nutrition grant. Among other improvements, participating schools replaced low- or no-nutrient foods with more healthful items, such as water, juice, low-fat milk, fruits, and vegetables.