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The wellness policy provision requires every school district that participates in the federal school meals programs (as the vast majority do) to enact a wellness policy by the first day of the 2006-2007 school year.

The school district policies must address:

• goals for nutrition education
• goals for physical activity
• nutrition guidelines for all foods available at school
• goals for other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness
• plans for evaluating implementation of the policy

The development of the local school wellness policies must involve:

• parents
• students
• school food service staff
• the school board
• school administrators
• the public

By placing the responsibility for the development of wellness policies at the local level and requiring community involvement, Congress has created the potential to deeply engage schools, parents, students and the entire community in issues of child nutrition and health.

FRAC’s School Wellness Policy Guide

School Wellness Policy and Practice: Meeting the Needs of Low-Income Students is a guide for anti-hunger advocates, parents and school community leaders that addresses the special concerns of low-income students in local school wellness policies. The guide provides sample policies, model programs and key research information that are important tools to address the nutrition concerns of low-income children and communities in the development of school wellness policies.

The guide addresses the following key issues:

• Family and Community Involvement – Low-income families in particular may face barriers to involvement in their children’s schools, such as non-traditional or long work hours and long commutes on public transportation to and from work. In recognition of this, special efforts should be made to involve low-income parents and key community stakeholders in the development of school wellness policies.

• Increasing Access to School Meals – Adequate nutrition is necessary for good health and academic achievement. Low-income children are much more likely than other children to live in households that have inadequate food budgets and therefore, are more likely to be hungry or at risk for hunger. Schools wellness policies should include the expansion of participation in school meals and afterschool snack programs to insure that no child goes hungry, and that all children have their nutritional needs met during the day.

• Establishing Nutritional Guidelines for All School Foods – While the quality of school nutrition is important for all children, it is particularly important for low-income children who may have limited access to nutritious foods outside of school because of financial constraints at home.

• Addressing Cost Concerns about Changing Competitive Food Policies – With tight budgets, many school districts, including many with schools in low-income areas, have come to rely on vending contracts and competitive foods to fund school activities and even help run the food service program. S chools can make changes without a significant loss of revenue that restrict or ban certain types of unhealthy foods, and engage in careful marketing of more healthful products.

• Increasing Physical Activity and Recreational Opportunities – Low-income children often have fewer opportunities to be physically active. Concerns about safety in low-income communities, and a lack of adequate recreational facilities, can limit children’s opportunities to be physically active. Schools (and school-based afterschool programs) play a very important role in children’s health by providing no-cost opportunities for non-sedentary recreation and vigorous athletic activities in a safe environment.

The guide is intended to supplement the many existing tools available for designing school wellness policies, by providing strategies that address the unique needs of low-income students, families and communities.

View USDA Team Nutrition's compilation of examples of policies already developed by schools and State agencies and other resources.

View the Action for Healthy Kids Wellness Policy Tool for sample policies in a searchable database.

View the School Nutrition Association’s Wellness Policy Web page for policy guidelines, sample policies, and additional resources.

View the Child Nutrition Foundation’s April, 2006 Survey on the progress and policies being developed by Local School Districts.

View highlights of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004.

Also see Advocate's Guide to School Nutrition Programs

Updated July 2006

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