Inspiring Parent Led Change

1. Inspiring Parent Led Change Melanie Lloyd Leah Smith, RDN, LD Healthy Knights Committee Hill Country Christian School of Austin

2. Hill Country Christian School of Austin is a private, Christian, Classical, college preparatory school offering preschool and kindergarten through high school in North Austin. • 2012-2013 school year • 331 Lower School students • 235 Upper School students Hill Country Christian School of Austin

3. The Healthy Knights Committee is a committee of the Parent Teacher Fellowship. • The Healthy Knights Committee serves staff, parents and students by: • facilitating nutrition and wellness education, • promoting a healthy school environment, • building enthusiasm about nutrient dense foods and exercise, and • supporting the creation of life-long healthy habits that honor God in order to encourage individuals to grow healthier and stronger as they serve Jesus Christ. PTF Healthy Knights Committee

4. Grow Stronger. Serve Longer. • The PTF Healthy Knights Committee implements its mission by hosting events, creating resources andsupporting other school activities and events throughout the year. PTF Healthy Knights Committee

5. Healthy Knights Day 2012

6. Grow Stronger. Serve Longer. 5k

7. The Next Step Staff Wellness Challenge

8. Knights Kitchen

9. Knightly News Articles • Rewarding a Job Well Done • Feast Upon the Alphabet • Fun & Healthy Classroom Parties • Classroom Snacks & Birthday Celebrations Resource Development

10. In September 2011, a parent requested approval from school leadership to prepare a handout of suggestions for preschool letter of the week foods. • In response, school leadership created the “Good Nutrition Task Force, ” composed of parents and staff, and requested a written proposal addressing ways to improve the health of our school environment. • After surveying the school community, the Task Force prepared a written proposal that included 9 recommendations, including the recommendations’ projected impacts and costs. Committee Inception

11. The task force presented their proposal to school leadership and all 9 recommendations were approved for implementation. • 1. Request to Distribute “Feast upon the Alphabet” Booklet • 2. Request to Distribute “Nourishing Birthday Celebrations” Handout • 3. Request to Distribute “Snack Strategies for the Classroom” Handout • 4. Request to Distribute “Fun and Healthy Classroom Parties” Handout • 5. Request to Distribute “Rewarding a Job Well Done” Handout • 6. Request to Remove Candy from Students’ School Supply Lists • 7. Request to Pilot “Knights Kitchen” in Kindergarten Classrooms • 8. Request to Pursue Potential Funding for Events and Initiatives • 9. Request to Become PTF Committee; Name Change • The Healthy Knights Committee was born! Committee Inception

13. In our 2nd year, our committee successfully: • Initiated the removal of candy from the school supply list. • Distributed a healthy snack and birthday treats brochure to Lower School parents. • Discussed and displayed samples of healthy party menus during the Homeroom Mom training. • Piloted the Knights Kitchen program in 3 kindergarten classrooms. • Hosted our school’s 1st ever Staff Wellness Challenge. • Hosted our school’s 1st ever School-wide 5K. • Hosted the 2nd Healthy Knights Day event. Committee’s 2nd Year

14. Healthy Knights Day 2013

15. Our committee’s impact is visible across our school. • In class rewards. • Lower School Field Day snacks. • In class snacks. • In class birthday treats provided by parents. • Staff appreciation lunch menus. • Preschool food of the week. • School community passing health and nutrition related resources to our committee. • School community members asking our committee for opinions and support. • Students’ overwhelming response to the Knights Kitchen Program. • Families making Knights Kitchen recipes at home. Committee’s Impact

16. One voice calling for better choices for our children snowballed into huge changes. • You can accomplish amazing things with a small number of passionate volunteers who are willing to sacrifice their time and share their talents. • Get started and others will join you. Dedicated Volunteers Needed

17. Without funding, the committee: • Initiated the removal of candy from the school supply list and from use as classroom rewards. • Created the “Rewarding a Job Well Done” handout that was distributed to teachers and posted on our school’s website. No Funding Required

19. Without funding, the committee: • Developed the “Fun & Healthy Classroom Parties” document. • Distributed it to Home Room Moms before school started and posted it on our school’s website. No Funding Required

21. Without funding, the committee: • Developed the “Feast Upon the Alphabet” document as a resource for preschool and kindergarten teachers. • Lists foods and physical activities for every letter of the alphabet. No Funding Required

23. Without funding, the committee: • Placed monthly nutrition articles in our school’s newsletter and on our school’s website. • Challenged our school to intentionally think about decisions that involve food. No Funding Required

24. Without any funding, the committee: • Created a MyPlate activity that can be done in classrooms, in homes and at wellness events. • Have children glue pictures of foods, pre-cut from weekly grocery ads, onto paper plates to model MyPlate. No Funding Required

25. Lessons Learned Things We Learned While Building A Committee, Programs and Events from the Ground Up

26. Uncover opportunities and suggest solutions rather than complain about problems. • Help decision makers excel even more. • Provide a new depth of resources to accomplish goals. Enhance and Support, Not “Fix”

