- Healthy students are better on all levels of academic achievement: academic performance, behavior, and cognitive skills and attitudes
- Students spend much of their time at school, and may eat as many as 2 out of 3 meals per day and get much of their physical activity at school
- Investing in the health of students contributes to healthy communities in the future
The Connection Between Health and Student Success
Find out more about the connection between improving nutrition and physical activity policies and practices in schools and student success.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health and Academics Page The academic achievement of America's youth is strongly linked with their health. Resources here include how improving school nutrition and increasing physical activity opportunities can help improve academic achievement.
The following resources are for school nutrition professionals and anyone wanting to learn more about creating healthier school nutrition environments
- New Hampshire Department of Education/National School Lunch Program
- Team Nutrition Resource Library
Nutrition and wellness policy resources for schools and early care and education programs
- Tools for Schools: Focusing on Smart Snacks
A number of tools and resources are available to help schools identify food items that meet Smart Snacks criteria. See these resources for information about the Smart Snacks requirement, helpful tools, and ways to encourage children to make healthier snack choices that give them the nutrition they need to grow and learn.
- Smarter Lunchrooms Movement
Smarter Lunchrooms are research-based lunchrooms that guide students to make smarter choices. It is a grassroots movement of those concerned with the way children eat and wish to change these behaviors through the application of evidence-based lunchroom focused principles that promote healthful eating.
- UNH Cooperative Extension - Healthy Schools Page
Great resources on many different school health topics such as Nutrition Education and Local Wellness Policies, as well as providing examples of what some New Hampshire schools are currently learning about in their classrooms around nutrition.
- HealthierUS School Challenge: Smarter Lunchrooms Award
The HealthierUS School Challenge: Smarter Lunchrooms (HUSSC: SL) is a voluntary certification initiative recognizing those schools enrolled in Team Nutrition that have created healthier school environments through promotion of nutrition and physical activity. Learn more about how your school can apply!
- New Hampshire HUSSC Award Winners
Visit here for a list of New Hampshire schools that have achieved HUSSC awards.
Physical Activity Resources
The following resources are for educators of all kinds, as well as anyone wanting to learn more about creating opportunities for physical activity in schools for students of all ages
- Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD), has developed a step-by-step guide for schools to develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive school physical activity programs. The guide includes examples of physical education opportunities for students, as well as physical activity opportunities that take place before, during, or after school.
- Alliance for a Healthier Generation: Physical Activity in Schools
Whether free unstructured play or intentional movement, physical activities play a critical role in a child's cognitive development and academic success. Physical activity improves attention, concentration, and attendance and of course, a child's health.
- Let's Move! Active Schools
Find out what it takes for teachers, administrators and other school staff to make their school an Active School.
- CDC Youth Physical Activity Guidelines Toolkit Tools include fact sheets, PowerPoint presentations, and school-specific examples that will help staff, parents, and administrators create more physically active schools.
Local Wellness Policy Resources
These resources are targeted to school wellness committees and anyone interested in improving the nutrition and physical activity environments in schools by working with local school wellness committees.
- UNH Cooperative Extension – School Wellness Policy Tools
- USDA School Nutrition Environment and Wellness Resources
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) requires all local educational agencies participating in federal Child Nutrition programs to establish and implement local school wellness policies that meet minimum standards designed to promote student health. This Web site is dedicated to helping local educational agencies find the resources they need to meet recommendations in these areas.
Adobe Acrobat Reader format. You can download a free reader from Adobe.