Active Schools Resources

Action for Healthy Kids

This Web site provides tools and resources about addressing the childhood obesity epidemic by making changes in schools. Action for Healthy Kids is a public-private partnership composed of more than 50 national organizations and government agencies representing education, health, fitness and nutrition.
www.actionforhealthykids.org

Action for Healthy Kids, Wellness Policy Tool

This tool helps schools create a local wellness policy that meets their districts’ unique goals for nutrition and physical activity, and put the policy into action to positively impact students’ health and lifelong choices. Action for Healthy Kids is composed of more than 50 national organizations and government agencies representing education, health, fitness and nutrition.
http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/wellnesstool/index.php

Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Healthy Schools Program

The Alliance is a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation to fight childhood obesity. The Healthy Schools program, which is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, provides information and resources for schools to increase opportunities for students to exercise and eat healthier foods. It also provides resources for teachers and staff to become healthy role models.
www.healthiergeneration.org/schools.aspx

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAPHERD)

This Web site provides information about AAPHERD—the largest organization of professionals supporting and assisting those involved in physical education, leisure, fitness, dance, health promotion, education and all specialties related to achieving a healthy lifestyle. They provide policy-makers with standards, guidelines and other tools.
http://www.aahperd.org/

Center for Cities and Schools and Public Health Law and Policy, Joint-Use Partnerships in California: Strategies to Enhance Schools and Communities

This report describes how school districts and local jurisdictions throughout California are using joint-use agreements to accommodate school and community needs. It also provides an accessible, detailed discussion of what joint use is, why local entities partner, and how these partnerships are formed and implemented.
http://citiesandschools.berkeley.edu/reports/CC&S_PHLP_2008_JointUse_execsumm.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, KidsWalk-to-School Program

This Web site provides information about KidsWalk-to-School, a community-based program to promote regular physical activity by encouraging students to walk to and from school in groups accompanied by adults. This program emphasizes community partnerships with schools, parent-teacher organizations, local businesses and other groups to promote areas that are conducive to walking or bicycling.
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/Dnpa/kidswalk

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Make a Difference at Your School

This report proposes 10 strategies for schools seeking to reduce and prevent obesity. Some of the strategies recommend creating a Coordinated School Health Program (to promote student health and learning), maintaining an active school health council, assessing school policies, and developing a plan to strengthen the school’s physical activity and nutrition program.
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/KeyStrategies/pdf/make-a-difference.pdf

Centers for Disease Control, Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT)

The PECAT will help school districts conduct a clear, complete and consistent analysis of written PE curricula, based on national PE standards. Results can help school districts enhance existing curricula, develop their own curricula or select a published curriculum for the delivery of quality physical education in schools.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/PECAT

Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH)

This Web site provides information about CATCH, an evidence-based coordinated school health program designed to promote physical activity and healthy food choices, and prevent tobacco use in elementary school-aged children. It provides resources, tips and training.
www.catchinfo.org

The Council of State Governments, Preventing Disease Through Physical Activity, Legislator Policy Brief and Talking Points

This report examines the consequences of physical inactivity and the need for legislative intervention.
www.healthystates.csg.org/NR/rdonlyres/E5036D96-E4BF-48CD-A053-757545049C53/0/TPPhysical.pdf
www.healthystates.csg.org/NR/rdonlyres/BEE2060B-CB0B-4EF2-B830-E361D928B17C/0/PreventingDiseasesThroughPhysicalActivityFINAL.pdf

Local Government Commission, Safe Routes to School, Fact Sheet

This fact sheet provides policy-makers with examples of communities that have implemented a Safe Routes to School program. Inspired by successes in Canada and England, California undertook its own version of the program in order to address a number of state-specific concerns.
http://www.lgc.org/freepub/docs/community_design/safe_routes_to_school.pdf

National Association for Sports and Physical Education, Moving into the Future: National Standards for Physical Education

This document describes national physical education standards, which include motor skills competency, movement concepts and strategies, a healthy fitness level, respect and a learned value of physical activity. This document is available to purchase for $15 for members of the National Association for Sports and Physical Education and $21 for all others.
www.aahperd.org/naspe/standards/nationalStandards/PEstandards.cfm

National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), Position Statement, Comprehensive Physical Activity Programs

This document provides school officials with NASPE’s position statement on quality physical activity programs in schools ranging from K to 12. According to NASPE, a quality physical activity program includes daily physical education, regular recess and opportunities for physical activity before, during and after school, as well as involvement by school staff, parents and the community.
www.aahperd.org/naspe/standards/upload/Comprehensive-School-Physical-Activity-Programs2-2008.pdf

National Association of State Boards of Education, State School Healthy Policy Database