27. Narrow the list of opportunities: • What best serves your target audience? • What resources – funding, volunteers’ interests and passions and manpower – are available to you? • When is it best to pursue each goal? • Which opportunities are the decision makers comfortable exploring? • What can you do well? Select Initiatives Cooperatively

28. Working cooperatively builds relationships within your community which will hopefully open doors to additional opportunities to serve and enhance in the future. • Avoid areas that are divisive with the hope and intention of circling back around. Select Initiatives Cooperatively

29. If your #1 priority initiative meets opposition, then put it on the back burner. Switch gears to continue building relationships, creating a “serving together” attitude and gaining the confidence of decision makers. • Don’t get discouraged. Change happens slowly. • Grab any low hanging fruit to build support and momentum. • Celebrate every step forward no matter how small. Sometimes You Have to Take the Long Road Around

31. Be prepared. You will have opposition. • Overcome resistance to change by delivering clear, concise and consistent information via multiple communication channels. Sometimes You Have to Take the Long Road Around

32. Make it hard for decision makers to say no. • Operate under the assumption that decision makers have numerous other responsibilities and may not place the same importance on the issues that you are passionate about. • Ensure the new initiative is in line with the decision makers values. • Your and the decision makers’ common goal is often students’ readiness for learning and/or the health of the whole child. Make It Where They Can’t Say No

33. Explain how the new initiative will produce a significant improvement. Ensure the change will benefit more than it costs. • Have the new initiatives' details mapped out in an easy to understand format. • Think through resource needs, clearly request what is needed and explain how it will be utilized. Make It Where They Can’t Say No

34. Be prepared with answers to the decisions makers’ questions. • Propose a plan to measure the success of the new initiative. Offer to provide a post-mortem report detailing the results of the measure.  • Make the new initiate efficient and minimize the need of decision makers’: • time • finances • administrative support • other resources Make It Where They Can’t Say No

35. Equip decision makers with clear answers to the questions that they will receive from your community. • Take ownership of action items so that decision makers are giving approval, not adding to their to-do lists. Make It Where They Can’t Say No

36. Knights Kitchen

37. Students’ favorite parts of Knights Kitchen: • Getting to try new foods. • Being a helper. • The pumpkin waffles in the fall. • Eating the chicken stir-fry – that was GOOD! • I LOVED the smoothies – Mmmm! • Making smoothies for my birthday treat in class. • Everything. I love it! Knights Kitchen

38. Your audience may not have resources to give or be able to partner with you. Sometimes, it is most effective to just serve them. • School staff, in particular, needs to be served and supported without additional commitments or responsibilities. Sometimes You Can Only Serve

39. In order to make your initiatives sustainable, you must identify and equip other leaders to pass the torch to. • Practically, that's preparing for future leaders by: • making checklists, • preparing lesson plans, • documenting best practices and contacts, and • coming alongside new leadership and working together as transitions are made. • Be willing to let go and have things done differently. Building Sustainability

40. Get buy-in. Your initiative needs to move from being perceived as "your thing" to something that is valued by and becomes part of your community and culture. • Be willing to take on extra work to see your vision through during the rough patches. Volunteers will come. Building Sustainability

41. Effectively valuing and managing volunteers is critical. • Ensure volunteers are shown appreciation. • Match passions, interests and skills to tasks. • Know your volunteers work styles: some need freedom, some need specific instructions. • Be an organized leader that clearly expresses expectations and goals. Building Sustainability

42. Lead by the example that whatever you do, you do it well. • Project professionalism despite your volunteer status. You and your volunteer team are representatives of your community. • Provide communication channels that keep volunteers informed and allow them to share their valuable thoughts and perspectives. • Encourage volunteers by recapping victories and lessons learned. • Remind volunteers of the positive impact they are having on your community. Building Sustainability

44. While serving our entire school community, we focus on the Lower School in order to influence a lasting change that will rise through the grade levels. • Educating and engaging our school community = gaining momentum for cultural change. • Continue recruiting more parent volunteers. • Continue building relationships with businesses and organizations outside of our school that share our passion and values. Future of Committee

45. Continue hosting events and activities. • Consistent purpose. • Flexible format based on specific needs and available resources. • Increasingly viewed as a resource to be called upon. Future of Committee

46. Lower School Parents Brochure

48. Lead by example in your daily life. • If you are a parent: • What snacks do you bring to a soccer game? • What birthday treats do you serve at a party or send to school? • What do you pack in your child’s lunchbox? • What active family activities do you participate in? • If you are a school staff member: • What do you pack for your lunch at school? • Do you take the stairs? • What messages are your choices sending to your students? Opportunities for Positive Change are Everywhere

49. You can have a positive impact on others! • Identify at least one area in your personal or work life that you could change and then implement it! • in the classroom • at home • at your children’s dance or sporting practices • at your church • in your neighborhood • at your office • in your shopping habits Everyone Can Make an Impact!

50. A “healthy knight” perspective is becoming part of our school culture and is enhancing our school community. • Just 1 voice got the ball rolling. • When will you speak up? It Just Takes You!