Local Wellness Policy (LWP) Updates for School Year 2017-18 Presented by The New Jersey Department of Agriculture School Nutrition Programs Presenters: Erlisa Levin, MPH, RD Katie Hunter, RD

A special thank you to the New Jersey Department of Health for their collaboration on this webinar! Sheila Dunn, MBA School Health Nutrition & Physical Activity Specialist Joan Healy-Wielenta, MBA, RD Senior Program Coordinator, NJ SNAP-Ed/EFNEP Programs

Why is School Wellness Important? Increases academic performance Improves classroom behavior Helps with learning retention Keeps students safe and healthy Encourages healthy body weight

Background 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act – Participating SFAs to establish LWP by SY 2006 2010 Strengthened by the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) July 21, 2016, the USDA final rule was published in the Federal Register. The final rule strengthens and expands LWP requirements All SFAs must have their updated and compliant LWP for SY 2017-18 in place as of July 1, 2017

Webinar Objectives SFA will be able to: List the 5 required elements of the USDA School LWP Final Rule requirements Implement the State Agency requirements Access the links to resources & a toolkit to strengthen your current school LWP as needed

USDA Local Wellness Policy Final Rule All School Districts that participate in the National School Lunch Program MUST meet expanded Requirements: Designates one or more district or school officials to ensure compliance and identify their position title Establishes minimum content requirements for local school wellness polices Ensures stakeholder participation in the development and update of such policies Assesses and discloses compliance Increases transparency to the public, and increases integrity

Required Elements of the LWP Public Involvement (stakeholders) Nutrition Education Nutrition Promotion goals Nutritional Guidelines for all foods available on the school campus Physical Activity goals (school based activities to promote student wellness)

1. Public Involvement HHFKA requires all stakeholders to participate in the implementation and periodic review and update of LWP Stakeholders could consist of but not limited to: teachers students parents school board members other SFA representatives (administrators) community members school health professionals

1. Public involvement continued Notification SFAs are required to inform and update the stakeholders about content and implementation of the local wellness policy How? Post LWP on school website Send home hard copy of LWP with students Put LWP in school newsletter

2. Nutrition Education Gives students the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make healthy eating choices. Nutrition education may include: Teaching about healthy meal patterns Reading Nutrition Facts labels Identifying sources of added sugars, saturated fats

3. Nutrition Promotion Examples of measurable goals for nutrition promotion Student Wellness Teams School gardens Classroom rewards program Healthy classroom parties Healthy fundraiser resources Classroom energizers Farmer in the Classroom

4. Nutrition Guidelines USDA Final Rule states that Local Wellness Policies include nutrition guidelines for all foods and beverages available during school hours Does not apply to events outside of school hours NEW: LWPs must include policies that allow marketing and advertising of only those foods and beverages that meet the Smart Snacks in school nutrition standards

5. Physical Activity Examples of measurable goals for physical activity Integrate physical activity into the academic curriculum Schedule recess before lunch whenever possible Annual 5k walk/run Afterschool fitness opportunities Standardized Physical Education curriculum Bike and walk to school days

Leadership SFAs are required to designate one or more SFA officials to ensure that each school complies with the LWP. It is suggested to designate a lead person in each school building to report the progress at each site. SFAs can determine the specific policies appropriate for the schools under their jurisdiction, provided that those policies include all required elements

Implementing Your Local Wellness Policy Requires good planning and management skills Consistent oversight (year round) Requires widespread buy-in by school staff and the local community 16

Maintain Your LWP SFAs are required to: Make the LWP public Review policy goals periodically throughout the year

Measure Your Progress SFAs are required to: Establish a plan for measuring implementation of wellness policy Designate one or more persons to ensure schools are achieving the measurable goals

Evaluate Your Policies SFAs are required to: Assess what’s working and what’s not working Make improvements for the following year Use Wellness Policy Evaluation tool – (form #357) Share results with stakeholders

Triennial Assessments The Final Rule requires State agencies to assess compliance with the LWP requirements as a part of the general areas of the Administrative Review every 3 years. SFAs must conduct an assessment of the LWP every 3 years, at a minimum. This assessment determines: Compliance with the wellness policy How the wellness policy compares to model wellness policies, and Progress made in attaining the goals of the wellness policy

Requirements for Administrative Review (AR) in New Jersey Assessments are done at the end of the year (were the goals achieved?) Use NJ’s Wellness Policy Evaluation tool (form #357) During an AR the prior year assessment tool will be reviewed 2017-18 is first year for USDA triennial assessment requirement

Documentation The State agency will examine records during the AR including: Copy of the current wellness policy Documentation on how the policy and assessments are made available to the public The most recent assessment of implementation of the policy, and Documentation of efforts to review and update the policy, including who was involved in the process and how stakeholders were made aware of their ability to participate Completing form #357 makes you compliant

Your Key Take-Aways for Success Find passionate leaders in each school Build a good team at each school Less is more (have a few strong measurable goals rather than many weak goals) Regularly monitor progress

Contact Us If further inquiries, please contact the presenters of this webinar: 609-984-0692 Erlisa Levin, MPH, RD @ erlisa.levin@ag.state.nj.us Katie Hunter, RD @ katie.hunter@ag.state.nj.us

Resources USDA Resources USDA’s Team Nutrition resources are at http://teamnutrition.usda.gov http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/local-school-wellness-policy http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/team-nutrition http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/child-nutrition-programs http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/local-school-wellness-policy-outreach-toolkit USDA Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/healthy-hunger-free-kids-act https://foodplanner.healthiergeneration.org/calculator/ New Jersey Resources Log into SNEARS  Resources Tab Smart Snacks Log into SNEARS  Resources Tab Local Wellness Policy

Alliance & CDC Resources The Alliance for a Healthier Generation Model Wellness Policy http://www.ocde.us/nutritioneducation/Documents/AHGModelWellnessPolicy.doc AHG video on highlights of the USDA’s final rule on wellness policies: https://www.healthiergeneration.org/take_action/schools/wellness_committees__policies/local_wellness_policy_final_rule/ http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/wscc/index.htm http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/wscc/pdf/wscc_fact_sheet_508c.pdf NJSBA Task Force on the Impact of Health & Wellness on Student Achievement: Final Report—Best Practices (pg. 23-34) CDC HEALTHY SCHOOLS https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/index.htm http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/health_and_acacdemics/

Thank you for viewing the Local Wellness Policy Update 2017 webinar! This webinar will count toward 1hour of professional standards training: Key Area- 4000 Communication and Marketing Learning Topic- 4160 Smarter Lunch Room Techniques Department of Agriculture School Nutrition Programs 609.984.0692 www.nj.gov/agriculture This institution is an equal opportunity provider