The Jump IN for Healthy Kids School Program: Jump Right UP

            

It’s true: rising levels of childhood obesity and the prevalence for overweight in children is a growing crisis that must be addressed. Jump IN for Healthy Kids is dedicated to improving children’s health and wellness in central Indiana. Childhood overweight and obesity is a growing problem and has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Jump IN’s work is grounded in this fact: changing the environment is the best way to change behaviors. Research shows that if healthy nutrition and physical activity policies can be implemented in the places where children and families spend most of their time, their health will likely improve. 

With the support of community partners, Jump IN created Jump Right UP, a partnership to improve the health of kids in Indianapolis school districts. Using the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model as the framework for success, Jump Right UP assists schools in completing the Thriving Schools Integrated Assessment (THRIVE) which helps schools pinpoint best practices to improve upon. Goals of the partnership include: establishing best practices around physical activity and nutrition, such as 30 minutes of physical activity every day; implementing a healthy celebration and vending policy; and engaging with the school community to establish a culture of health and wellness that helps schools, staff, students, and even test scores.

Jump Right UP is now in its sixth year and has engaged four school districts: MSD Warren, MSD Lawrence, MSD Pike, and IPS to work directly with both the districts and the school buildings to implement wellness policies and practices as well as implement administrative and structural changes that increase sustainability and accountability for school health and wellness district-wide. In an analysis of all public schools in central Indiana, Jump IN identified 150 out of 600 that predominantly serve populations and higher risk for poorer health outcomes. All 150 are in Marion County. Using the CDC Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model (WSCC) Jump IN has worked with 49 schools so far, strategically planning to work our way through all 150.

On Deck:

  • Develop tools that allow schools to onboard new staff to carry out wellness policy and WSCC model integration
  • Pilot an overall approach to connecting school wellness work with a district’s multi-tier systems of support work
  • Develop opportunities to scale this work statewide

     

Jump IN has many resources for you to get started on your school wellness work.  To begin, download our free Healthy Students Guide:  

 

We also have a Parent Wellness Toolkit, a School Wellness Committee Toolkit, and a Sample Wellness Policy for free download to get your school wellness work up and running.

 

Interested in additional resources to improve your school wellness work? Check these out:

                                                           

 The 6-Step Process                Playworks                         Fuel Up to Play 60

                                              

      IDOE Nutrition           Action for Healthy Kids *       CDC Healthy Schools **

 

* Additional Action for Healthy Kids resources: School Health Index, Tools for Schools, Action Grants

** Additional CDC Healthy Schools resources: Tools & Resources, Virtual Healthy Schools, School Nutrition, Physical Education and Physical Activity, Local School Wellness Policy, Health and Academics, Parents for Healthy Schools

                                                 
 

For further information or to find additional support for your school please reach out to:

info@jumpinhealth.org

 

Follow along on Instagram for Jump Right UP school’s progress! @jumpinforhealthykids #JumpRightUP