New York
The CSHC Initiative involves 85 school districts, including 15 CDC priority districts, with a potential reach of 480,000 students across the state.
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) uses federal and state funding to implement the Creating Healthy Schools and Communities (CHSC) initiativeExternal in high-need schools and communities. Led by NYSDOH, the CHSC aligns school and community connections and a network of multi-sector partners at national, state, and local levels to support high-need populations.
CHSC embraces the essential role of the community in school health and is aligned with the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model. School staff and community volunteers receive professional development and technical assistance to strengthen local wellness policies and guide building-level changes to create a healthier school nutrition and physical activity environment.
Impact
CHSC reaches all of the 85 high-need school districts (of 728 total school districts) in the state, with over 480,000 students. These communities were identified using a set of five indicators established by NYSDOH. Accomplishments from October 2015 through September 2016 included:
- 14 districts adopted policies improving nutrition and physical activity opportunities.
- 31 schools implemented improved nutrition standards for competitive foods (foods and beverages sold in vending machines, school stores, a la carte, and fundraisers).
- 86 schools restricted food marketing for less nutritious foods and beverages.
- 17 schools implemented all five components of comprehensive school physical activity programs.
