The school environment is critical in supporting the health and wellbeing of students. Students eat many of their meals at school and participate in a significant portion of their daily physical activity through physical education, recess, organized sports, and other school-based physical activity opportunities. A healthy school environment supports health, well-being, and academic achievement of students, and helps students develop healthy habits for a lifetime (J School Health; 2015, 85: 729-739).
The Local School Wellness Policy (LSWP) requirement, mandated by the United States Department of Agriculture, requires the development and implementation of a school wellness policy to establish a school environment that promotes students’ health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity.
The resources on this webpage are designed to help local educational agencies meet LSWP requirements, strengthen their written school wellness policies, and implement policies that support student health and wellness.
Resources
Please see the resources below for information & tips on the CalFresh Healthy Living, UC School Wellness Policy Initiative.
- General School Wellness Policy Resources
CFHL UC, School Wellness Policy Toolkit
The CFHL, UC School Wellness Policy Toolkit provides background knowledge, tools, and resources to use or to pass on, as well as information on what is allowable and unallowable. The goal of the toolkit is to provide CalFresh Healthy Living, UC staff with a resource that can be a guide towards starting conversations, getting stakeholders to the table, and moving school wellness policy from paper to action.- • Internal Access (Box)
• External Access: Please complete a Qualtrics survey to obtain the School Wellness Policy Toolkit
CFHL, UC Frequently Asked Questions: Local School Wellness Policy and the Administrative Review
This resource contains frequently asked questions about how local School Wellness Policy requirements are evaluated during the Administrative Reviews conducted by California Department of Education.
California Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative
The California Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative brings together state leaders committed to improving student wellness and academic success.
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation provides access to numerous tools to support local school wellness policies. Many resources require a free account to access.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- • Healthy Schools
• Parents for Healthy Schools
• Putting Local School Wellness Policies into Action: Stories from School Districts and Schools
USDA
- • Internal Access (Box)
- Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child
The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model, which was developed by the CDC, is student-centered framework that emphasizes the connections between student health and academic achievement, as well as the role of the community in supporting school health. CalFresh Healthy Living, UC can support many of the components of the WSCC model.
WSCC Information and ResourcesCA Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative WSCC Webinars
- • Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) – March 16, 2021
• Taking Action: Implementing CDC's WSCC Model – November 1, 2023
University of Connecticut Collaboratory on School and Child Health
Learn more about the WSCC Model with these videos and practice briefs.- • Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) – March 16, 2021
- Assessing the Wellness Policy
Triennial Assessment
- • CA Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative Triennial Assessment Webpage
• Webinar for Triennial Assessment Technical Assistance Providers
‣ Slides
‣ Recording
• Triennial Assessment and the SLAQ
Assessing Policy Implementation
- • School Site Level Assessment Questionnaires (SLAQs)
• SLAQs Evaluation Office Hour (1/25/22) Recording and PPT
Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) Resources
The WellSAT tools are available through the University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. These tools can be completed online by creating a WellSAT account, or by printing and completing paper copies of the tool. Access these tools at the WellSAT website.There are two tools available:
- • WellSAT Policy – Assesses the strength and comprehensiveness of the school’s wellness policy, as well as compliance with federal requirements.
• WellSAT Practice – Assesses the implementation of the wellness policy.
- • CA Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative Triennial Assessment Webpage
Quick Links
CFHL, UC School Wellness Policy Toolkit
Evaluation Resources
View CalFresh Healthy Living, UC-recommended School Wellness Policy evaluation tools.