Boston Teachers’ Union School

Team ADEK... Alie HillDominique DeslauriersEliza MellionKelly Sanders

...we’re not water-soluble

Background: Community PartnerBoston Teacher’s Union School is a K-8 pilot school located in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, established in 2009

● Total Enrollment: 326 students (2015-2016)

● 42.9% of students classify as economically disadvantaged

● 27.9% of students speak English as a second language

Part of the Boston Public School district with own “autonomy over budget, staffing, governance, curriculum/assessment, and the school calendar” d/t pilot status

Boston Public School District (BPS) participates in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) ● Free breakfast and lunch to all students regardless of income, on average

67.0%

●

Background: Jamaica Plain“It’s very diverse. We have a nice mixture of elderly, middle age, younger crowd, students. It’s changed throughout the years, but I love it here.”

● Higher Caucasian population than Boston’s city-wide average with large Latino Population

○ 53.6% white (Boston: 47.0%) | 22% Hispanic/Latino | 13.5% Black | 7.9% Asian | 3% two or more races or other.

○ Nearly 25% of residents born outside the U.S.

● Forest Hills: 3% increase in its Hispanic population during overall 10-30% decrease in JP

Age Demographics: Jamaica Plain○ ~ 5%: <5 y/o○ ~12%: school-aged (K-8)○ ~17% 20-24 y/o○ ~55%: 25-64 y/o○ ~11%: 65+ y/o

Obesity Rates in Boston (2011)34.1% - grade 144.3% - grade 443.7% - grade 7

Individuals and families in the JP community face many barriers to health:

1. lack of skills to prepare healthy meals2. lack of access to both physical activity and healthy foods3. a high density of fast food restaurants and corner stores4. less nutritious foods available to low-income families at food pantries

13% of households in Jamaica Plain receive Food Stamp/SNAP benefits (2011)

● Access and availability to food and grocery stores varies widely between neighborhoods within the area

● Neighborhood Food Pantries: Community Servings, Jamaica Plain APAC, First Church Food Pantry

Background: Obesity & Food Insecurity in Boston/JP

Key Informants/Needs Assessment:

Current status of nutrition education: ● Taught by: Smart, P.E. teacher (with no

training in nutrition education) in health class

● Education materials: found from online resources

● No structured curriculum● Messaging is not effective

Partner’s needs for nutrition education:● A sustainable, structured nutrition

education curriculum● Training for Smart in nutrition education

○ Dietitian support in person or online

Heidi Winston (school nurse) Shanika Smart (physical education/ health teacher)

Amy Nguyen (special education teacher)

Needs Assessment: Goals and Objectives

Goals:

● Expand and improve the elementary nutrition education program at BTUS.

Objectives:

● Implement a structured nutrition education curriculum for the elementary school for the 2017-2018 school year, exposing 100% of K-5 students to the curriculum.

● The health/physical education teacher will be trained to instruct nutrition education by the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year.

● 90% of the K-5 students will increase their knowledge of nutrition to master the standards and concepts set by the curriculum by the end of the 2017-2018 school year.

Literature Review: Effective Nutrition Education“Comprehensive, integrated nutrition services in schools, kindergarten through grade 12, are an essential

component of coordinated school health programs and will improve the nutritional status, health, and academic performance of our nation’s children” 2010 Joint Position Paper: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND),

School Nutrition Association (SNA), and Society for Nutrition Education (SNE)

● Multi-component school-based programs that incorporate both nutrition education and physical activity are most effective for improving obesity-related outcomes than nutrition education or physical activity alone - Evidence Analysis Library, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2011.

● At least 50 hours of school-based nutrition instruction are needed to consistently and significantly change knowledge, behavior, and attitudes.

○ Currently only 13 hours spent on average (US public elementary schools)

● Effective programs should be evidence-based with focus on individual, social and environmental change → behavioral emphasis VS passive learning

○ USDA’s Team Nutrition, CATCH Coordinated Approach to Child Health, and Healthy Kids Challenge

Healthy Kids Challenge: Curriculum

501c3 nonprofit (est. 1998) led and staffed by registered dietitian educators

Mission: Develop leaders who help kids and families eat healthy and move more

Based on the social cognitive theory and the socio ecological model

Hear (knowledge) -- See (practice skills—Do (set goals) approach

Content focus on 6 evidence-based healthy behaviors from Dietary Guidelines, MyPlate, CDC, AAP

1. Eat a Healthy Breakfast2. Half Your Plate Fruit & Veggies3. Drink Think: Healthy Beverage Choice4. Smart Servings: Portion Size5. Balance Food Choices with Physical Activity6. Snack Attack: Lower in Fat, added Sugar, and Salt

Healthy Kids Challenge: Components1. Needs AssessmentA thorough needs assessment (phone and survey) is conducted prior to any professional development session. This information is used to focus the workshop to the particular needs of the students served and the teachers attending.

