Team California for Healthy After Schools

Team California for Healthy After Schools

APPLICATION

FOR

TEAM CALIFORNIA FOR HEALTHY AFTER SCHOOLS

PROJECT

Due: April 25, 2012

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

NUTRITION SERVICES DIVISION

March 2012

• Submit one completed application via e-mail to:

• Submit two hardcopieswith original signaturesto:

Purpose

The purpose of the Team California forHealthy After Schools (TCHAS) project is to create environments in after school programs (ASPs) that build and strengthen healthy behaviors of students. Thetwo-year TCHAS project will build capacity of “Mentor Teams” (MTs) to:

• Develop and implement after school wellness policies

• Providean engaging nutrition education program that may include gardening, cooking, and/or community nutrition projects

• Offer engaging and age-appropriate physical activity that reinforces nutrition messages

• Provide healthy foodand access to drinking water

• Address food security (hunger) issues

• Improve mentoring strategies and skills of all team members with the goal that they will mentor other after school sites in California in project elements

The project anticipates establishing one MT in each of the 11 service regions of the California County Superintendents' Educational Services Association (regions).

Project Timeline

The TCHAS project period is July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2014.

Funding

MTs will receive:

• Travel reimbursement costs for attending the mandatory workshops

• Curricula and other materials to implement the project’s educational components

• Recognition (such asopportunities to showcase accomplishments at professional conferences and/or in publications)

No funds are currently available for stipends.

Eligibility

Publicly funded ASPs in California that serve children in grades one through five or six are eligible to apply. Each applicant must be deemed “in good standing” by the California Department of Education (CDE)After School Division.For this application "in good standing" is defined as:

• No outstanding audit findings

• Annual Performance Report (APR) and statewide evaluation data submitted to the After School Division

• No outstanding invoices (more than 90 days) or attendance and expenditure reports.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate a strong commitment to healthy afterschool environments through work in progress and the desire to share their expertise with other ASPs.

Project Leadership

The CDE Nutrition Services Division (CDE-NSD) will oversee all project activities. The CDE-NSD provides leadership to and support of nutrition services to enhance the health, well-being, development, and educational potential of California’s children, adults, and families.

The TCHAS Leadership Team will provide guidance for the training and technical assistance (TA) of the after school participants and includes leaders from the following agencies:

• CDE-NSD
• CDE After School Division
• California Department of Public Health, Network for a Healthy California
• California Healthy Kids and After School Resource Centers
• California AfterSchool Network
• Center for Collaborative Solutions
• WestEd

Members have expertise in nutrition, physical activity, after school, advocacy, and local ASPs. These organizations have actively worked together over the last five years in support of healthy after school environments through healthier snacks, quality nutrition education, and organized, engaging physical activity in ASPs. This project will build on and broaden the reach of these agencies’ work.

The California Healthy Kids and After School Resource Centers (Centers) will provide on-site and electronic TA and coaching, including the creation and support of a professional learning community consisting of all the participants. WestEd, a not-for profit research, development, and service agency, will conduct the formative and impact assessment for the TCHAS project.

Background

California and the nation face a continuing obesity epidemic. The childhood obesity epidemic is creating a generation that is experiencing adult chronic diseases at an early age, including diabetes, hypertension, and other diet-related health problems. Today’s children are the first generation whose life expectancy may be less than that of their parents.

Access to healthy food is essential, but does not,by itself, ensure consumption of those foods and good health. An essential component of healthy eating behavior includes skill-based nutrition education and an environment that makes healthy choices the easy choices.

The ASPs are ideal settings to create healthy environments that educate children and families about good nutrition, provide opportunities for organized and constructive physical activity, and connect families with community resources to address hunger while helping close the achievement gap.

Project Overview

The CDE-NSDis soliciting participation in this two-year project based on a competitive application. The first year of the project will focus on establishing healthy after school environments at the participating program sites and strengthening MT skills as educators and mentors. The second year will continue training and technical support to the MTs as the MTs expand the project to new sites by training additional after school staff on project topics under the guidance of the TCHAS leadership.

The ASPs accepted into the TCHAS project will designate staff for their MT. MTs will consist of at least three afterschool staff:two leaders from the ASP team (at least one senior administrator, e.g., program director or area coordinator) and one site coordinator from each proposed mentor site. Ideally, one MTfrom each of the 11 regions will be accepted into the project. Programs may designate up to two sites for participation in the project.

The Centers will coordinate five in-person workshops during the two-year project to train and support the MTs with their wellness policy implementation. Wellness policies will build on the district’s Local School Wellness Policy and include nutrition education,

physical activity that supports nutrition education, food security (hunger), and other project related topics. Successful applicants will complete a self-assessment that will drive training and TA topics.

