Making School Wellness Easy:
From Assessment to Action Planning to Certification
Hannah Laughlin, MPH, Action for Healthy Kids
Introduction
Results
In 2014, Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) adopted
the nutrition, physical activity, and cross-cutting
components of the Center for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) 2014 School Health Index
as a complimentary evaluation tool for their
school wellness initiatives. Schools that complete
the AFHK modified School Health Index are
provided a customized report on their areas of
strength and opportunities for improvement.
weakness. Schools are then walked through the
AFHK process of action planning and provided
resources to help them work towards national
healthy schools certification through the USDA’s
HealthierUS Schools Challenge.
Preliminary analysis of the AFHK modified SHI data (including only nutrition, physical activity and
cross-cutting questions) of 651 schools indicate how schools are aligning with SHI questions and
total possible module scores:
SHI Total Score
80
350
70
300
60
250
50
200
40
Average
Score
30
20
Total
Possible
Score
10
The AFHK modified online School Health Index
report is a self-assessment and planning guide
that will enable schools to:
• Build a school health team
• Identify the strengths and areas of opportunity
for school’s policies and programs for
promoting health and wellness
• Develop an customized action plan for
improving health and wellness initiatives to
work towards healthy schools certification
• Allow districts to answer district-level
questions to minimize workload for individual
schools
Once all SHI modules are complete, schools will
receive a customized action plan that provides
them with easy steps they can take and AFHK
resources to support these actions with a goal of
becoming certified as a healthy school through
the USDA’s HealthierUS Schools Challenge
program.
100
50
0
0
Methods
150
Mod 1
Mod 2
Mod 3
Mod 4
Mod 5
Mod 6
Mod 7
Mod 8
Highest Possible Score
Average Score
Data from the portal will be available in aggregate format to school districts and state level agencies
for evaluation and improvements to school health practices, policies and systems.
Discussion
Utilizing an online technology platform, AFHK is helping schools
assess and evaluate their school wellness environment and develop
action plans for improvements that can be aggregated into district
and state level reports to ensure improvement on a larger scale.
In addition, schools assessment and action plan results will help
them determine their readiness to apply for the HealthierUS Schools
Challenge. AFHK will offer further technical assistance support to
schools as they navigate the certification process as needed in an
effort to reach the Every Kid Healthy goal of all 130,000 U.S. schools
certified as providing healthy foods, quality health and physical
education, and comprehensive physical activity for all students by
2030.