Building healthier schools
Greaux Healthy’s Elementary School Health Program provides faculty and staff with evidence-backed best practices, empowering professionals with the knowledge and resources to support children and families in nutrition education and health promotion.
Getting better starts earlier
When we establish a foundation for healthy habits as children, we grow up to be healthier adults. Today, however, more than half of all U.S. adults have one or more preventable chronic diseases. Poor diet and not enough physical activity are the most common causes—yet U.S. students currently receive less than 8 hours of required nutrition education each year, far below the 40-50 hours proven to affect behavior change.
Here in our state, there’s important work to do to help our students succeed and thrive.
F
2022 Louisiana grade for childhood overweight and obesity3
D-
2022 Louisiana grade for overall childhood physical activity levels3
15%
of Louisiana high school students didn’t eat any vegetables in the last week4
24%
of Louisiana high school students didn’t eat any fruits in the last week4
Healthier students are more engaged students.
You see it in the classroom and research consistently confirms it: healthy lifestyles support academic performance. Backed by the power of Pennington Biomedical scientific research, our Elementary School Health Program helps you create building blocks for behavior change and healthy learning habits by drawing on a powerful combination of best practices:
Social Learning Theory takes into account the way people learn behaviors, attitudes, and skills by observing others, emphasizing the role of social interactions.
Environmental Change integrates programs into familiar places such as schools, healthcare providers, and family interactions, overcoming obstacles to access.
Teacher Education equips instructors with knowledge, tools, and resources to empower change in the students they spend so much time with every day.
Home Connections reinforce what’s learned at school, helping families contribute to and benefit from healthier diets, more active lifestyles, and emotional support.
Did you know?
Recent studies show a strong association with healthy habits and scholastic achievement. Compared to students with lower grades, students with higher grades are more likely to5:
- Eat breakfast on all 7 days
- Eat fruit or drink 100% fruit juice once or more per day
- Eat vegetables once or more per day
- Not drink a can, bottle, or glass of soda or pop
Students with higher grades (compared to those with lower grades) are also more likely to6:
- Engage in physical activity for at least 60 minutes per day on all 7 days
- Play on at least one sports team
These same high-achieving students are also being less likely to6:
- Watch television for 3 or more hours per day
- Play video games or use a computer 3 or more hours per day
Request a sample program unit.
Discover the variety of evidence-based tools and resources your school can use to make a real difference in students’ and families’ lives. Your unit includes:
Sample Program
- Classroom Lesson
- Workbook Activities
- PE Lesson
- PE Instant Activity
- Posters
- Home Connection
More about the program
All students will have access to the school-wide health promotion messages, while Grade 4 students will receive the additional benefit of classroom and PE lessons.
The program begins alongside the new school year in August.
The program is designed to run the entirety of the school year with 10 monthly units and associated lessons. For the upcoming school year, this would be from August 2024 through May 2025.
By design, the lessons can be used in general education classrooms, physical education, ancillary/specials, or in programs outside of the traditional school day (for example: before and after care).
Greaux Healthy seeks to operate as your school health resource vendor of choice. While we don't directly implement our resources in schools, we offer program-specific professional development and technical support. School leaders will determine lesson facilitators based on school-building and staff capacity.
Community Action Projects offer financial support to schools for implementing the Elementary School Health Program. As early adopters, you'll receive up to $2,000, technical assistance, professional development, and both print and PDF versions of the resources and materials.
Have additional questions? Use the form below to get in touch.
REQUEST FORM
Connect with us.
Thanks for your interest in the Greaux Healthy Elementary School Health Program. Tell us more about yourself and how we can help.
2 US Census Bureau: 2021 5-Year ACS PUMS Microdata.
3 Physical Activity & Obesity in Children and Youth in Louisiana: 10-Year Update, 2022.Peter T. Katzmarzyk, PhD, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
4 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2019.