The TCHAS Leadership Team will determine a nutrition education curriculum for primary grades and for upper elementary grades based on the self-assessment results. All participating ASPs will implement the TCHAS nutrition education curricula to provide a foundation in nutrition to the students. Each site will enhance the core nutrition education with one or more of the following: cooking, gardening, community action, or other. The TCHAS leadership will provide comprehensive training to MTs to ensure a successful nutrition education program.

Program Expectations

Each after school Mentor Team is expected to work closely with the CDE-NSD staff and the project Leadership Team to:

• Develop and implement after school specific wellness policies that include building on the district’s Local School Wellness Policy and, at a minimum, include:

• Providing skill-based nutrition education
• Offering healthy food and beverage choices with a focus on increasing fresh fruit and vegetable, whole grains, and fresh waterconsumption
• Actions to address food security (hunger), for example through promoting student participation in school meals, providing a federally reimbursable snack and meal, and educating families about CalFresh (formerly known as food stamps)
• Provide regular physical activity that supportsnutrition education

• Achieve a high level of proficiency in these areas within two years, based on the indicators of progress identified in “Changing Lives, Saving Lives”

• Help other programs and/or sites begin their work in these areas by serving as MTs following approval by the CDE-NSD

The CDE expects MTs to participate in and complete all project activities, including:

Year One

• Participate in a two-day orientation session in August 2012, two other onsite trainings, and two to three Webinars
• Complete the local program and community assessment

• Develop an after school specific wellness policy with action plan and timeline
• Implementcore nutrition education curricula
• Conduct at least three trainings with evaluations of their site staff
• Write at least three peer evaluations of trainings conducted by other MTs
• Fully participate in the process and/or outcomeassessment

Year Two

• Participate in two onsite trainings and two to three Webinars
• Deliver at least three staff trainings at other participant sites (peer evaluations to be completed)
• Implement at least 90 percent of activities stated in wellness policy action plan by April 2014
• Evaluate the wellness policy action plan using provided toolsby the end of May 2014
• Draftthe wellness policy action plan for 2014-15
• Write at least two peer evaluations of trainings conducted by other MTs
• Fully participate in the process and/or outcomeassessment

Application Process

To participate in the TCHAS project, please complete the attached application and submit it to the CDE-NSD as stated on page two.

TEAM CALIFORNIA FOR HEALTHY AFTER SCHOOLS PROJECTAPPLICATION

All elements of this application must be completed. Please use Arial font, size 11.

SECTION 1: Program Information (10 points)

Please tell us about your program. Include the following information:

1)In which school district(s) does your after school program operate?

2)How long has your program operated in this school district?

3)Describe the relationship between the after school program and the school district(s).

4)What are your sources of funding?

5)Who provides the snack and/or meal to your program? Is it a federally reimbursable snack/meal?

6)Provide information about each of the participating program sites below. You may attach forms that already include this information, if they are available.

SECTION 2: Mentor Team Members (5 points)

Provide the following information about the staff that will constitute the Mentor Team. If more than three staff will participate, attach the additional information on a separate paper.

SECTION 3: Description of Interest (25 points)Please tell us why you are interested in having your program site(s) develop a Mentor Teamand why you believe you can contribute to improving eating habits, physical activity levels, and food security (ability to address hunger) of students, families, and staff.Describe your commitment to providing training/mentoring to site staff in year one and other sites in year two.

SECTION 4: Level of Readiness (60 points)Briefly describe the steps that your program has already taken that demonstrate your commitment to developing healthy behaviors among students, families, and staff in each of the following areas:

1)Wellness Policy Development (Attach your district and/or after school wellness policy.Briefly describe your program’s involvement in the process to develop and implement the policies.)(10 points)

2)Healthy Eating (for example: gardens, cooking clubs, snacks, water, nutrition education classes, specific curricula, partners, healthy family nights, health fairs, other—please be specific) (20 points)

3)Physical Activity (for example: use of specific curricula, trained staff, partners, goals of 30-60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily, other—please be specific) (15 points)

4)Food Security (addressing hunger) (for example: encouraging enrollment in school breakfast and lunch; supplementing the snack with fresh fruits/vegetables; informing families of resources such as CalFresh(food stamps), food banks, other—please be specific) (10 points)

5)Mentoring (for example: experience training others onsite or at other sites) (5 points)

SECTION 5: Assurances. Please include the following assurances:

1)Our program and designated project site(s) will meet the program expectations outlined in this application. The district superintendent (or designated representative) and principal(s) have been consulted in the selection of the project sites.

2)If your designated program site(s) is located on a school site, please include letters of support from the school site(s) principal(s) and district superintendent. If your site(s) is not located at a school, please include a letter of support from the district superintendent. (For example: [Name] District supports this application and agrees to collaborate with and support the project as we work to improve the nutrition, physical activity, and food security of our site’s students, families, and staff.)

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