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After School

Healthy After School Programming

• CANFit HEAC Afterschool Assessment Tool
  Delineates different types of after school programs, ethnicity of students, funding sources, snack menus and physical activity schedules. Request tool by contacting the California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness (CANFit) program at info@canfit.org.
• CANFit Cultural Needs Assessment Guide
  Outlines a process for uncovering the role of culture in the nutrition and physical activity habits of multi-ethnic youth so that the information may be used to improve the habits in a culturally appropriate way.
  Download: www.canfit.org/pdf/Guide.pdf
• Resources for Incorporating Afterschool Nutrition and Physical Activity into School Wellness Policies
  CANFit
  Lists tools and resources to help you work to include school-based after school programs in school wellness policies.
  http://www.canfit.org/pdf/ASinWellnessPolicies.pdf
• Policy Recommendations on Nutrition and Physical Activity in Middle Schools, Afterschool Programs, and Communities
  CANFit
  Recommends policies to be implemented either legislatively or institutionally.
  Download: http://canfit.org/downloads/#nutrition
• ENACT (Environmental Nutrition and Activity Community Strategies)
  Strategic Alliance
  Has great strategies complete with tools, model policies, a listing of organizations and coalitions. This web-based tool can be used to help coalitions identify the options for changing food and physical activity environments across all sectors. Each ENACT strategy presents useful information based on current research and practice and includes model policies and programs, hands-on tools, articles and other publications, and resources.
  http://preventioninstitute.org/sa/enact/members/index.php
• Promoting Healthy Activities Together (P.H.A.T.)
  P.H.A.T. Campaign:
  The campaign utilizes a community-based approach that embraces music, dance, emceeing, and other elements of hip-hop culture (in community centers, schools, after school programs and other organized settings) to deliver important messages about healthy eating and physical activity.
  http://www.canfit.org/phat/ Contact CANFit at or (800) 200-3131 for a workshop on how to use P.H.A.T. to bring nutrition education and physical activity to your program.
• Trainings in Physical Activity for Youth Providers
  Lists organizations that offer a variety of trainings in physical activity for program staff. Examples include teaching youth providers indoor and outdoor games, incorporating sports into after school programs, creating an activity program, and building a community playground.
  http://canfit.org/downloads/#physical_activity
• After School Physical Activity
  Has many physical activities and games designed for students in grades 4-8.
  http://www.afterschoolpa.com/base.html
• Operation Fit Kids
  American Council on Exercise
  Free curriculum designed for educators looking to integrate health and fitness into classroom learning. The seven-lesson module was developed for grades 3rd - 5th to teach them the extreme dangers of being overweight and the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle.
  Download: www.operationfitkids.org
• PE Central: The Premier Website for Health and Physical Education
  For health and physical education teachers, parents, and students, provides the latest information about developmentally appropriate physical education programs for children and youth.
  www.pecentral.org
• Measuring Youth Program Quality: A Guide to Assessment Tools
  A review of various tools used to assess programming and their quality.
  Download: http://www.forumfyi.org/Files//Measuring_Youth_Program_Quality.pdf
• The Afterschool Alliance
  A nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of after school programs and advocating for quality, affordable programs for all children.
  http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/
• Youth Today
  The only independent, nationally distributed newspaper that is read by more than 70,000 professionals in the youth service field. Some of the issues covered include: youth development; juvenile justice; gang and violence prevention; adolescent health; teen pregnancy, sex, and parenting; after school programs and mentoring; job training and school-to-work; and best practices. https://www.cambeywest.com/subscribe/?p=yth&form=paid
• The Afterschool Project
  Contains reports and publications for free download that help expand and strengthen the national after school community.
  http://www.theafterschoolproject.org/
• Diversity Resource List
  American Dietetic Association
  Assists in locating nutrition education resources for various population groups, helps increase awareness and understanding of diversity.
  http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/CADE_3207_ENU_HTML.htm
• Center for Science in the Public Interest
  A strong advocate for nutrition and health, food safety, alcohol policy, and sound science.
  www.cspinet.org
• Office of Minority Health
  Mission is to improve and protect the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will eliminate health disparities.
  http://www.omhrc.gov/
• Public Health - Seattle and King County, Washington
  Diabetes meal planning in multiple languages, and healthy recipes in multiple languages.
