Connecticut State Department of Education
Connecticut State Department of Education
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The Action Guide for School Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies provides comprehensive guidance for school districts on developing and implementing local policies to promote healthy eating and physical activity. It will assist school districts with meeting recommended state (Connecticut) and national guidelines and the School Wellness Policy requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Public Law 108-265. The Action Guide was reviewed by a committee representing 21 health and education organizations in Connecticut and was adopted by the Connecticut State Board of Education on January 11, 2006. The Action Guide translates research-based policy development concepts and models into real-life strategies that work at the local level, based on the experience of 10 Connecticut pilot school districts. It is intended to guide local school districts in establishing and implementing policies and practices that: promote students’ improved nutrition and increased physical activity; encourage families to support and participate in programs and initiatives that are intended to improve their children’s health; and encourage schools to collaborate with community organizations to provide consistent health messages and to support school-based activities that promote healthy eating and physical activity.
The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-265) required that schools participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) child nutrition programs (National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, After-School Snack Program and Special Milk Program) establish a school wellness policy by the 2006-2007 school year. The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) conducted a review of school wellness policies in Connecticut schools using a school wellness policy assessment tool developed in partnership with the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. The School Wellness Policy Report provides an overall summary of district scores for each of the seven school wellness policy categories: Nutrition Education; School Meals; Other School Food and Beverages; Physical Education; Physical Activity; Communication and Promotion; and Evaluation. The School Wellness Policy Rating Sheet contains the actual district coding for the 96 policy items which determine the scores for each policy category. District scores are based on the actual content of the school wellness policy that each district submitted to CSDE during 2007-2008. The report does not address implementation of the district’s school wellness policy. For each of the seven categories, the School Wellness Policy Report includes the district score, the average state score and the average score within the district’s District Reference Group (DRG). These scores address both the comprehensiveness and strength of each policy area. The comprehensiveness score refers to the proportion of items within each policy area that are simply mentioned by the district’s school wellness policy. The strength score refers to the proportion of items within each policy area that are addressed with specific and directive language. Additional information on the scoring methodology is provided in the Coding Tool for Connecticut School Wellness Policies. To access the School Wellness Policy Report for all school districts, click here. For additional information, please contact Susan Fiore, Nutrition Education Coordinator, CSDE, at susan.fiore@ct.gov or (860) 807-2075 or Marlene Schwartz, Deputy Director, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, at marlene.schwartz@yale.edu or (203) 432-0662.
Susan Fiore, MS, RD For technical questions, contact the Web Content Coordinator: Content Last Modified on 11/20/2009 11:13:36 AM |
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