Implementing Local School Wellness Policy

Helping Schools Build a Culture of Health

“

Every student deserves a school environment that promotes their health, well-being, and ability to thrive. When schools lead the way in wellness policy implementation, they become catalysts for equitable health opportunities and lifelong success.

— Bethany Younkers, MPA
Director, Whole Child Health Team

Our evidence-based approach helps schools:

Strengthen health initiatives

Implement policies that make nutrition and physical activity accessible for all students.

Increase community engagement

Foster collaboration among families, educators, and local collaborators.

Set and track goals

Establish clear objectives and routinely measure progress to support continuous improvement.

Promote healthy choices

Make it easy for students, staff, and families to choose healthful options throughout the school day.

Support compliance & accountability

Ensure adherence to federal standards and share progress with the school community regularly.

Get Recognized for Local School Wellness Policy

Meet these criteria to qualify as one of America’s Healthiest Schools.

1

Our school has a team that:

To be eligible for an award, you'll need to be doing each one of these things.
Find resources to help >

✅ Nice going! The award application will ask you to:

  • Indicate which roles are represented on your school wellness team.
  • Describe how often the school wellness team meets, and how it works with the school principal to implement district wellness policy.
  • Upload at least one (1) school wellness team meeting agenda (with student information redacted). 

2

Our school:

To be eligible for an award, you'll need to be doing this.
Find resources to help >

✅ Great job! The award application will ask you to:

  • Describe the strengths and opportunities identified by the school team when analyzing the assessment results on implementing the district wellness policy.
  • Upload at least one (1) completed school-level assessment tool used to measure compliance and progress made on wellness policies and student wellness goals this school year (with student information redacted).

3

Our school uses a continuous improvement process to coordinate implementation of the district wellness policy that:

To be eligible for an award, you'll need to be doing each one of these things.
Find resources to help >

✅ Way to go! The award application will ask you to:

  • Indicate which district wellness policy goal component(s) the school team prioritized this school year.
  • Describe the student wellness goal(s) prioritized or specific action steps taken by your school wellness team to improve wellness policy implementation.
  • Describe the progress, successes, challenges, and observed benefits to student health and learning while working on the prioritized wellness goals.
Could you be one of America's Healthiest Schools?

Let’s make your vision a reality!
My team is here to help you become one of America’s Healthiest Schools.

—Naomi, Member Engagement & Support Team

Call 888-543-4584, book a chat, or send an email

Resources to Build Your Local School Wellness Policy

Model Wellness Policy

Use this district-level wellness policy guide to develop a USDA compliant Local School Wellness Policy.

Explore Other Topics

School Health Services
Health Education
Local School Wellness Policy
Social-Emotional Health & Learning
Nutrition & Food Access
Tobacco-Free Schools
Physical Education & Activity
Family & Community Engagement
Staff Well-Being