  www.metrokc.gov/health/reach/diabetes.htm
• 2000 CDC Growth Charts
  A series of percentile curves that illustrate the distribution of selected body measurements in U.S. children.
  Download: http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/
• The USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
  Works to improve the health and well being of Americans by developing and promoting dietary guidance that links scientific research to the nutrition needs of consumers.
  http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/
• The California Center for Physical Activity
  A champion for creative solutions to increasing everyday activity in California, and an expert resource for California physical activity partners. The Center also helps communities create more walkable and bikeable neighborhoods.
  http://www.caphysicalactivity.org
• "Do More, Watch Less"
  The California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness's (CANFit) latest training is now available on their website. Download the manual which provides step by step instructions for implementing Do More, Watch Less in an after-school program setting. This is an excellent activity to coincide with National TV Turn Off Week.
  www.canfit.org/
• Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active!
  This interactive after-school education program for young people ages 11 to 13 is designed to help teach them about the complex media world around them, and how it can affect their health--especially in the areas of nutrition and physical activity. The materials, available free on the Web, were developed by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD. It consists of 10 lessons and a major project that help young people acquire knowledge and skills in four key areas: media awareness, media production, nutrition, physical activity. There is an accompanying Facilitator's Guide for the 10-lesson curriculum that includes a video tape or DVD featuring a program summary and tips for facilitators, plus youth-focused video segments for use in summarizing key concepts for each lesson.
  www.nichd.nih.gov/msy
• The California School Age Consortium
  This website offers resources for after school programs and providers throughout California including training, resources, advocacy, and information.
  calsac.org/default.asp
• California Obesity Prevention Initiative's TV Reduction Tool for Tweens.
  The California Obesity Prevention Initiative's Do More, Watch Less TV reduction tool is targeted towards 10 to 14-year-olds in after school programs and other youth-serving organizations. The sessions aim to help youth incorporate more screen-free activities into their day while reducing the time they spend on screen-based activities such as watching TV, surfing the internet, or playing video games. For other school wellness resources, check out the COPI website at:
  www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/cdic/copi/
  Download: Do More, Watch Less [985kb pdf file]
• After School Alliance - Active Hours Afterschool
  The Active Hours Afterschool webpage on the After School Alliance website has resources for those interested in obesity prevention, nutrition and physical activity in the hours after school. Included are a Policy Agenda on how to advance obesity prevention in afterschool programs; links to data, resources; practices and funding sources; information on the newly mandated school wellness policies; and a link the Afterschool Advocate issue dedicated to this topic. Check out the home page for the After School Alliance for many other resources.
  www.afterschoolalliance.org/active_hours.cfm
• Lights on Afterschool!
  Lights on Afterschool!, a project of the Afterschool Alliance, is an annual event to call attention to and celebrate afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families and communities. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, help working families and improve academic achievement. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger served as the 2004 Chair of Lights On Afterschool!, a role he first embraced in 2001. The event is held yearly in October. Check out the website for information on past events and to sign up to participate in this year's activities.
  www.afterschoolalliance.org/loa_2004/index.cfm
• Afterschool Program Participation and Obesity
  A new study gives advocates powerful evidence that afterschool programs have an important role to play in the fight against childhood obesity. The authors concluded that afterschool programs may not reverse obesity, but are a powerful buffer against it. The researchers noted that "much of a child's overeating and related sedentary behavior (e.g., watching television) occurs during nonschool hours... children experience high levels of enjoyment when participating in afterschool activities. Compared to obesity reduction approaches that emphasize passive health education or require children to give up negative habits concerning food and activity choices, afterschool program participation may be more palatable."
  Download: Afterschool Participation and Obesity [2.8MB pdf file]

Resources and Publications

Promoting Healthier After School Environments: Opportunities and Challenges
One in a series of reports about creating healthy environments for children.
Download (PDF Document)