[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2019\/11\/healthy-schools-program\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2019\/11\/healthy-schools-program\/","headline":"UPMC School Partners Land on \u2018America\u2019s Healthiest Schools\u2019 List","name":"UPMC School Partners Land on \u2018America\u2019s Healthiest Schools\u2019 List","description":"As part of the national Healthy Schools Program, UPMC Children\u2019s Hospital of Pittsburgh partnered with 70 western Pennsylvania schools during the 2018-19 school year. Four of those schools were listed among \u201cAmerica\u2019s Healthiest Schools\u201d by The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, one of the nation\u2019s preeminent children\u2019s health organizations. America’s Healthiest Schools The western Pennsylvania […]","datePublished":"2019-11-08","dateModified":"2019-12-12","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/pediatrics","name":"Pediatrics","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/pediatrics","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/pediatrics\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/HealthySchools_blg.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/HealthySchools_blg.jpg","height":1333,"width":2000},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2019\/11\/healthy-schools-program\/","about":["Family Health","Living and Wellness","Nutrition","Pediatrics"],"wordCount":445,"articleBody":"As part of the national Healthy Schools Program, UPMC Children\u2019s Hospital of Pittsburgh partnered with 70 western Pennsylvania schools during the 2018-19 school year. Four of those schools were listed among \u201cAmerica\u2019s Healthiest Schools\u201d by The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, one of the nation\u2019s preeminent children\u2019s health organizations.America’s Healthiest SchoolsThe western Pennsylvania schools recognized were Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship, the Pittsburgh Classical Academy, Pittsburgh Phillips Elementary School, and Woodland Hills Junior-Senior High School.\u201cIt\u2019s just so amazing,\u201d says Kristi Burry, manager of health and prevention in UPMC Children\u2019s Division of Community Health. \u201cWe\u2019re so proud of the schools because they\u2019ve worked really, really hard. Locally, we\u2019ve been championing them along the way, but it\u2019s a bonus to have their names recognized at the national level.\u201dIn total, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation presented gold, silver, or bronze awards to 355 schools in 23 states. The four western Pennsylvania schools \u2014 the only schools in Pennsylvania to make the list \u2014\u00a0received bronze.Healthy School RequirementsSchools that apply for the award must meet the Alliance for a Healthier Generation\u2019s standards, including:Meeting federal nutrition standards for offered meals and snacksOffering daily breakfastInstituting physical activity before, during, or after school hoursImplementing wellness policies and updating them yearlyInvolving parents and the community with decision-making\u201cThe Healthy Schools Program and the schools\u2019 engagement in that effort recognizes that health and wellness really are key contributors in helping kids be successful academically,\u201d says Anne Marie Kuchera, director of Community Health at UPMC Children\u2019s.UPMC Children\u2019s incorporates the Healthy Schools Program as part of its community health efforts. Support includes:Providing technical assistance and training to help schools develop best health practicesUsing hospital tools to address specific health needs for studentsWorking with community partners to help schools improve their health and wellness effortsAwarding mini-grants designed to help schools begin sustainable health and wellness improvementsKuchera says all schools working with UPMC Children\u2019s continue to make progress in improving the health-promoting capacity of their school environments.What makes the effort crucial is its potential effect on lifelong health, Burry says. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked healthy eating and exercise with better overall academic performance.\u201cAll the research shows the earlier you can start reinforcing healthy habits in kids, the more likely they are to carry those habits into adulthood,\u201d Burry says. \u201cKnowing that kids spend most of their time in school, we want to make sure these are environments that are teaching them healthy habits and reinforcing them and making them possible.”"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2019","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2019\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"11","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2019\/\/11\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"UPMC School Partners Land on \u2018America\u2019s Healthiest Schools\u2019 List","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2019\/11\/healthy-schools-program\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]