This health policy database contains laws from all 50 states and the District of Columbia regarding more than 40 different health topics. It includes a brief description of laws, legal codes, rules, regulations and mandates.
http://nasbe.org/healthy_schools/hs/index.php

National Center for Safe Routes to School (SRTS)

This Web site provides information about the federal SRTS program and offers a variety of resources, such as marketing and promotional items, education tools, training manuals, evaluation forms and progress reports.
www.saferoutesinfo.org

National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities

This site examines a number of joint-use agreements between schools and communities, highlighting those that open up school yards for public use and those that create joint-use gymnasiums. It provides resources that examine the benefits of joint-use agreements, and their legal implications and necessary considerations.
www.edfacilities.org/rl/joint_use.cfm

National Conference of State Legislatures, Examples of Physical Education (PE) Legislation

This Web site provides an update on legislative measures taken to promote health and physical activity among students. Much of this legislation was aimed at increasing physical activity and improving nutrition among students in order to prevent obesity and the related diseases.
www.ncsl.org/Default.aspx?TabId=13883#Physical_Activity

National League of Cities, Sample Joint-Use Agreements

This site examines various types of joint-use agreements between schools and communities in a number of cities nationwide. For example, in Broomfield, Colo., the government uses fees from certain construction activities to fund joint-use facilities at area schools.
www.nlc.org/iyef/education/K-12_school/jointuse.aspx 

National Policy and Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (NPLAN), Joint-Use Legal Tools

National School Boards Association, Addressing Wellness Policies 101

This document provides background information on the prevalence of student obesity, guidance and policy-development tools, highlights of wellness policies in several states and additional external resources about wellness policies.
www.nsba.org/MainMenu/SchoolHealth/101Packets/Wellness-101_1.aspx

National School Boards Association, Physical Activity 101 Packet

This packet provides fact sheets, research, sample policies and other resources that examine the need for and benefits of physical activity in schools, and it proposes ways to implement effective policies.
www.nsba.org/MainMenu/SchoolHealth/101Packets/PA-101.aspx

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Energizers: Classroom-Based Physical Activities

Energizers, typically a 10-minute burst of classroom physical activity, allow teachers to integrate physical activity into academic concepts to keep students active and engaged. This Web site provides a description of how to conduct energizers and provides examples of how to incorporate them into existing curricula.
http://www.ncpe4me.com/energizers.html

PLAYWORKS

This Web site provides information about full-day play and physical activity programming—during lunchtime, recess and after school—taught from a framework of youth development. The programming works in public elementary schools where at least 50 percent of the student population is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Each PLAYWORKS site coordinator works at his or her school five days a week, throughout the school day and after school.
www.playworksusa.org/

The Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) National Partnership

The SRTS National Partnership is a network of more than 400 nonprofit organizations, government agencies, schools and professionals working to advance the SRTS movement. The project can help policy-makers and other stakeholders work with state departments of transportation to increase physical activity in schools, make the best use of available federal SRTS funds, and remove policy barriers to walking and bicycling to schools.
http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/

School Nutrition Association, Eat Smart, Get Moving

This Web site provides information about Eat Smart, Get Moving!, a school-based personal wellness challenge that motivates staff members to eat well and become more active. For 30 weeks participating staff form teams, earn points and compete to meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
http://www.eatsmart-getmoving.org/

SPARK

This Web site provides information about SPARK, a research-based organization that develops, implements and evaluates PE programs that promote wellness.
www.sparkpe.org

Take 10!, Curriculum Tool for Classroom-Based Physical Activity

Take10! is a tool that allows teachers to incorporate physical activity into the classroom curriculum for K to 5 students. This curriculum compliments existing physical education courses and instills in students a lasting commitment to healthy behaviors. Take!10 also offers a grade-specific activity tool-kit for $82.
http://www.take10.net/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans

This report contains science-based guidelines to help children and adults improve their health through physical activity. Policy-makers can use it to help inform physical activity policies. It is meant to complement the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provides nutritional recommendations.
http://www.health.gov/PAGuidelines

U.S. Department of Transportation, Safe Routes to School Overview and Safe Routes to School Classroom Activities

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) site provides an overview of the SRTS program, as well as specific program guidance to the states in the administration of SRTS funds. SRTS classroom activities combine fun activities with practical lessons about the effect of certain transportation choices on the environment, community and individuals. The classroom activities provide teachers and students with safety tips and advice on how to walk or ride a bicycle to school.
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saferoutes
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/Safe-Routes-2002/classact.html

Walking School Bus

This Web site provides information about the walking school bus, which is a group of students who walk to school accompanied by one or more adults. Starting a walking school bus is fairly simple and involves contacting interested students, locating a route, identifying adult supervisors and finalizing the logistics.
http://www.walkingschoolbus.org/

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