Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Keystone Healthy Zone (KHZ) Schools Campaign?

Keystone Healthy Zone Schools is a free campaign that recognizes and rewards schools for making a commitment to improve nutrition and physical activity. Enrollment is FREE, opens to all public and private school buildings (k-12), and provides resources, templates, trainings, technical assistance and mini-grant funding for schools to make healthy changes. Participation in the KHZ Campaign carries no obligation or requirements.

Why should my school become a Keystone Healthy Zone (KHZ) School?

By becoming a Keystone Healthy Zone, a school is demonstrating its commitment to support healthy eating and physical activity as part of the total learning environment, and helping to address childhood obesity.

The KHZ Schools Campaign is comprehensive resource that supports schools in meeting new school health and wellness requirements including the federal school wellness policies and the state growth screening requirements).

Often community members, organizations and businesses are more eager to lend supportive services to schools when they know the school is committed to fostering a healthy environment.

You are also helping to build statewide support for resources to fund healthy improvements to schools. The more schools that enroll each year, the more sponsorship and support PANA is able to generate to deliver resources and benefits back to you.

When you enroll as a Keystone Healthy Zone School, you will receive:

A 2005-06 KHZ School Banner
An application for a $1,000 Keystone Healthy Zone (KHZ) Mini-grant
A customized report (mailed in August) that will compare individual school results with county and state averages
Discounted Registration on 2006-2007 PANA Professional Development Trainings.
PANA Corporate partners incentives (e.g. physical education equipment discount)
Discounts on promotional materials and food to help celebrate Enter the Zone Events (e.g. discounts on bagged apple slices)
Regular communication about professional development, events, other grant opportunities, and free resources to help you improve nutrition and physical activity in your school community.
Support for positive media exposure
Contest participation throughout the year
Access to materials for participation in our Keystone Healthy Zone Events (Walk to (or at) School Day, Great PA Apple Crunch, Go for the Greens, and KHZ Event Day)
The Keystone Healthy Zone Assessment is an approved assessment tool to complete the Wellness Policy Requirement
Requirement for the Highmark Challenge for Healthier Schools Grants

Why must my school re-enroll in the program each year?

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When schools enroll online each year, they are asked to complete an assessment about their policies and practices related to nutrition and physical activity. The Keystone Healthy Zone Assessment helps schools to benchmark individual school progress overtime, and is a recognized assessment tool for the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Wellness Policy Checklist.

While this information is confidential and will not be shared or associated with a school's name, PANA uses this data in the aggregate to track collective school wellness progress across the state, and identify areas that need additional support and resources to help schools make improvements.

How can my school become a Keystone Healthy Zone School?

A school administrator, teacher, or staff member must complete the online assessment between March1-April 21 2006, for enrollment in the 2005-2006 KHZ School Program. Enrollment is free and open to all Pennsylvania schools. All schools must enroll each year - even if they are already a KHZ School (assessments are to be completed per school building.)

PANA wants to show the rest of the nation that our schools are committed to healthy changes. Please join us by encouraging your school to enroll in this free program!