HWS Monthly FYI -- May 2014

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HWS Monthly FYI

Ohio PTA Health, Welfare, and Safety Committee May 2014 HWS@ohiopta.org

On Thursday, May 15th, from 2-3 p.m. Eastern, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership is hosting a free webinar:

Recruiting and Training Volunteers for Long Term Success!

REGISTER HERE:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7964409590028016898

This webinar is part one of a series of two webinars that will explore in depth tried-and-true methods for working with volunteers in Safe Routes to School programs and other school-based volunteer initiatives. Join us to hear three speakers discuss the ways they recruited and trained volunteers and created sustainable, long-lasting relationships within their

schools and communities.

and State Routes to School National Partnership

Shared Use: Opening Doors to Improving Community Health & Connectivity Workshop

Thursday, May 8, 2014 9:30 am to 3:30 pm

Overview: Shared use policies and programs help open doors to recreation, physical activity, social and community opportunities for youth, families, adults and senior citizens that are safe, convenient and close to home. Join other Ohio stakeholders and decision makers to learn more about policy, implementation, and the benefits of shared use to increase physical activity and community involvement through the wise use of community resources.

Healthy Lifestyles Energy Balance 101

Application Deadline: Friday, June 6, 2014

National PTA's Healthy Lifestyles Grants provide local

PTAs with tools and resources to use in partnering with

schools to improve energy balance and provide families with

nutrition and physical activity education. Energy balance is

simply finding a balance between the calories we consume

through what we eat and drink and the calories we burn

through physical activity.

Local PTAs can apply to one of the below Healthy Lifestyles

Grants that target families:

Pre-K: Smart from the Start

K-5th grade: Energy Balance 101

HWS Monthly FYI -- May 2014

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The Ohio Department of Health (ODH), Bureau of Environmental Health, Indoor Environments Section houses the School Environmental Health (SEH) Program. This program works to improve the environmental health of Ohio’s schools through non-regulatory means. Over 1.75 million children and 100 thousand adults across Ohio spend their days in K-12 schools*. The environmental health of these facilities can be strongly linked to the educational success of Ohio's children. "Poor environmental conditions can thwart academic progress by making it harder for students to concentrate, causing or exacerbating illness in students and staff, increasing absences and lost work days, and diverting school funds to pay for costly repair and remediation projects**."

On the other hand, improvement in school environmental conditions can have significant positive impacts. For instance, in one study "children in classrooms with higher outdoor air ventilation rates scored 14 to 15% higher on standardized tests than children in classrooms with lower outdoor air ventilation rates***."

In addition to wellness and the advancement of the core educational mission, attention to environmental quality can improve the financial health of Ohio's schools. A study of one elementary school in Minnesota "showed that if $8,140 had been spent over 22 years on preventive maintenance, $1.5 million in repairs could have been avoided****."

Source: http://www.odh.ohio.gov/odhprograms/eh/schooleh/sehmain.aspx

The current ODH School Environmental Health Inspection Guidance Document can be accessed here. Local Health Departments are under no obligation to use this guidance and it is not enforceable by law. The guidelines provide information and resources regarding inspections that address current issues in school environmental health and protect the health of school building occupants.

The ODH has received a grant from the USEPA to develop updated voluntary K-12 guidelines for school environmental health. The SEH program has put together an Advisory Panel (SEHAP) whose goal is to have the guidelines completed no later than May 31, 2014. In addition to the written guidelines, regional trainings to introduce the guidelines will be presented by Sanitarians from each local health department represented on the panel. These trainings will be convenient, accessible events for school personnel and public health officials An ongoing communication network(OSHEN - register below), and tiered recognition for implementation of the guidelines at varying levels, will help to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the program into the future.

HWS Monthly FYI -- May 2014

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2014 Bullying Town Hall Discussion

Columbus, Ohio Kicking Off the 108th

Ohio PTA Convention

Bullying_National PTA Connect for Respect Program

“Cooking Together,

Cooking Forever”

In a fun and educational way, the goal of

this program is to help parents teach their

children the life skill of cooking healthy,

good tasting meals and snacks while also

reinforcing the value of family mealtime.

There are three primary components to

this program:

1. Educational videos delivered over the

internet with specific lessons

2.

3. Enrichment materials with additional

information and suggested practice

activities that will be delivered via

email in between the release of each

new video segment

4.

5. An optional (but highly

recommended) contest at the end of

the lessons where parents and kids

will get to put everything they’ve

learned into a real world experience,

competing for prizes and recognition

To see a promotional video, go to:

www.ctcf.org

HWS Monthly FYI -- May 2014

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The Fire Up Your Feet Program helps

encourage families, students and schools to

work together and create active lifestyles which

inspire our children to be healthy and

physically active. Everything is here to help

you walk more, play more, and find the joy of

being physically active as a family and in your

school.

http://fireupyourfeet.org/

End of School Year Checklist

The end is in sight, Mom! Your child has almost made it through another school year. But before you switch into the coast mode, look over this checklist of three things you can do to end the school year with a burst of joy.

Read more here

Source: iMOM

HWS Hyperlinks

SUPPORT DISTRACTION-

FREE DRIVING

Fact Sheet for Child Victims of

Human Trafficking

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/

profiles/index.htm

Summer Plans for the Busy Mom

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/foo

d-groups/vegetables-why.html