Friday Beat December 9, 2016 Edition

The newsletter that takes a Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child approach.

Announcements Children’s Health Fund (CHF) Report The recent CHF report UNFINISHED BUSINESS: More than 20 Million Children in U.S. Still Lack Access to Essential Health Care explains that 28 percent of children under the age of 18 are either uninsured (4.5 percent), insured but not receiving regular primary care (14 percent), or publicly insured with access to primary care but not receiving timely specialty care (9 percent). In addition to intermittent insurance coverage, barriers to health care access include high co-payments, deductibles, and prescription drug costs; lack of transportation; and parents' limited health literacy and English proficiency, making it difficult to navigate complex eligibility language.

Professional Development Opportunities School Nutrition Association (SNA) Virtual Expo From January 31–April 30, 2017, you can learn about new products, gather information, and network with other school nutrition professionals. Registration for the SNA Virtual Expo is free and open now!

Funding Opportunities Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) Grant The Partners for BIC grant is funded by the Walmart Foundation and available to high-need schools/districts in Texas and nine other states. Please visit the Partners for BIC website to view the eligibility criteria, Request for Proposal, and Grant Application Technical Assistance Video. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

National Environmental Leadership Award The 2017 application period is now open for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management. School-based programs are eligible as Communities in Action applicants. Check out

1 past winners in the Hall of Fame. One of them is a Texas school district! Applications sent by mail must be postmarked by January 20, 2017. Please email the EPA at [email protected] about the due date for online applications.

Health Education Webinar: Preventing e-Cigarette Poisonings At 2:00-3:00 p.m. CST on December 14, 2016, the Children’s Safety Network (CSN) will host Preventing e-Cigarette Poisonings among Children and Youth: Policy and Practice. Presenters will provide an overview of electronic nicotine delivery devices and describe the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act (CNPPA), which became effective July 2016 to prevent exposures to liquid nicotine.

Leading Causes of Injury Deaths in Texas In the Texas 2016 State Fact Sheet (Table 2), which the Children’s Safety Network (CSN) created based on data from 2009-2013, the top five causes of injury fatalities are ranked according to age group. For the three age groupings of 5-9 years, 10-14 years, and 15-19 years, motor vehicle traffic is the #1 cause of injury death. Additional information on the ranking of other causes can be found within the fact sheet.

Physical Education & Physical Activity New Resources for Recess Webinar At 2:00-3:00 p.m. CST on December 14, 2016, join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and SHAPE America for a pre-release overview of Strategies for Recess in Schools and Recess Planning in Schools: Putting the Strategies for Recess into Practice. Along with the CDC, the Society for Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America developed these resources that can help schools develop a written recess plan for integrating evidence-based strategies.

Nutrition Environment & Services Kids Eating too much Salt In a recently published study, data was gathered from children aged 6-18 during 2011-2012. Results indicate that nearly 90 percent of U.S. kids consume more than the recommended amount of sodium for their age. And this study did not even count salt that kids added to food at the table! Intake was especially high for teens aged 14-18 and boys. These findings are depicted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, along with graphics to help avoid foods high in sodium.

Health Services Healthy Students, Promising Futures State Learning Collaborative Webinar At 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST on December 15, 2016, the Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) will host How States are Leveraging Medicaid to Expand Health Services in Schools. The HSC and other entities support the Healthy Students, Promising Futures Learning Collaborative, which includes a growing number of state teams from the Departments of Education and Medicaid who are exploring ways to expand health services in schools and leverage funding through Medicaid. An overview of the Collaborative will be provided, as well as successes/challenges of the state teams.

2 Counseling, Psychological & Social Services Resources for Justice-Involved Youth As described in an EducationDive article, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) released various resources last week to help students transition from the juvenile justice system back to their original school or other educational setting and to reduce recidivism. The resources include data about students in the justice system, a website for educators to assist students with disabilities who may be transitioning, a packet for transitioning students (You Got This), and the Transition Toolkit 3.0 for parents and teachers. All of these and more are available on the USDE website.

Social & Emotional Climate Safe School Ambassadors Webinar—December 15, 2016 At 12:00-1:00 p.m. CST, Community Matters will present How to Incorporate Student Voice to Make Positive Change. This webinar will explore the four core components of the Safe School Ambassadors evidence-based model, which equips diverse student leaders to effectively intervene when they witness mistreatment.

Employee Wellness Walking the Walk . . . The Safe Routes to School National Partnership provides several resources to help design a workplace that promotes walking. Included is a fact sheet for employers and employees who want to make walking part of their workday, a guide for using walking meetings to boost creativity and morale, and instructions for creating walking-route maps using free tools.

Quote to Note “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Mahatma Gandhi, Indian leader and civil rights activist

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The articles and hyperlinks to external websites appearing in Friday Beat are intended to be informational and do not represent an endorsement by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Other websites may not be accessible to people with disabilities. External email addresses may also be provided as a courtesy. If you choose to correspond, please be advised that DSHS policies may not apply. For information about any of the programs listed, contact the sponsoring organization directly. For comments or questions about Friday Beat, email the School Health Program at [email protected] or call (512) 776-7279.

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