• Keystone Healthy Zone Schools Program:
• What can my school and community do today to get involved?
  • - Attend PANA’s satellite trainings and updates
  • - Follow along with the PANA Action Kits
  • - Participate in PANA's Enter the Zone Events
• KHZ School Success Stories
  • Featured School Success Stories
  • Food and Beverage Action Kit Success Stories
  • Physical Education Action Kit Success Stories
  • Growth Screening (BMI) Implementation Success Stories
• Links to Supporting Pennsylvania Education Associations
  • - Pennsylvania Department of Education
  • - Letter of support from Secretary of Education, Francis Barnes
  • - Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators
  • - Pennsylvania School Board Assocation
  • - Pennsylvania Association of School Businesss Officials
  • - Pennsylvania State Education Association
  • - Pennsylvania Association of School Food Service Directors
  • - Parent Teacher Association
  • - Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance

PA Department of Education Letter of Support

Secretary of Education, Francis Barnes

The Pennsylvania Department of Education, in cooperation with Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity (PANA), invites your school district to participate in the 2004-05 Keystone Healthy Zone Schools campaign activities.

This Keystone Healthy Zone School Schools campaign is part of PANA's statewide effort to combat the epidemic of overweight and sedentary youth. Last year 915 schools signed on, and 100 of those received grants to make lasting, positive changes in their buildings. The purpose of the campaign is two-fold:

1. To recognize and reward schools for their efforts in supporting physical activity and good nutrition as part of the total learning environment.
2. To increase awareness and commitment for integrating policies and practices that support nutrition and physical activity as part of the total learning environment.

To help schools plan for healthy changes and enlist parent and community support, PANA will offer the following programs and activities throughout the school year to help school communities improve (1) Physical Education, (2) Healthy Food and Beverage Choices, and (3) Safe Routes To School.

• Keystone Healthy Zone Satellite Trainings and Action Kits - provide schools with information and materials to plan and implement policies and practices that support healthy eating and physical activity.
• Enter the Zone Events - voluntary celebration days that help to build support for healthy eating and physical activity in schools and communities
• Keystone Healthy Zone Recognition Program - All schools K-12 are invited to become a 2005 KHZ School by completing a simple and confidential online assessment about school practices that support physical activity and healthy eating from March 9- April 15, 2005. In return schools receive recognition as a school committed to supporting healthy kids. Participating schools receive a banner, an application for a $2000 mini-grant, and media recognition.

Please encourage your staff, parents, and community to participate in the Keystone Healthy Zone Schools campaign activities and trainings. We all have a responsibility to create places that support good nutrition and physical activity. For more information on the PANA and the Keystone Healthy Zone Schools Campaign visit www.panaonline.org.

PANA is an organization established by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and supported through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with programs delivered by Penn State.

We ask that you share the enclosed information with your faculty, staff, board members, and community and parent groups. Thank you, in advance, for your willingness to be a part of this campaign.

Sincerely,

Francis Barnes, Ph.D
Secretary of Education-elect