When Dr. Yvonne Sanders-Butler became principal of Browns Mill Elementary in Lithonia, Ga., she was astonished to see how the students’ eating habits and lack of physical activity were affecting their performance in the classroom. Having struggled with finding balance between diet and exercise in her own life, she knew all too well the effects this lifestyle can have on a child’s future. In August 1999, after a year of observing students’ eating habits and endless consultation with her PTA board members on how to approach parents, Dr. Sanders-Butler made it her mission to ensure a healthy learning environment for all her students – the "Healthy Kids, Smart Kids" program. Working with students, parents and school staff, Dr. Sanders-Butler was able to see results by the following spring, after incorporating the following initiatives:

• Make health education a part of curricula at all grade levels, requiring PE for students and using lessons from all subject areas (i.e., math, history, science) to teach healthy behaviors;
• Provide more balanced school meals (breakfast and lunch) that meet the USDA nutrition standards and contain less sugar;
• Allow snacks and drinks in the vending machines, provided they are healthy in nature;
• Offer the "Worksite Wellness" program to teachers and staff, including nutrition education and opportunities to engage in physical activity; and
• Encourage students to take their lessons home with them and educate their parents in making meals that are both low in sugar and high in nutrients.

As a result of Dr. Sanders-Butler’s efforts, the "Healthy Kids, Smart Kids" program has reached more than 20,000 students in her community. Specific results measured by the school showed:

• Disciplinary and counseling referrals dropped by 28 and 23 percent, respectively;
• A 15 percent improvement in reading and math scores;
• Students were taking 30 percent fewer trips to the nurse’s office;
• Daily physical activity among students increased by 50 percent;
• To date, the school has saved more than $600,000 by providing healthier options to children and teaching them about portion control;

Learn more about Healthy Kids, Smart Kids! Get started! You can begin making a positive impact in your broader community, based off the successful Healthy Kids Smart Kids program, with the Community Action Plan below. Just follow the steps to help guide you and track your progress. Parents, teachers, or other school leaders interested in accessing your school’s health grade. Any school can benefit from understanding how they stack up. The first step to making change and setting goals is to understand where you stand. You can choose things like…

• Menu options
• PE requirements and classes
• Sports or other extracurricular offerings
• Recess availability
• Vending Machine contents

You can….

• Talk to teachers or other school leaders
• Ask to observe or volunteer during your child’s lunch, PE class, or recess
• Walk around the school to find out what the vending machines offer
• Interview your child or a group of children

You can….

• Consider inviting a group of parents over to discuss as a team
• You can use a positive/negative chart for each area. For instance: Menu Options (+) Serve a two vegetable offerings per lunch (-) Don’t include a health desert option.
• Can write up a short document outlining the areas, the grades, and then the reasons you give for each grade.

You can choose things like…

• Find out when the next PTA meeting is and ask to be part of the agenda
• Organize an informal meeting with parents to go over what you found
• Ask to sit down with your school nurse or other teachers to present your findings and get their input

Make sure….

• Your goals tie to the report cards and the areas you investigated
• Represent the ideas and feedback you received from parents and other leaders
• They are manageable and small

You can….

• Send these to the principals, teachers, school nurses, and other parent groups
• Propose to use this as a platform to have a cross community meeting
• Ask for their specific feedback regarding what you reported

Parents, teachers, or other community leaders interested teaching kids the benefit of healthy nutrition and ownership over their health. Any age group of children can benefit from the Make a Change program. Make a Change works to take the information you learned and shared from the Health Report Card and build a goal and plan to improve an aspect of your schTake the feedback and information you learned from the Health Report Card to brainstorm one aspect you can influence. Think about things like….

• What kind of change would be easy to get buy-in?
• What resources or people are available to help?
• What area of health do you want to address first?
• School’s and child’s health.

Think about things like…

• Where? When? How?
• Is this a school wide change or something that can start with one class?
• What kind of approval do you need and from who?

Think about things like…

• Who can play a part in helping to implement your ‘change’?
• Try coordinating a time to meet and go over your ideas and plans.
• Invite other parents and school leaders, especially those you shared the Health Report Card with.

Remember to…

• Integrate any feedback you received from your team into the plan.
• Ask people what type of commitment they can offer.
• Break out responsibilities based on people’s interest and commitment.

You can..

• Meet and touch base regularly.
• Be flexible and modify your plan as things come up.
• Communicate to ensure everyone stays motivated.
• Keep a journal to document the processes.

Think about things like..

• How did it go? What was the impact?
• Collect quotes and testimonials.
• Take pictures or videos

You can…

• Call a local paper
• Ask to have a story written in the bulletin
• Share at the next PTA meeting