4. Draft a Local Wellness Policy
The next step is for you and the team to draft a Local Wellness Policy.
Your Objectives
Action for Healthy Kids Wellness Policy database enables you to build your own policy by cutting and pasting specific language from existing policies gathered from states and school districts across the country.
Create a document that spells out what you hope to accomplish regarding district wide wellness practices. Avoid vague language when writing the Wellness Policy, the recommendations in the policy should be specific. For example, if using the term "healthy foods", define what "healthy" means. You can view the specific requirements for the policy by clicking here. The federal legislation stipulates that it address the following areas:
- Goals for nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities
- Nutrition guidelines
- Guidelines for reimbursable school meals
- A plan for measuring implementation of the policy
- Stakeholder involvement (parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, the school board)
Helpful Resources
Hear from the Virtual Wellness Policy Team
- Should a wellness policy only specify objectives and intents, or should it include specific action steps for achieving them?
- How specific should our wellness policy be, regarding specific steps to take to improve the health of students?
- How much detail should a wellness policy include concerning physical education and physical activity?