National Initiative to Advance Health Equity in K-12 Education by Preventing Chronic Disease and Promoting Healthy Behaviors
Priority 3 - Healthy Out-of-School-Time
The Collaborative for Advancing Health Equity in Out-of-School Time (CAHE-OST), a partnership between Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) and the National Afterschool Association (NAA), is designed in response to the CDC Initiative to Advance Health Equity in K-12 Education. CAHE-OST’s goal is to support CDC-funded state education agencies (SEAs), districts, schools, and school-based OST programs with selecting implementing, and evaluating evidence-based health equity policies, practices, and programs to improve the health and well-being of youth and staff from disproportionately affected communities.
To meet this goal, CAHE-OST will provide Professional Development (PD) and Technical Assistance (TA) to help our audiences make effective changes to their practices and policies; engage in Dissemination activities by supporting the use of capacity building resources that equip our audience with tools to support continuous quality improvement; foster Partnerships by engaging in coordination and collaboration with CDC and leading national organizations so that our materials and services have the broadest possible impact and are informed by a wide-range of experts and practitioners; and support the Implementation of goal-orientated action items within the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child framework. These various strategies and activities will be implemented by our dynamic and experienced team of OST and health equity subject matter experts. Together, the CAHE-OST team, in partnership with the CDC, will plan, organize, and implement activities to achieve the following outcomes:
• Increased knowledge and skill among PD and TA participants related to the implementation of evidence-based OST health policies, practices and programs that promote health and emotional well-being.
• Increased use of evidence-based tools and resources that promote health equity among CDC-funded SEAs, districts, or OST programs.
• Increase in CDC-funded SEAs, districts, or schools that have developed, revised, or adopted OST health policies aligned with the WSCC approach and/or implemented evidence-based practices and programs that support OST health, including emotional well-being and mental health for OST-participating students and staff, healthy eating, and physical activity.
• Increased adoption and implementation of evidence-based OST practices and programs by CDC-funded SEAs, districts, OST programs, and related constituents.
• Demonstrated expansion of OST-based mental health and health services.
• Increased systems and environments support the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of OST-participating students and staff.