Empowering Healthy Kids Blog

NAB have announced Schools First Awards, designed to bring together students, teachers and communities to fund innovative projects:

Impact Awards

The Impact Awards are for those school–community partnerships that can demonstrate improved student outcomes as a result of their partnership.

There are up to 60 local awards of $50,000 each and eight State/Territory Awards of $100,000 each. A national prize of $500,000 to $1 million will be awarded to a truly exceptional school-community partnership that is able to demonstrate outstanding performance against the Award criteria and a compelling strategy for using the funds.

Schools wishing to apply for an Impact Award will need to demonstrate:

1. The partnership was set up to address an identified need or opportunity aimed at improving student outcomes
2. A plan was developed with each partner contributing to the plan.
3. A program was successfully implemented
4. Student outcomes were improved as a result of the partnership program
5. The partnership is sustainable and has become part of the culture and planning activities of each partner organisation.

Schools must also include information regarding proposed use of funding.

Seed Funding Awards

The Seed Funding Awards are for those schools that are either in the process of setting up a partnership or in the early stages of the partnership and are seeking funding to help the partnership develop further.

For the Seed Funding Awards there will be up to 20 Awards with a value of up to $25,000 each.

To be considered for a Seed Funding Award, a school must demonstrate:

1. The partnership is being set up to address an identified need or opportunity aimed at improving student outcomes
2. A plan is either being developed or will be developed with each partner contributing to the plan
3. A well-organised program will be implemented
4. The potential that student outcomes will be improved as a result of the partnership program
5. The partnership can be sustained and will become part of the culture and planning activities of each partner organisation.

Schools must also include information regarding proposed use of funding.

A new program launched in conjunction with MEND and the Victorian Government:

Kids-Life! is a Victorian Government Initiative to enrich the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of children. For the first time in Central West Gippsland, the project is offering free healthy lifestyle courses for children aged 5 to 12 years and their parents and/or carers. Once registered, families participate in either an individualised or group support program. The group sessions by are facilitated by qualified MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition…Do it!) trainers, commencing mid July 2009.

In the MEND program families take part in fun 2-hour sessions, twice a week for 10 weeks.  Accurate health information provided by health professionals supports families to improve their eating and exercise habits, thereby improving children’s fitness, physical activity levels, nutrition and self-esteem. Thanks to funding from the Department of Human Services, three courses with 12 places worth up to $800 per child are being offered to families completely free of charge on a first come first served basis.

The MEND Program is an evidence based healthy lifestyle program for children above their ideal weight and their families. Rather than focusing on weight loss, the Program uses a practical interactive learning approach to teach children and parents weight management skills. This includes inspiring families to adopt a healthier lifestyle and enjoy preparing and eating healthy foods as well as reading food labels and healthy shopping on a budget.  There are also simple but exciting sessions which focus on making exercise fun again – especially for children who are not fans of traditional school sports.

Today and Aussie Apples are running a competition to find Australia’s Healthiest School. Here the skinny:

All you have to do is film a 60 second video showing us why your school is the healthiest school in Australia and you must include apples in your video.

See here for more info. Entries close 22 May 2009.

UPDATE: Winner announced (with video).

Applications are now open for Fresh Food Kids Community Grants (receive up to $5,000). Apply here:

Via eSchools:

Some $20 billion for school modernization and $1 billion for educational technology are among nearly $150 billion in funding targeted toward education in the House version of the new economic stimulus package, which lawmakers introduced Jan. 15.

Specifically the education portion includes:

• $41 billion to boost learning in local K-12 school districts through Title I ($13 billion), IDEA ($13 billion), a new School Modernization and Repair Program ($14 billion), and the Education Technology block-grant program ($1 billion);

• $79 billion in state fiscal relief to prevent cutbacks to key services, including $39 billion to local school districts and public colleges and universities using existing formulas, $15 billion to states as bonus grants for meeting key performance measures, and $25 billion to states for other high-priority needs, such as preventing the layoffs of public safety and other critical employees, including teachers;

• $6 billion in school modernization funds for colleges and universities; and

• Funding to make college more affordable, including $15.6 billion to increase the maximum Pell Grant amount by $500, from $4,850 to $5,350, and tax credits for up to $2,500 per year spent in college tuition.

Democratic leaders in Congress have pledged to have a bill ready for Obama to sign by mid-February.

To encourage kids to explore the great outdoors:

With a unique blend of talent and resources, the National Park Service, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation are focusing on a national epidemic – childhood obesity.

