Prevention. Promotion. Protection.

Alaska School Wellness Policy Initiative

Local School Wellness Policy Requirement

In response to the obesity epidemic among children and adults and as a result of the Section 204, of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, school districts that participate in federally funded school meal programs are required to develop local wellness policies by the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. With community input, the policies must address:

  • nutrition guidelines for all foods available at school (school meals, a la carte sales, vending machines, student stores and concession stands).
  • goals for nutrition education.
  • assurances that school meal guidelines are not less restrictive than federal requirements
  • goals for physical activity (support for quality physical education and daily physical activity, opportunities for before and after school physical activity).
  • other school-based activities that are designed to promote student wellness.

Support for Alaska Schools

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, the Department of Education & Early Development, Child Nutrition Services; the Association of Alaska School Boards and others have teamed up to develop sample policy and resources to assist school districts with developing their local wellness policies.  With funding from the United States Department of Agriculture, Team Nutrition Program, tools and incentives, training and technical assistance, and a limited number of implementation grants will also be available to schools to promote healthy eating and physical activity.

Publications

Alaska School Wellness Toolkit (9.3 MB)

Partner Links

Resources