Collaborative for Promoting Healthy Out-of-School Time

Challenge

Studies show that healthy, active kids learn better, perform better academically, and experience fewer behavioral problems. But many young people are not getting the healthy food and physical activity they need each day. Compounding these issues are historic and ongoing chronic health issues among youth, including obesity, diabetes, and food allergies.

To address these challenges, EDC, in partnership with the National AfterSchool Association (NAA), is leading the Collaborative for Promoting Healthy Out-of-School Time (Collaborative). Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Collaborative is working to improve the health and well-being of youth and staff in out-of-school time (OST) programs. To build the capacity of the field to address health and wellness challenges, the Collaborative supports data-driven decision-making and the effective implementation of evidence-based policies and practices.

Key Activities

The project is carrying out the following activities:

Leading an annual Healthy Out-of-School Time Virtual Institute to provide comprehensive professional development to OST leaders nationwide
Facilitating communities of practices (CoP) for OST program leaders to support peer networking and foster the sharing of best practices, policies, and strategies
Providing intensive technical assistance (TA) to CDC-funded agencies to support districts, schools, and OST programs with adopting evidence-based resources
Convening in-person trainings at the NAA Convention to increase adoption of the NAA’s Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) 2.0 Standards in OST programs
Advancing OST programs’ use of the CDC’s Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model to promote young people’s well-being
Curating and disseminating evidence-based health and wellness resources and tools

Impact

The Collaborative is increasing the use of evidence-based policies and practices in OST that promote health and well-being among CDC-funded agencies, districts, schools, and OST programs.
The Collaborative's trainings are advancing the adoption and implementation of NAA’s Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) 2.0 Standards among OST programs.
The Collaborative's TA has supported the rollout of the Tennessee Afterschool Pledge, led by the Tennessee Department of Education, which resulted in 76 OST program sites taking part in the pledge in its first year.