Health / Well-Being

The Center for Collaborative Solutions (CCS) introduces a new publication guide for afterschool programs. The Developing Exemplary Practices in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Food Security in Afterschool Programs is designed to assist afterschool program leaders and their partners in combating the youth obesity epidemic. The guide includes exemplary practices and indicator rubrics designed for afterschool programs to assess their progress in addressing youth obesity. The CCS also provides free Growing Healthy Children Regional Trainings.

The Road of Life cancer prevention for kids program has free after school and summer health education curriculum geared toward third through fifth grade learners. To access this curriculum, click here.

Connect for Kids (CFK) now offers a comprehensive collection of resources to help Americans understand and take action on healthy nutrition and obesity. Included in this toolkit are informational resources and resources for children, teens, parents and educators. To learn more, click here.

A new checklist from After-school Investments serves as a companion to their report, Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Nutrition in After-school Settings: Strategies for Program Leaders and Policy Makers, which provided frameworks of financing strategies, ideas for after-school programming and additional resources. The new toolkit allows stakeholders to gauge how best to improve childhood nutrition and physical activity and summarizes strategies and resources that can guide discussions and planning around policy and program options.

After school program directors and other school staff are eligible to become their school representative for the 2008 Governor’s Challenge. The Governor’s challenge is for youth to be active 30 – 60 minutes a day in addition to regularly scheduled physical education, so after school programs are perfectly positioned to facilitate this effort. Participation is free and there are many incentives and prizes for participating. The Governor’s Challenge Competition Closes on May 31, 2008.

5-19 year old youth who will/have recycle(d), reuse(d), or re-engineer(ed) every day materials into an “out-of-the-box” invention that moves things or people, protects the environment, or is used for indoor and outdoor play are eligible to enter their submission into the Design Squad and Intel Trash to Treasure competition. Awards are available for winning entries. The submission deadline is June 30, 2008. For more information,
click here.

The Center for Collaborative Solutions guide is designed to help afterschool program leaders and their partners combat the obesity epidemic facing our children and youth today in a systematic and effective way. To view this guide, click on the link:
http://ccscenter.org/images/library/File/afterschool/9-2007%20Exemplary%...

This policy brief provides an overview of current after school developments in California and the opportunities and challenges they create for those who provide physical activity and nutrition programs for youth, including the differences between programs run by local education agencies and those run by community-based programs, and how programs are implementing physical activity and nutrition components.

The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) report that profiles three case studies of obesity prevention collaborations, documents the factors that led to successes and challenges, and shares four
critical factors for collaborations in this area. To view and download, click the link:
http://www.nihcm.org/pdf/FINAL_report_CDC_CO.pdf

The Afterschool Investments Project has a new strategy brief available for afterschool providers and policy makers that focuses on the role of afterschool in preventing childhood obesity. "Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Nutrition in Afterschool Settings" outlines the roles programs can play in obesity prevention and offers recommendations funding strategies. The brief is available at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/afterschool/fitness_nutrition.pdf.