Planning for Change Kari Senger, Director Coordinated School Health SD Department of Education

1. Planning for ChangeKari Senger, DirectorCoordinated School HealthSD Department of Education

2. Planning for Change • Create a Team and Get Buy-In • Conduct a Self Assessment • Develop an Action Plan • Put the Plan Into Action • Evaluate • Communicate and Share Success Stories

3. What councils or committees exists in your school or agency? • Wellness Policy Development Team • School Health Council • Team Nutrition Committee • Wellness Committee

4. Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP) Health Education Physical Education Family/CommunityInvolvement Health Services Health Promotionfor Staff Nutrition Services Healthy SchoolEnvironment Counseling,Psychological, &Social Services

5. Principal or assistant principal Physical education teacher School food service manager Health education teacher Classroom teacher School nurse School counselor School psychologist or social worker Janitor or custodian Parents Students Community-based health care and social services providers Community health organization representative (e.g., ACS) Local health department staff member Cooperative extension service representative Possible Team Members

6. Opinions of U.S. Adults About School Health Programs • 65% believe schools should play a major role in fighting the obesity problem • Adults strongly support: • Healthier school lunches: 84% • Health classes: 82% • More physical education: 76% • Prohibiting sale of unhealthy foods in school vending machines: 42% Source: Survey by Lake Snell Perry and Associates for Harvard University, based on interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,002 adults, May-June 2003

7. Opinions of Parents of Adolescents About Health Education • 82% said that health education is either more important than or as important as other subjects taught in school. • 74% said schools should spend more time or the same amount of time teaching health education as they do teaching other subjects. Source: Gallup Organization for the American Cancer Society, national telephone survey of 1,003 parents of adolescents enrolled in U.S. public schools, 1993

8. Opinions of Parents of Children in K-12 About Physical Education • 81% want their kids to receive daily physical education. • 15% believe that children should concentrate on academic subjects at school and leave the physical activities for after school. Source: Survey by Opinion Research Corp. based on interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,017 adults, February 2000 (margin of error = +6%)

9. School Health Programs • Increase students’ capacity to learn • Reduce absences • Improve physical fitness and mental alertness

10. Conduct a Self Assessment

11. School Health Index

12. What is the Purpose of the SHI? • Enables schools to identify strengths and weaknesses of health promotion policies and programs. • Enables schools to develop an action plan for improving student health. • Engages teachers, parents, students, and the community in promoting health-enhancing behaviors and better health.

13. Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP) Health Education Physical Education Family/CommunityInvolvement Health Services Health Promotionfor Staff Nutrition Services Healthy SchoolEnvironment Counseling,Psychological, &Social Services

14. Health Topics in the SHI (4th edition) • Physical activity • Nutrition • Tobacco-use prevention • Safety (unintentional injury and violence prevention) • Asthma

15. Module 1: School Policies and Environment (sample topics) • Representative school health committee • Prohibit use of physical activity as punishment • Adequate physical activity facilities • Student access to facilities outside school hours • Fundraising supports healthy eating • Adequate time to eat school meals • Enforce tobacco-use policies • Prohibit tobacco use among students, staff, and visitors • Maintain safe physical environment • No tolerance for harassment or bullying

16. School Health IndexPlanning Questions • Strengths and Weaknesses • Recommended Actions • Rank Each Proposed Action • Importance • Cost • Time • Commitment • Feasibility

17. Time Commitment A small investment of time can pay big dividends in improving students’ well-being, readiness to learn, and prospects for a healthy life.

18. Making a Difference As a result of implementing the SHI, schools have • Created a school health team. • Moved healthier options to the front of the lunch line. • Increased time for physical education. • Started student and staff walking clubs. • Added healthy choices to vending machines. • Offered access to the gym outside of school hours. • Provided parent education through newsletters and healthy activity nights. • Replaced fried foods with baked items. • Provided conflict resolution training to staff. • Offered health screenings for staff.

19. How can I access the SHI? • Complete the SHI interactively on the Web http://doe.sd.gov/oess/schoolhealth/index.asp SD School Health website - Click on “Resources” • Download, print, or order from Web site

20. USDA Changing the SceneImproving the School Nutrition Environment • General Guidelines for establishing team and planning for change • Six components • Criteria for determining success • Offers ideas for getting activities started • Presents guideline for identifying and working with all groups you want involved • Tips for working with the media • Resources and support materials

21. Changing the SceneHealthy School Nutrition Environment • Commitment to Nutrition and Physical Activity • Quality School Meals • Other Healthy Food Options • Pleasant Eating Experiences • Nutrition Education • Marketing

22. Healthy School Nutrition and Physical Activity EnvironmentSchool Improvement Checklist • Commitment to Nutrition and Physical Activity • Quality School Meals • Other Healthy Food Options • Pleasant Eating Experiences • Nutrition Education • Marketing • Commitment to Physical Education

23. Keep in Mind… • Answer questions as accurately as possible. This is a self-help tool, not an instrument for punishing staff. • There is no passing grade. This is designed to help you understand your school, not to compare your school with other schools. • You should EXPECT to get at least some low scores. Low scores can help you build awareness of areas needing improvement.

24. Next Steps - Team Meeting • Explain the purpose and vision • Complete the needs assessment • Brainstorm possible activities • Build consensus • Rank activities based on feasibility • School Health Index or sample form

25. Consensus Building

26. Consensus is… Consensus is finding an acceptable proposal that all members can support.

27. Consensus is not… • A unanimous vote • A majority vote • Everyone 100% satisfied

28. Consensus requires… • Time • Active participation by all • Good listening and communication skills by all • Open-mindedness • Creative thinking

29. How to Build Consensus • Brainstorm • Clarify and rank ideas

30. Don’t Forget! Consensus is finding an acceptable proposal that all members can support.

31. Keep in Mind… • Some actions will involve simply making better use of existing resources. • Other actions may require additional resources. • Keep the team together to monitor progress.

32. What are the keys to success? • School health champion (strong leadership) • Administrative buy-in • Team representation, cohesion, and commitment • Clear, organized, and well-facilitated process (many schools are using outside facilitators) • Starting with small, achievable goals • Highlighting and build on successes