Follow the Healthy Day Checklist and Bring Healthy OST to Life

Boy with plate of foodBy Daniel W. Hatcher, MPH, Director of Community Partnerships, Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Twitter: @hatchdw E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For over 10 years, the Healthy Out-of-School Time (HOST) Coalition and our partners have worked together to support before-school, afterschool and summer camp educators in bringing the National Afterschool Association (NAA) Standards for Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) to life. From the successful Commit to Health campaign, which impacted nearly 500,000 youth, to a suite of easy to use resources including a new printable self-assessment, the Coalition has accomplished much.

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HOST's 2019 Accomplishments

HOST 2019

Ten years after its founding in 2009, HOST members continue to drive healthier habits for children and youth and show the benefits of the National AfterSchool Association’s Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) Standards. Here are some of the highlights of 2019:

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Afterschool Webinar: Latest Strategies for Bringing Health & Wellness to OST

kids running on trackResearch shows that parents want healthy options in out-of-school time. Adding fun activities, warm-ups, and healthy enrichment, as well as nutritious snacks and meals, is a great way to engage families and attract new students to your program. A webinar this week from several HOST members will introduce you to the newly refreshed National AfterSchool Association Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards (HEPA 2.0) and you'll leave with simple and inexpensive resources to make your afterschool and summer programming inclusive, active, healthy, and fun.

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HOST Members Recognized for Leadership in Research and Evaluation

NAAAnnouncementThe National AfterSchool Association (NAA), a HOST member and the lead organization for the advancement of the afterschool professional, has recognized two other HOST members among the NAA’s Most Influential in Research and Evaluation for 2018. Honorees are distinguished for their contributions to research and evaluation on youth and adolescent development.

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$25,000 Grants Available for Out-of-School Time Programs

nrpa commitThe National Recreation and Park Association, a HOST member, has announced the availability of grant funds from the Walmart Foundation to support children's health through park and recreation out-of-school-time programs.

Grants in 2018 will focus on three main goals:

  1. Increasing the number of healthy meals children receive through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) or the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) during out-of-school times;
  2. Providing evidence-based nutrition literacy to children and families that creates behavior change, including increased consumption of fruits and vegetables; and
  3. Implementing healthy living practices and policies aligned with the evidence-based healthy eating and physical activity standards that increase access to healthier foods and support a healthy environment.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • Be a local government agency (e.g., municipal park and recreation department, tribal recreation department, park district, community services department, etc.)
  • Serve meals/snacks through the SFSP and/or the CACFP or NSLP in 2018
  • Have not received funding from NRPA for a previous healthy out-of-school time grant

Applications are due at 11:59PM EST on Friday, March 16, 2018 and must be submitted online. NRPA anticipates funding twenty (20) local park and recreation agencies with one-year, $25,000 grants.

Learn more and apply!

Texas Looks to Out-of-School Time to Improve Youth Health

texas seal 250Texas ranks seventh highest among all states in adolescents that are overweight and obese, with a 2011 youth obesity rate of 20 percent. But with more than 880,000 Texas youth in out-of-school time (OST) programs, according to the Afterschool Alliance, OST providers have the potential to impact children's healthy eating and physical activity. A new study has shown how they are doing so, what more they can do, and how a pending bill could help.

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HOST Member BOKS Featured on Today Show

boks studyA recent Today show segment featured HOST member BOKS (Build Our Kids' Success), which offers children a before-school physical activity program. And a new study of BOKS' before-school physical activity program has also found correlations between BOKS activity and improvement of specific executive functions in first- and second-grade children.

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HOST logo

The HOST site is managed by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, a program of the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College

Wellesley Centers for Women
Wellesley College
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481-8203 USA

host@niost.org
781.283.2547

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