Local School Wellness Policy
The bSAFE, bFIT! Program for kids is a perfect fit for the Local School Wellness Policy!
The Local Wellness Policy (42 U.S.C.1751-Sec. 204. Local Wellness Policy) was signed into law, making requiring school districts to create a local wellness policy that addresses physical activity, nutrition, and family/community involvement by June, 2006. The bSAFE, bFIT! Program is a perfect fit for Local Wellness coordinators and panel members in search of such a program because of bSAFE bFIT!'s exclusive focus on physical activity and nutrition education; while linking schools, families, and the community.
The Iowa Association of School Boards worked with Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids to develop a sample policy and supporting documents concerning the Local Wellness Policy. Their sample policy appears in a publication entitled Policy Primer: A Guide to Current Policy Issues (IASB, 2005). The following information has been separated from their overall publicatio
n to cite the specific areas of the Wellness Policy that the bSAFE, bFIT! Program impacts. The specific language is used from the IASB Policy Primer followed by how the bSAFE, bFIT! Program for kids meets the cited area.
42 U.S.C. 1751-SEC. 204. LOCAL WELLNESS POLICY (a) IN GENERAL--Not later than the first day of the school year beginning after June 30, 2006, each local educational agency participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 shall establish a local school wellness policy for schools under the local educational agency that, at a minimum:
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includes goals for nutrition education, physical activity and other school-based activities that are designed to promote student wellness in a manner that of local educational agency determines is appropriate;
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involves parents, students, and representatives of the school food authority, the school board, school administrators, and the public in the development of the school wellness policy.
The bSAFE bFIT!Program for kids:
- meets nutrition, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness;
- links schools, families, and the community.
The board promotes healthy students by supporting wellness, good nutrition and regular physical activity as a part of the total learning environment. The school district supports a healthy environment where students learn and participate in positive dietary lifestyle practices. By facilitating learning through the support and promotion of good nutrition and physical activity, schools contribute to the basic health status of students. Improved health optimizes student performance potential.
The bSAFE bFIT! Program for kids:
NUTRITION EDUCATION AND PROMOTION
The school district will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that:
- is offered at each grade level as part of a sequential, comprehensive, standards-based program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health;
- is part of not only health education classes, but also classroom instruction in subjects such as math, science, language arts, social sciences and elective subjects;
- includes enjoyable, developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant participatory activities, such as contests, promotions, taste-testing, and farm visits;
- promotes fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, and health-enhancing nutrition practices;
- emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and physical activity;
- links with meal programs, other foods and nutrition-related community services; and,
- includes training for teachers and other staff.
The bSAFE bFIT! Program for kids:
- is age appropriate and grouped for ages 2 through Preschool, Kindergarten through 2nd grade, and 3rd through 6th grade;
- can be infused in a variety of areas--classroom use, physical education, health education, science, math, language arts, social studies, music, art, school counseling sessions, library activities, and cafeteria staff presentations;
- includes fun and multicultural activities such as taste-testing, field trips, etc.;
- uses information from the USDA MyPyramid for kids which promotes fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, and other health-enhancing nutrition practices;
- includes lessons that emphasize caloric balance between food intake and physical activity;
- invites foods and nutrition-related community services into the classrooms;
- offers an instructor's DVD.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Optional Issues
Physical Activity Opportunities After School
After-school childcare and enrichment programs will provide and encourage daily periods of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all participants.
The bSAFE bFIT! Program for kids:
- offers and encourages daily periods of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all.
OTHER SCHOOL-BASED ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE STUDENT WELLNESS
Integrating Physical Activity into Classroom Settings
For students to receive the nationally recommended amount of daily physical activity and for students to fully embrace regular physical activity as a personal behavior, students need opportunities for physical activity beyond the physical education class. Toward that end, the school district will:
- offer classroom health education that compliments physical education by reinforcing the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a physically active lifestyle and to reduce time spent on sedentary activities;
- provide opportunities for physical activity to be incorporated into other subject lessons; and,
- encourage classroom teachers to provide short physical activity breaks between lessons or classes.
The bSAFE bFIT! Program for kids:
- is based on the National Health Education Standards and the National Standards for Physical Education;
- provides ideas to incorporate physical activity in other subject areas; and,
- each lesson is a short physical activity break that can be completed between classes.
Optional Issues
Communication with Parents and the Community
The school district will support the parent and communities' efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children. The school district will:
- send home nutrition information;
- encourage parents to pack healthy lunches and snacks;
- provide parents ideas for healthy celebrations/parties;
- provide opportunities for parents and community members to share their healthy food practices with others in the school community;
- include sharing information about physical activity and physical education through a newsletter or other take-home materials.
The bSAFE bFIT! Program for kids acknowledges the importance of family communication. The Additional Performance Outcomes section in the bSAFE bFIT! Manual with Lesson Plans:
- provides ideas to send home nutrition information;
- encourages healthy lunches and snacks;
- provides families with ideas for healthy celebrations/parties;
- provides opportunities for families and community members to share their healthy food practices with others;
- includes sharing information about physical and nutrition education through newsletters or other take-home materials;
*Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB). Policy Primer: A guide to Current Policy Issues. Volume 19, Number 2, October 21, 2005. Reprinted with permission from the Iowa Association of School boards, 2006.
