HOST Members Moving HEPA Forward

HOST members are moving healthy eating and physical activity forward in many ways. Here are a few recent ones.

• An Action for Healthy Kids grant made possible by Walmart has helped provide universal breakfast and other healthy food options to students in Cincinnati Public Schools.
• A Healthy Out-of-School Time grant from the National Recreation and Park Association and the Walmart Foundation, along with adherence to the HEPA Standards, has helped bring new healthy eating and physical activity afterschool programs to the community of Colorado Springs.
• Playworks' new TeamUp service now reaches 136 schools nationwide and has been having a positive impact on student's physical activity. The service sends site coordinators to schools to support and empower recess teams, including a lead recess coach, to create safe, inclusive playgrounds for all students.
• The Tony Hawk Foundation, Chicago Fire Foundation and Doc Wayne Youth Services have won the inaugural Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Sports Award, "for their innovative and influential approaches to using sports to build a Culture of Health in their communities."
• Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be awarding over $8 million in grants to help schools better prepare healthy meals. Approximately $2.6 million dollars will support implementation of new national professional standards for schools that manage and operate National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, and $5.6 million will go to help states expand and enhance food service training programs and nutrition education in school, child care, and summer meal settings.