2. CurriculumHKC Balance My Day-Nutrition Education Curriculum (grades K-2, 3-5 or 6-8)

3. TrainingSPARK and HKC offer two training options for you to choose from: "Balance My Day" Training or a Nutrition-Themed Workshop.

4. Distance Assistance ProgramAudience: School wellness teams and/or coordinators, grades K-12. Individual school teams recommended but can work with district teams as well. Best use of this program is as a follow-up after a Balance My Day curriculum training or Ignite a Healthy Environment training.

5. Lifetime SupportFor a program to work and last, extensive, ongoing consultation must be provided. SPARK demonstrates commitment to follow-up via their unique “SPARK Stars” institutionalization model, by offering FREE, lifetime support to each curriculum/material purchaser and/or workshop attendee through 800 number and e-mail consultation, a monthly webinar series, social networking opportunities and an informational monthly eNewsletter

Grant

The Vela Foundation is a grantmaking foundation located in Boston, MA.

Focus: provide funding for the improvement of nutrition education and wellness in underserved communities of Eastern Massachusetts.

Previous Organizations Awarded: Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester, Community Rowing, Community Servings, Women’s Lunch Place, Cooking Matters

Nutrition Education. Food Access. Fitness.

$$ Budget $$Dollar Amount Use Explanation

$2,500.00($399.00/grade level)

HKC-SPARK Balance My Day Curriculum

SPARK’s HKC curriculum that allows a school to purchase the license to their book. There are different books for different grade levels (K-5 is our focus). Along with the material, this license also comes with web access, online modules, and an update service.

$3,200.00($50/hr (8hrs/wk x 2 months))

Registered Dietitian - Consultant

The individual who is responsible for conducting the nutrition classes does not have a background in nutrition. She does not feel comfortable teaching without some training. The registered dietitian will provide support and may help to teach some of the lessons within the first 2 months of implementing the curriculum. There are training modules that can be completed to become familiar with this curriculum in addition to the RD support.

$500.00 Supplies Additional supplies will be needed to properly execute this curriculum. Hands on learning is an important aspect of learning.

Total Requested: $6,200

Evaluation Plan

● Healthy Kids Challenge provides an evaluation template aligning the HKC Healthy Eating Curriculum with the CDC’s Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT).

○ Includes corresponding standards and key concepts students should have mastered through learning the curriculum

○ Provides a teacher checklist of competencies for each lesson separated into grades K-2 and 3-5

○ Allows school to conduct a clear, complete, and consistent analysis of health education curricula

BTUS Health Education team will develop evaluation tools through simple age appropriate quizzes to ensure students are meeting the HECAT standards.

Summary & Lessons Learned

● Working with a community partner can be challenging○ Communication○ Vision for program○ Commitment from staff○ Ability to do a survey/formal needs assessment may be difficult in certain settings

● BTUS is likely not alone in their lack of utilization of an organized and validated nutrition education program.

○ CDC Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT)○ Integrated multicomponent programs (nutrition and physical activity) are more

effective.

References1. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Evidence Analysis Library. Pediatric Weight Management: School-based Interventions (2011) Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,

Accessed 7 November 2016, https://www.andeal.org/topic.cfm?cat=4741&evidence_summary_id=251373&highlight=childhood%20obesity&home=12. Bell, J., Mora, G., Hagan, E., Rubin, V., & Karpyn, A. (2013). Access to healthy food and why it matters: A review of the research. Philadelphia, PA: The Food Trust.3. Boston Public Schools (2013). Wellness Policy Overview.4. Boston Public Schools (2016). Boston Teachers Union School. Retrieved from http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/7835. Boston Public Schools (2016). School Types. Retrieved from http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/9416. Boston Redevelopment Authority (2011). Jamaica Plain data profile: Population demographics: Policy Development & Research Division. Boston, MA: Boston

Redevelopment Authority.7. Briggs, M., Fleischhacker, S., & Mueller, C. G. (2010). Position of the American dietetic association, school nutrition association, and society for nutrition education:

comprehensive school nutrition services. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 42(6), 360-371.8. Centers for Disease Control (2015). Characteristics of an Effective Health Education Curriculum. Atlanta: Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic

Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.9. Health Resources in Action, Inc. (2013). Boston Children's Hospital Community Health Needs Assessment: Final Report, Boston Children's Hospital.

10. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2016). Boston Teacher's Union School Students Enrollment Data. Retrieved from http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/student.aspx?orgcode=00350012&orgtypecode=6&

11. Massachusetts Department of Public Health. (2010). The Status of Childhood Weight in Massachusetts, 2009. Bureau of Community Health Access and Promotion.12. Melnik, M., Gao, L., Kalevich, A., & Wong, J. (2013). American Community Survey 2007-2011 Estimate: Jamaica Plain Planning District. Boston, Mass.: Boston

Redevelopment Authority.13. Olander, C. (2007). Nutrition education and the role of dosage. Food and Nutrition Service. Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation Food and Nutrition Service.

Available at: www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/LitReview_Dosage.pdf 14. Taber, D. (2011). Census: JP gets whiter, Jamaica Plain Gazette.