Wellness Policies in Schools: Implementation, Measurement and Evaluation

1. Wellness Policies in Schools: Implementation, Measurement and Evaluation • Presented by: • Iowa Partners: Action For Healthy Kids • Bureau of Nutrition Programs and School Transportation/Department of Education

2. The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004PL 108-265 enacted June 30, 2004 Section 204 – Local Wellness Policies - “Not later than the first day of the school year beginning after June 30, 2006, each local educational agency … shall establish a local school wellness policy” It’s here!

3. The law requires the District to develop a wellness policy that - • includes goals for nutrition education, physical activity and other school-based activities to promote student wellness • includes nutrition standards for all food available on school campuses • provides assurance that meals meet federal standards • establishes a plan for monitoring including designation of one or more persons charged with operational responsibility for the local wellness policy • involves a variety of people

4. Many policies are complete. • Drafted • Reviewed • Adopted • Good job!

5. Now what? You mean we’re not done?

6. Successful creation of a local wellness policy consists of eight steps: • Conduct the Initial Homework • Form the Development Team • Assess the District’s Needs • Draft a Policy • Build Awareness and Support • Adopt the Policy • Implement the Policy • Maintain, Measure, Evaluate

7. Teamwork • Coming together is a beginning. • Keeping together is progress. • Working together is success. Henry Ford

8. School Teams • Team Nutrition • Coordinated School Health Councils

9. Involve those who know • Committee to develop policy • Implementation • Measurement • Teachers • Students • Food Service Staff • Administrators • Students • Researchers • Community/Business

10. Implementing the Policy Implementation requires good planning and management skills, the necessary resources, consistent oversight, and widespread buy-in by school staff.

11. Keys to Successful Implementation • Leadership • Commitment • Communication • Support

12. Implementation – share the picture • Review the policy. • What goals were set? • Who is responsible? • Who can help? • When are the goals to be accomplished?

13. Implementation • What has already been implemented? • What will be easy to implement? • What do you expect to be difficult to implement?

14. Why will it be challenging? What do you know about it already? Who can help? How will it be communicated? Can it be in smaller goals? When do you want it done by? Implementation Challenges

15. Timeline • All at once • Phased in over time

16. Implementation Resources • Team Nutrition – Iowa • http://www.state.ia.us/educate/ecese/fn/tn/ • Coordinated School Health • http://www.cdc.gov/oess/schoolhealth/ • http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/healthtopics/ wellness.htm • Action for Healthy Kids • http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/

17. Team Nutrition for Educators www.teamnutrition.usda.gov/educators.html • Available Resources for K-12 School • Available Resources for Elementary Schools • Available Resources for Middle and High Schools

18. USDA – Changing the Scene Available from from USDA website http://www.teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/ changing.html

19. Idaho Implementation Tool www.idahodairycouncil.org/pdfs/afhkwellnesspolicyfinal.pdf

20. AFHK Implementation Tool • Advice and resources specific to an issue that has arisen during implementation. • Select a challenge from the drop down list • Building awareness and support • Time to eat/schedule conflicts • Physical education • http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/wellnesstool/ImpTool/index.php

21. Making It Happen! • School Nutrition Success Stories

22. Measuring Success • The policy must “establish a plan for measuring implementation of the local wellness policy, including designation of 1 or more persons within the local educational agency or at each school, as appropriate, charged with operational responsibility for ensuring that the school meets the local wellness policy.”

23. Measurement • Involve the team • Write/Plan based on the goals • Ask for additional ideas • Check the reading level • Involve students, parents, staff and community

24. Develop SMART objectives • Specific-what will be accomplished • Measurable-how much change is expected • Achievable-what can be accomplished • Realistic-reasonable steps • Time-phased-when the objective will be met

25. How will you measure?Who? When? Where? • What will be measured? • How will it be measured? • Who will measure? • When will it be measured? • Where will it be measured?