A grant of $200,000 over two years will pilot a multi-dimensional program expected to eventually span the entire length of the 469 mile long Blue Ridge Parkway.

The objective is to engage children and their families in activities that increase physical activity, improve nutritional choices, and increase awareness of the Blue Ridge Parkway as a recreational resource. The program will pilot initially in the Asheville, spearheaded by Olson Huff, M.D., who has a distinguished career in children’s health. He also co-chairs the Task Force on Obesity and Nutrition of the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission. Huff, the NPS, and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation have convened a regional advisory board to maximize the program’s effectiveness with Dr. Huff serving as board chairman.

Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis sees the national implications. “Our national parks have always been destinations for the expression of physical activity in unique environments. There is a lot of interest in our program across the [National Park] Service and our staff is excited about the prospect of a national model.”

Be Active Day! On January 17th 12pm-4pm at the Blue Ridge Mall in Hendersonville:

Be Active Day is the kick-off event for the Childhood Obesity Prevention Demonstration Project. Henderson County was one of five counties selected statewide to implement a comprehensive program to address childhood obesity.

The grant’s Eat Smart Move More campaign will increase awareness about the need to move more every day, reduce TV time, prepare more meals at home, consider portion sizes and beverage choices, and eat more fruits and vegetable. For tips on physical activity and healthy eating, visit

In Houston:

Baylor College of Medicine has been awarded a $1.5 million grant for research related to obesity in children.

The Human Nutrition and Obesity Program grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Research Institute.

Researchers will evaluate a community program to be held in Houston aimed at prevention of obesity among high-risk children.

“Healthy Kids–Houston” will hold three six-week sessions for minority children ages 9 to 13 that will include physical activity, nutrition education and behavioral lessons at various Houston Parks and Recreation Department community centers.

The program is a partnership between Baylor, Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority and Texas Children’s Hospital, including Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates.

With the myriad of child obesity programs out there, it is important that we have some independent research performed (such as the one above) on programs to ensure it’s effectiveness and efficiency. While I still believe that parents are in the best place to decide what’s best for their children, this sort of oversight can offer some level of transparency into public health funding.

Virgin HealthMiles part of Richard Branson’s Virgin group is donating $6.3 million in donations to raise awareness of childhood obesity by partnering with Texan Governer Rick Perry:

For two weeks beginning January 1, 2009, Governor Perry and Texas executive agency leaders will compete with other governors and their respective state leadership in the Capitol Steps Challenge. Teams will compete head-to-head by tracking their daily activity, with a goal of achieving the highest average steps per person.

At the end of the Challenge, Virgin HealthMiles will declare the state team with the highest average steps per person as the Most Active Governor’s Team in the nation and will make a $50,000 donation to that state’s childhood obesity program. If the winning state chooses to participate in the second phase of Virgin HealthMiles’ obesity initiative, they can earn double all donations, increasing the total potential donation to $250,000.

 

The second phase of Virgin HealthMiles’ obesity initiative will be individual State Leadership Challenges, where teams of 250 individuals from state government offices across the U.S. embark on a year-long program to increase their physical activity — again leading by example to their constituents about the relationship between increased activity levels and improved wellness. Based on activity levels, states can earn donations of up to $125,000 toward their childhood obesity programs. More details on the State Leadership Challenge will be announced in early 2009.

More here.

UPDATE: It’s started.

I hope this helps:

The N.C. Division of Public Health announced yesterday that 14 community grants focusing on obesity have been awarded to county health departments across the state, including two in Northwest North Carolina.

Grants of $380,000 from the Childhood Obesity Prevention Project went to the Appalachian District Health Department for work focusing on Watauga County, as well as to the Cabarrus, Dare, Henderson and Moore county health departments.

Each group will run a comprehensive public-awareness campaign in conjunction with county bicycle and pedestrian plans, as well as programs in preschools and child-care centers, pediatrics practices, YMCAs, hospitals, schools and the faith community.

The division awarded an additional $150,000 in grants to nine other health departments and health districts in support of the Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina movement. They are Davidson, Buncombe, Carteret, Chatham, Durham, Granville/Vance, Lee, Wake and Warren counties.

The financed projects will build upon existing effective programs or will try new approaches to increasing healthy behaviors. The proposals ranged from workplace wellness programs to building parks and walking trails.

While public awareness campaigns are a positive thing, as with all marketing (which is effectively what awareness campaigns are), the results need to be measured to ensure citizens is getting a good return on tax payer dollars.