Agenda What is NEP? Value of Outside Partnerships Our Work With - PDF document

2/12/2020 Leveraging Community Partnerships for Improved Health & Nutrition Nutrition Education Program Community Wellness Coordinators February 6, 2020 EA/ EO purdue.edu/extension 1 Theresa Mince, MA, CHES Holly Catron, MBA Kristen Fitzgerald, RDN Lake County Boone & Montgomery Marion County Counties EA/ EO purdue.edu/extension 2 Agenda • What is NEP? • Value of Outside Partnerships • Our Work With Schools • Q&A 3 1

2/12/2020 What is the Nutrition Education Program? The Purdue Extension Nutrition Education Program (NEP) works with limited-resource audiences to improve nutrition and health in communities statewide. We do this through direct education & bigger picture changes. Nutrition Education Program Assistants (NEPAs) NEPAs provide free nutrition and physical activity education in our communities, and in schools like yours! Utilizing the CATCH curriculum, topics include: • Portion sizes • Understanding food labels • Healthy snacks • Physical activity • …and more! 4 Community Wellness Coordinators (CWCs) Community Wellness Coordinators (CWCs) work with community partners to make healthy choices more accessible in five focus areas for those with limited resources: • Nutrition • Physical Activity • Food Security • Food Safety • Food Resource Management We do this through Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) change. 5 Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change PSE work looks at the bigger picture, to affect change on a broader scale. Some examples: • School wellness policies • Community gardens • Farmers markets • Bicycle- & pedestrian-friendly routes • Fruit & vegetable prescription program While direct education can create individual behavior changes, PSE work creates an environment in which healthy choices become the easy choices. 6 2

2/12/2020 Why Outside Partners are Important ● Capacity ○ We can put in the leg work ○ Help with those projects you have dreamed about ● Funding ● Connections to programming ○ Direct education ● Support ● Different strengths ● Links to community ○ You are not an island ○ Volunteer recruitment through coalitions, organizations 7 Our Work With Schools Across the State 8 Holly Catron – Montgomery County, IN 9 3

2/12/2020 SMALL CITY IN A RURAL COUNTY Breakfast in all schools, in-class for elementary & middle school, and all have salad bar NEED: Community partners and connections to further Farm to School Montgomery County, Central Indiana Surrounded by farmland 2,384 students in grades PK-12 Three elementary schools (PK-1, 2-3, 4-5) One middle and one high school 10 FARM TO SCHOOL School gardens Community team In-school Classroom celebrations herb kits Summer lunch School garden & learn to cafeteria Local Food Summit community event 11 SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS National Farm to School month Kickoff for Fuel Up to Play 60 Farm to School supper 12 4

2/12/2020 SUMMER LUNCH & LEARN Held at the local Garden & Nutrition community garden education Purdue Extension, Sustainable Initiatives Master Gardeners, Sustainable Free lunch for all Initiatives, many kids community Chartwells & Summer volunteers Food Service Program (SFSP) 13 SCHOOL GARDEN TO CAFETERIA SAFETY PLAN 14 Theresa Mince – Lake County, IN 15 5

2/12/2020 School Breakfast Statewide & regional taskforces to increase breakfast participation (Check out Michelle Plummer’s presentation @ 1pm for more info!) CWC role: • Overall planning, implementation, and evaluation • Generate teacher & administrator buy-in • Complete School Health Index • Help address additional barriers to increase efficacy - Transportation, school policies, etc. • Find and assist in application for grants • Wrap-around PSE work to ensure success and create healthy schools 16 Mindfulness/Movement Rooms • Statewide focus on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) • Incorporating physical activity into self-regulation and daily learning • 3-year grant from ISDH • Piloting in 2 elementary schools this year, expanding each year after 17 Mobile Cooking Cart • Horticulture Club expressed interest in learning how to cook the food they grew at school • Assisted in writing a grant from the local hospital for a mobile cooking cart • NEPAs provided education • Students select recipes from eatgathergo.org 18 6

2/12/2020 Staff Wellness • High rates of teacher burn-out • Need to care well for educators who are caring for our students • Walking clubs, team challenges, healthy eating, etc. 19 Kristen Fitzgerald – Marion County, IN 20 School Wellness Policies (SWP) • Ever y school di st r i ct par t i ci pat i ng i n t he Nat i onal School Lunch Pr ogr am must have a School W el l ness Pol i cy. • Com pl i ance w i t h t he goal s out l i ned i n t he School W el l ness Pol i cy m ust be assessed ever y t hr ee year s. • M any m odel pol i ci es and r esour ces exi st t o hel p w r i t e, i m pl em ent , and assess school w el l ness pol i ci es. 21 7

2/12/2020 Assessing School Wellness Policies • W el l SAT 3. 0-A t ool devel oped by t he Uni ver si t y of Connect i cut Rudd Cent er t hat assesses t he st r engt h of school w el l ness pol i ci es. • I ndi ana St at e Depar t m ent of Heal t h w i l l hel p school s w r i t e and assess t hei r w el l ness pol i ci es. • Em ai l Penel ope Fr i day: PFr i day@ i sdh. i n. gov 22 Healthy Classroom Celebrations 23 Physical Activity in the Hallways 24 8

2/12/2020 Leveraging Community Partnerships for Improved Health & Nutrition Questions? Nutrition Education Program Community Wellness Coordinators February 6, 2020 25 9