26. List a part of the policy you want to measure: Examples: Increase participation in breakfast walking program What measurements exist at your agency already? Examples: Participants in breakfast walking program Local Measurement

27. Measurement: Supporting Data and Information • Existing Measurement • Pre-implementation information. • What do we know so far? • What can we measure now? • Other data/information examples • Number eating meals • Vending dollars, choices, machines • Minutes of physical activity

28. Iowa’s Local School Wellness Assessment Tool http://www.fshn.hs.iastate.edu/schoolnutrition/

29. When will evaluation take place? Establish procedure for review (e.g. in conjunction with parent/teacher conference). Who is responsible Who will be involved? What steps have been taken? How will we review the measurements? Evaluation Planning

30. Steps for Evaluating the Wellness Policy: • Establish a plan for measuring implementation of the local wellness policy • Periodically assess how well the policy is being managed and enforced • Update or amend the policy as the process moves on • Document any financial impact to the school foodservice program, school stores, or vending machine revenues • Assess student, parent, teacher, and administration satisfaction with the policies

31. Evaluation questions follow the policy goals Sample policy goal: Fundraising drives will sell foods that are healthy or non-food related.

32. Evaluation: What have we accomplished? • Look at policy goals and objectives • Look at steps taken • Look at measurements, data, and information

33. Evaluation Resources • School Health Index • http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/shi/default.aspx Team Nutrition's Changing the Scene • NASBE’s Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn • Action for Healthy Kids http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/

34. Evaluation Resources • Iowa’s Local School Wellness Assessment Tool http://www.fshn.hs.iastate.edu/schoolnutrition/

35. Use Evaluation findings to plan improvements • Have program activities been successful or fallen short of goals? • Are further resources needed to be more successful or improve the outcome? • Is the policy making a difference? • What is working? What is not?

36. How can the impact of the policy be increased? • Determine the effect on student health and academic learning. • Keep key stakeholders informed about results. This communication can make the case for future program improvements.

37. Ex: Area of concern: Revenue • Revenue will be lost if more healthy products are provided in vending machines. • Student and other school-based clubs will not be able to raise the funds they need if they cannot sell unhealthy items. • A la carte sales help keep food services in the black-changes will result in lost revenues.

38. Listen to the experts Wellness Policy Tool has audio response to questions asked and additional resources are listed. http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/ wellnesstool/ImpTool/index.php

39. Accomplishments • Celebrate successes • Publicize • Recognize contributions

40. Getting Your Message Out “Getting Your Message Out” • teamnutrition.usda.gov/library.html • Can order up to 10 copies • Can read on line

41. Next Steps • Revise or refine • Proceed • Communicate • Implement • Measure • Evaluate • Communicate • Implement

42. At implementation Who What When Where How Why After evaluation Who What When Where How Why Communication

43. NASBE • Fit, Healthy & Ready to Learn • Download PowerPoints from Calories In-Calories Out Conference

44. ASBO, International • Journal article • February 2003: www.asbointl.org/asbo/files/ccPageContentDOCFILENAME001052705546SBA_Feb_03_article_TakingActionForHealthyKids.pdf

45. Resources – Coordinated School Health (DOE) • YRBS – Youth Risk Behavior Survey • School Health Profile • CDC’s School Health Index  • NASBE’s Fit, Healthy, Ready to Learn

46. More Wellness Resource Sites • Action for Healthy Kids www.actionforhealthykids.org/ • www.aahperd.org/ • www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/ • www.healthysd.gov/ • www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/20_04/well204.shtml • Any search engine: “Wellness Policy”

47. Monitoring by State Agency • Policy not required to be approved by State Agency. • Policy not collected by State Agency. • Policy existence checked during NSLP program review and CSIP review.

48. Monitoring by State Agency • Is part of the checklist for School Districts 2006-07 Comprehensive Site Visits – Item 36 (final version 8/3/06) • Is part of the National School Lunch Program review

49. CSIP Checklist items: Item 36. A local school wellness policy for schools under the local educational agency has been established as required under the 2004 Reauthorization of the USDA Child Nutrition Programs which includes the following:

50. 36. a. Documentation that parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, the school board, school administrators, and the public were involved in the development of the school wellness policy.