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/79 64409590028016898

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.

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:

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.

Pre-K: Smart from the Start K-5th grade: Energy Balance 101

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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 Ohios 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****."

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.

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

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2014 Bullying Town Hall Discussion Columbus, Ohio Kicking Off the 108th Ohio PTA Convention

Cooking Together, Cooking Forever

Bullying_National PTA Connect for Respect Program

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 theyve learned into a real world experience, competing for prizes and recognition

To see a promotional video, go to:

www.ctcf.org
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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

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/

HWS Hyperlinks
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SUPPORT DISTRACTIONFREE 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

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