Support the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies that promote nutrition and physical activity in Early Care and Education Systems.
Activity
Description
Empower Policy
Support Empower policy change at ECE, regional, and/or state levels.
Learning Collaborative
Participate in learning collaboratives, coalitions and councils to build communities of practice
Staff Development
Assist a program or facility to increase staff knowledge, abilities, skills, and improve practices.
ECE-Based Agriculture
Train partners to implement and sustain gardens and/or support local food procurement and implementation.
Nutrition & Feeding Practices
Support improvements in ECE nutrition practices & environments consistent with Empower Standards, including breastfeeding.
PA Environment
Support improvements in ECE PA environments & practices consistent with Empower Standards (e.g. painted playgrounds)
Community Coordination
Support ECEs to increase programs & resources that meet an identified need (e.g. food security resources - SNAP Outreach, backpack programs, food pantries)
Community Engagement
Engage residents in SNAP-Ed eligible communities in the process and planning using consulting, involving, and collaborating techniques.
Support the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies that promote nutrition and physical activity in schools and other youth-based systems.
Activity
Description
Policy Revision and Communication
Support written Local Wellness Policy (LWP) and/or Empower review, revision, dissemination & (two-way) communication with school stakeholders
Wellness Committees
Support District and School-Level school wellness committiees, including recruitment, formation and participation.
Staff Development
Provide school staff with Train the Trainer on evidence-based curricula and resources to support policy implementation and encourge students' healthy behaviors.
School/Youth-Based Agriculture
Train partners to impliment and sustain gardens and or support local food procurment and implimenation.
Nutrition Practices and Environment
Support improvements in nutrition practices and environments, including the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement (SLM), School Meal Programs and Out-of-School Time (OOST) consistant with Empower.
Physical Activity Practices and Environment
Support improvements in PA practices and environments by employing the tenents of a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) eg: active transportation, active recess, adequate Physical Education opportunities, classroom brain breaks.)
Community Coordination
Support School and other youth-based programs and resources that meet an identified need eg: food security - SNAP Outreach, backpack programs and food pantries.
Community Engagement
Engage residents in SNAP-Ed eligible communities in the process and planning using consulting, involving and collaborating techniques.
Tools
for Childhood
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DIG in Community and Schools Infographic
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Determining which DIG In Evaluation and Training is Right for Your Site.
Congratulations on completing Step 1 of the DIG in Cycle of Improvement! You can now use your DIG in tool results and this planning sheet for Step 2. We have created this template to help you and your team review your DIG in ratings, summarize your garden goals, create an action
plan and develop a task list for the next steps.
How to Start and Run a Wellness Committe/SHAC
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This guide enhances AZ Health Zone staff’s family engagement skills when working with SNAP-Ed eligible ECE sites. Building
relationships with families increases family involvement, integrated community support and resources, and ECE program success.
Ten Tips to Revise Wellness Policies
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The AZ Health Zone Childhood Systems Committee created this list of tips to help you revise and add wellness initiatives to a district or school's Local
Wellness Policy (LWP).
How to Engage Early Care and Education Families
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This guide enhances AZ Health Zone staff’s family engagement skills when working with SNAP-Ed-eligible ECE sites. Building relationships with families increase family involvement, integrate community support and resources, and increases ECE program success.
Empower Guide – Technical Assistance Manual
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This manual is for anyone who supports quality practices and policies in out-of-school time (OOST) settings, from technical assistance (TA) providers to program directors. This can be a position within an OOST program or an external program that provides support to OOST programs.
Empower – Appendix_B Sample Partnership Agreement
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Sample Partnership Agreement (PA).
Empower – Appendix_A Sample Email
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This is a sample email that can be used for outreach to out-of-school time programs.
Empower Out-of-School Time Action Plan
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Sample action plan for Empower Out-of-School Time.
Person-Centered Tips for Childhood
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This resource and tip sheet is designed to support person-centered approaches for Childhood strategies and activities.
Smarter Lunchrooms Movement (SLM) Tools and Resources
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This intervention is designed to improve nutrition practices and environments in schools by creating lunchroom spaces that “nudge” students to make healthier meal choices through the use of behavioral economics. Included is the Smarter Lunchroom manual, promotional flyers and scorecard. In addition, this section includes No time To Train (NTTT) for school nutrition staff training. Lastly, the SLM Implementation Guide for Student Groups can be used to provide schools with the knowledge, motivation, and resources needed to build a lunchroom environment to make healthier choices. Please note that the files may need to be downloaded to your computer to be in a usable format.
For evaluation-related SLM materials, including the SLM Scorecard Guide and Data Entry Portal, please visit the State Evaluation Team website. Log in and visit School Systems.
This tool is used with sites participating in the Empower Program by Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Child Care Licensing and the Department of Economic Security contracted child care facilities (Family Child Care Homes).
Empower Self-Assessment Tool-SPA
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This tool is used with sites participating in the Empower Program by the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Child Care Licensing and the Department of Economic Security contract child care facilities (Family Child Care Homes).
Let’s Play Arizona Recess Toolkit
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When you think back to elementary school, recess is often a highlight of the day. Recess was a time to play with friends and socialize. Research shows that recess is more than just a break from classroom time — it helps students not only increase their daily physical activity promoting healthy growth and development, but also helps students practice social skills (e.g., cooperation, following rules, problem solving, negotiation, sharing, communication), positively engage in classroom activities (e.g., being on-task, not being disruptive), and enhance cognitive performance (e.g., attention, memory). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlines the following benefits of recess for students:
• Increasing their level of physical activity.
• Improving their memory, attention, and concentration.
• Helping them stay on-task in the classroom.
• Reducing disruptive behavior in the classroom.
• Improving their social and emotional development (e.g.,
The evidence is clear - healthy, active students are ready to learn and contribute to a positive school climate.
Empower Basic Training Toolkit
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This toolkit contains the materials necessary to plan and deliver an Empower Basic training. This toolkit should only be utilized after completion of an Empower Basic Train the Trainer session. Note: Videos are included throughout the training presentation. Refer to the Facilitation Notes for indication when a video is meant to be played. Video files are included for download in the toolkit.
Empower Advanced Training Toolkit
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This toolkit contains the materials necessary to plan and deliver an Empower Advanced training. This toolkit should only be utilized after completion of an Empower AdvancedTrain the Trainer session.
Note: Videos are included throughout the training presentation. Refer to the Facilitation Notes for indication when a video is meant to be played. Video files are included for download in the toolkit.
This document, Strategies for Recess in Schools, describes strategies for planning and providing recess in schools to help increase participation in physical activity and improve academic achievement (e.g., performance, behavior, attention). The audiences for this document include state and school district leaders that provide technical assistance and professional development on recess
Empower Infographic
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Use this infographic as a tool with providers, parents, and community partners to communicate how the Empower Standards may be implemented and how daily practices support each standard. Keep in mind that your work in the AzNN applies to the Empower Standards related to obesity prevention (1, 3, 4, 5, and 6).
Step By Step: How to Start a Walking School Bus At Your School
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The purpose of this guide is to provide a clear description of how to plan and organize a walking school bus using adult volunteers as leaders. This step-by-step guide outlines how to plan and implement a walking school bus for your school, and includes proven tools, tips and resources for a fast and easy start. Whether or not you are familiar with SRTS, this guide will get you started on the right foot.
weekly email for more recipes. 