Strategies that support guideline 7 (partner with families and community members in the development and implementation of healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs) include:

• Encourage communication among schools, families, and community members to promote the adoption of healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among students.
• Involve families and community members on the school health council.
• Develop and implement strategies for motivating families to participate in school‐based programs and activities that promote healthy eating and physical activity.
• Access community resources to help provide healthy eating and physical activity opportunities for students.
• Demonstrate cultural awareness in healthy eating and physical activity practices throughout the school.

Partnerships among schools, families, and community members can enforce healthy lifestyles by:

• Enhancing student learning
• Promoting consistent messaging about healthy behaviors
• Increasing resources
• Engaging, guiding, and motivating students to eat healthy and be active

Schools can communicate with parents through flyers, newsletters, telephone calls, conversations at schools, Internet communications, and media coverage.

Schools can involve families by including parents on school health councils and teams; assigning homework for families to complete together; and hosting family nights focused on healthy eating and physical activity.

Schools can increase family participation by providing parents with a variety of ways to participate in activities. For example, schools can try to link health promotion activities with those activities that already involve families, such as the PTA, school sports events, and parent‐teacher conferences.

Schools can find community partners by reaching out to staff from universities, hospitals, local businesses, health centers, health agencies, and others as potential community partners.