Joining Forces to Fight Childhood Obesity

Action for Healthy Kids – through the grassroots efforts of 20,000+ volunteers – works with schools to improve nutrition and physical activity to help kids learn to eat right, be active every day and be ready to learn. Now we’re teaming up with the National Dairy Council which has used decades of nutrition research and in-school programs to take a leading role in the fight against poor nutrition, inactivity and overweight/obesity among our nation’s youth. By joining forces, the organizations are working toward a mutually beneficial goal of helping children in kindergarten through high school improve nutrition and increase physical activity.

Research shows that poor nutrition, physical inactivity and obesity are associated with lower levels of school achievement. The good news is Through positive changes in the healthy eating and physical activity environment in schools, the Action for Healthy Kids’ programs and National Dairy Council’s Fuel Up to Play 60 provide the opportunity to help students become more focused, engaged and higher-achieving.

A One-stop Shop
Action for Healthy Kids provides a one-stop-shop with programs and services, along with volunteers, to provide additional manpower to help implement and support these kid-friendly programs. Fuel Up to Play 60 helps students play a role in how they improve their daily nutrition and physical activity, helping them to make positive changes. The combination of these programs provides a one-stop shop to help schools become healthier places and offer ideas and resources for school wellness programs that can help our children learn to eat right and be active every day so they are better prepared to learn. Because these programs complement each other, they can be implemented together for an even stronger effect by engaging kids through multiple, tangible, streamlined activities.

Programs at a Glance

• Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge  is a step-by-step online guide for school stakeholders and adult volunteers to get their local elementary school started toward becoming a healthier place or to expand existing efforts. Available for no or low cost, Game On! is especially effective at helping students learn about and develop habits of choosing healthy, nutritious food and being active every day. You can download all of the components of Game On! from the Game On! website.
• Fuel Up to Play 60 enables kindergarten through 12th grade teachers and students to take action to improve nutrition and physical activity at their school and for their own health. The program can be tailored to meet each school’s wellness goals and features easy enrollment at no cost, step-by-step guidance for adults and students, incentives to motivate students and rewards to recognize those who take action. The program provides dynamic tools and resources, which can be downloaded from the Fuel Up to Play 60 website to help make schools healthier places while helping them meet national health and physical education standards.
• Students Taking Charge is a student leader program that empowers teens to be change agents to help their schools become healthier places by improving nutrition and opportunities for physical activity. The program includes everything a student needs to create a healthy movement at his/her school. All of the Students Taking Charge program materials are available through the website.
• ReCharge! Energizing After-School helps kids in 2nd through 6th grade learn about and practice eating healthy and daily physical activity through fun, team-based strategies. It’s perfect for an after-school program, or for use by physical and health education teachers, classroom teachers during recess, in-home school providers and summer/day camp. The ReCharge! Kit can be ordered through the website.

Healthy Kids Learn Better!
Helping children be healthier and improve their academic performance is not mutually exclusive. In fact, research shows that good nutrition and physical activity habits positively affect academic achievement and test scores. By implementing the Action for Healthy Kids and Fuel Up to Play 60 integrated model, schools can help their students succeed in the classroom, while also empowering them to make healthier decisions that can stay with them a lifetime. All of these programs have been designed to complement – not compete with – the academics-focused environment. They are free or low-cost and provide the resources needed to get the programs up and running quickly.

Getting Schools Involved
School leaders can choose to implement any or all the components of the Action for Healthy Kids programs along with Fuel Up to Play 60, all of which are science-based and research-tested. These programs can help a school become a healthier place and may also positively affect the health, wellness and potentially, academic performance, of school-aged children by sustaining and reinforcing messages that can help kids develop healthy eating and physical activity habits that can last them a lifetime. Step-by-step guides for getting started, as well as resources and program ideas to begin or deepen involvement, are available at ActionforHealthyKids.org and FuelUptoPlay60.com. In addition, an extensive volunteer network is available to support the implementation of these programs which can make a difference at the school level.

Get this handout and learn how we’re joining forces to help fight childhood obesity.

Get this handout and read about our programs’ successes.