Wellness Policy in Action Tool
A tool to help districts and schools implement wellness policies
The Wellness Policy in Action Tool (WPAT) uses results from WellSAT 3.0 and School Health Index (SHI) assessments to examine the relationship between school district local school wellness policy and school-level health practices. The WPAT is easy to use and is completely confidential. This tool was developed in collaboration with the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health.
School districts can use WPAT to help meet the US Department of Agriculture’s triennial assessment requirements, including measuring how schools are following the local school wellness policy. This can help districts:
- Understand if the wellness policy is consistently implemented in schools across the district.
- Determine if schools are already implementing practices that could be incorporated into the district policy.
- Gather information about new topics to incorporate into the wellness policy.
Schools can use WPAT to see how their school nutrition and physical activity practices align with their district’s local school wellness policy. This information can help schools:
- Identify where implementation plans are needed to ensure that practices are consistent with current policies.
- Share current practices that can be incorporated into the district policy.
- Identify opportunities for new nutrition and physical activity practices to work toward.