1 00:00:00,180 --> 00:00:07,620 Welcome to this overview of the Wellness  Policy in Action Tool or WPAT. In this module,   2 00:00:07,620 --> 00:00:11,100 we will give background information  on local school wellness policies,   3 00:00:11,100 --> 00:00:17,400 review the elements of a local wellness policy, including the triennial assessment process, and   4 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:22,620 introduce you to a new tool that can help measure  the implementation of a local wellness policy. 5 00:00:25,980 --> 00:00:31,500 Local wellness policies are written documents  that outline school districts' efforts around   6 00:00:31,500 --> 00:00:36,540 nutrition, physical activity, and other activities  that promote student health and well-being.   7 00:00:37,620 --> 00:00:43,440 They were first established by the Child Nutrition  and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 and then were   8 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:49,440 updated through the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act  of 2010. All school districts that participate in   9 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:54,180 the USDA Child Nutrition program, including the  National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast   10 00:00:54,180 --> 00:01:00,360 Program, are required to have a local school  wellness policy. USDA has outlined a minimum   11 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:05,160 requirement for the wellness policy, but the  intention is that each district will develop   12 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:10,560 a policy that reflects the needs of students and  schools in the district. So one way to think of   13 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,880 a local wellness policy is that it is a roadmap  for health and wellness efforts for the district. 14 00:01:16,260 --> 00:01:23,700 All local wellness policies must include  nutrition standards for school meals that   15 00:01:23,700 --> 00:01:30,120 meet or exceed the USDA requirements. Nutrition  standards for all foods and beverages sold during   16 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,560 the day that meet or exceed the Smart  Snacks in School nutrition standards,   17 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:39,720 goals for nutrition education and promotion,  and also goals for physical activity.   18 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:47,100 Districts get to choose what those specific  goals are. Wellness policies must also describe   19 00:01:47,100 --> 00:01:51,180 the nutrition standards for other foods and  beverages that are available during the school   20 00:01:51,180 --> 00:01:57,600 day, such as foods and beverages used as a reward  or offered at school events or classroom parties. 21 00:01:58,980 --> 00:02:04,680 Policies must also include language about food  and beverage marketing that allows marketing and   22 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:09,300 advertising of only those foods and beverages  that meet the Smart Snacks in School   23 00:02:09,300 --> 00:02:14,460 nutrition standards. Districts must also allow  the public to be involved in the wellness   24 00:02:14,460 --> 00:02:20,340 policy development and update process. And lastly  there's a requirement that at least once every   25 00:02:20,340 --> 00:02:24,900 three years districts complete an assessment  of the policy called triennial assessment. 26 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:32,880 According to guidance from USDA, local education  agencies must conduct an assessment of the   27 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:38,460 wellness policy every three years at a minimum.  This assessment should show compliance with the   28 00:02:38,460 --> 00:02:42,660 wellness policy, how the wellness policy  compares to model wellness policies,   29 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,840 and progress made in attaining  the goals of the wellness policy.  30 00:02:47,220 --> 00:02:51,000 School districts should be ready to share  this documentation with their state agency. 31 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,340 So how can school districts measure  wellness policy implementation?   32 00:03:00,060 --> 00:03:04,620 Some state agencies and school districts have  created templates for school districts to use, 33 00:03:04,620 --> 00:03:09,360 but previously there was no national tool  to help districts and schools assess the   34 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:13,320 relationship between district-level  policies and school-level practices.   35 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:19,500 Recognizing this gap, CDC worked with the  University of Connecticut Rudd Center to create an   36 00:03:19,500 --> 00:03:24,360 online assessment that helps districts and schools  with this process using two existing online   37 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:30,480 assessment tools the WellSAT 3.0, which assesses  the strength of district wellness policies,   38 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:35,700 and the CDC School Health Index, which helps  schools assess their school health practices. 39 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:45,240 The new tool is called the Wellness Policy in  Action Tool or WPAT. This tool can help districts   40 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:51,120 understand if the wellness policy is consistently  implemented in schools across the district and   41 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:56,580 determine if schools are already implementing  practices that could be incorporated into the   42 00:03:56,580 --> 00:04:03,060 district policy. Schools can use WPAT to see  how their school nutrition and physical activity   43 00:04:03,060 --> 00:04:09,000 practices align with their district's local school  wellness policy. This information can help schools   44 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:13,980 identify where implementation plans are needed  to ensure that practices are consistent with   45 00:04:13,980 --> 00:04:19,560 current policies, share current practices that  can be incorporated into the district policy,   46 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:25,260 and identify opportunities for new nutrition  and physical activity practices to work toward.   47 00:04:26,100 --> 00:04:31,200 In the next few modules, we will take a closer  look at the WPAT, including how to create an   48 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:35,820 account, how to complete the assessment,  and how to interpret and use the results. ¹ú²ú¾«Æ·¾Ã¾Ã¾Ã¾Ã¾ÃÒ»¼¶Ã«Æ¬