Physical Activity and Nutrition

School Wellness Councils:

Improving Physical Activity & Nutrition in NYC Schools

Creating a School Wellness Council is a great way to work together to improve nutrition and physical activity at your school. Any school can form a wellness council and policy.

Regular physical activity and healthy eating help young people stay in shape, feel good, do their best at school, and avoid developing long-term health conditions that can affect their ability to lead productive lives.

• Nearly half of NYC elementary school children are
  NOT at a healthy weight
• Children who are overweight are more likely to be overweight as adults
• Being overweight increases the risk of many serious health conditions and diseases

Developing a Wellness Council at your school may help to reverse these trends. Wellness Councils assess the school environment, create an action plan to address identified areas of concern; and choose and implement policies, programs, and events to improve the physical activity and nutrition environment for the entire school community.

Steps to Developing a Wellness Council

1. Form a Wellness Council made up of school staff members, parents, and even kids. Assistant principals, parent coordinators, physical education teachers, classroom teachers, guidance counselors, nurses, and social workers may all be important staff members to have on board. Recruit people by offering information about neighborhood health statistics, what a wellness council can accomplish, and why you need them to participate. Designate a council leader or leaders who will be responsible for drafting agendas for and facilitating meetings, in addition to making sure the council stays on track towards its goals.
   
   Set up a regular schedule for meetings, for example., every other Wednesday at 9 am, or the first Thursday of every month at 10 am. Make sure a space is booked for that time and that all council members know the meeting time and location.
   
   Read more suggestions about who should be on your wellness council here: Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (PDF)



2. Assess your school health environment and needs. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of
   the physical activity and nutrition environment and programming currently at your school. Once needs are identified, the council can start to discuss how to address them. Here are some assessment tools to help you
   get started:
   
   • Center for Disease Control and Prevention School Health Index (SHI) assessment tool
   • USDA Team Nutrition Guiding Materials
   • National Association for Sports and Physical Education PE Checklist (PDF)



3. Create a School Wellness Policy. Review local regulations, sample templates and policies, and then draft a policy that reflects your school’s particular goals and activities. Make sure to include how, when, and by whom the policy will be implemented, monitored,
   and evaluated.
   
   Review NYC/NYS Regulations.
   
   
4. Have the school principal review and approve the wellness policy. It is very important to not only have the school administration approve the policy, but to endorse and promote it as well.



5. Build awareness and support. The School Wellness Policy is most likely to be accepted and institutionalized if awareness, buy-in, and support are generated throughout the school community. Conduct educational sessions that address such topics as neighborhood/city health statistics, regulations, connections between learning and wellness, nutrition, and where to find healthier foods and fitness resources. Welcome and foster input and participation.

See free publications and resources to help build awareness.

6. Implement the policy! This means developing an implementation schedule, putting into place programs and practices that support the policy, monitoring compliance, and delegating responsibility for follow up. Some policies can be quickly and easily put into practice, while others may need to be phased in more slowly.

   Depending on what is stated in the policy, the council may need to enroll the school in physical activity or nutrition education programs that are free or have associated costs, draft letters and provide materials to parents and staff regarding healthier and non-food fundraising, snacks, and rewards in the classroom; and apply for grants. Other activities may include creating a wellness bulletin board, holding school-wide or classroom activities to create posters on healthy snacks, conduct taste tests, hold physical activity birthday parties... There are many possibilities.

7. Celebrate your successes! Maintain, measure and reevaluate. Recognize your accomplishments; consider holding health fairs or other fun events to highlight the wellness council or policies. Re-evaluating policies and plans can be done through completing the School Health Index again or putting in place another type of evaluation tool, and then going back to the school wellness policy to see what needs to be revised. Each season or school year try new projects or activities to keep the enthusiasm going!




Find physical activity and nutrition resources to help create healthy school environments.

Program Scope

In 2005 the NYC DOHMH was awarded a 5-year grant from the NYS Department of Health Healthy Heart Program for the School Wellness Council Project initiative—a program dedicated to combating childhood obesity in public elementary schools in North and Central Brooklyn, East and Central Harlem, and the South Bronx. These neighborhoods have the highest rates of obesity in the city. The goal is to improve cardiovascular health among children by increasing daily physical activity and improving the nutritional value of food consumed. We aim to achieve this goal through School Wellness Councils, which work to adapt the NYC Department of Education's District Wellness Policy to their school.



Call 311 for more information about School Wellness Councils.