The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will work with state-level partners, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, out-of-school time providers, and community partners to provide statewide support, professional development, and technical assistance at the state, regional and local levels. This work will aim to increase physical activity among students, increase healthy dietary behaviors, and assist with the self-management of chronic conditions. At the LEA level, KDE will work with one Priority LEA, Fayette County Public Schools, to address health disparities and increase the implementation of school health programs, policies, and practices. All activities will assist schools state-wide and within the Priority LEA to implement school health policies, practices, programs, and services. This work will purposefully address strategies to improve health equity and social determinants of health among the identified partners.
As stated in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the short-term outcomes of the five year period will be to increase the number of schools with an action plan based on completion of the School Health Index, increase implementation of evidenced-based Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP), increase implementation of evidence-based school nutrition and food security policies and practices, and increase implementation of evidence-based health services, policies and practices that support students with chronic health conditions. Short-term outcomes will mainly be accomplished through professional development and technical assistance. Evaluation and monitoring of the short-term outcomes will be completed through tracking of collection of action plans from schools and through collection of the School Health Profiles (Profiles).
Intermediate outcomes, which include increased physical activity among students in the priority LEA and corresponding schools and increased healthy dietary behaviors among students in priority LEA and corresponding schools, will also be accomplished through professional development and technical assistance. Having a district lead will help to ensure schools are provided the training and assistance they need to implement policies, programs, and practices to improve student and staff health outcomes. The YRBS will be utilized to measure the intermediate outcomes.
To achieve the five-year outcomes of this funding opportunity, KDE will build upon work of the previous cooperative agreement, CDC-RFA-DP18-1801, “Improving Student Health and Academic Achievement Through Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Management of Chronic Conditions in Schools.” Partnerships made through this cooperative agreement will help to meet the performance outcomes. KDE’s Healthy Schools Team will collaborate with partners to provide professional development (PD) and technical assistance (TA) to meet the outcomes of this cooperative agreement. Primary partnerships include the KDE Division of School and Community Nutrition, the Kentucky Society of Health and Physical Educators (KYSHAPE), the KDE School Nurse Consultant, Kentucky’s regional educational cooperatives, and the Kentucky Out-of-School Alliance (KYOSA).
The KDE Healthy Schools Team will work with Fayette County Public Schools as the Priority LEA to improve healthy eating, physical activity, and chronic disease management. The required letter of support from Superintendent Dr. Demetrius Liggins is included as an attachment. The LEA will provide a WSCC Coordinator at the LEA level that will consistently communicate and collaborate with the Healthy Schools Team to provide PD and TA while assisting with necessary data collection for evaluation purposes. The WSCC Coordinator will ensure all schools have an established school health committee and complete the SHI and action plans by the end of Year 2. Fayette County will implement a District WSCC Council that will be representative of all components of the WSCC model.
