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letsbeatdiabetes.org.nz | Action Areas & Leadership Hubs | Schools and ECEs

Schools and ECEs

Supporting Schools and Early Childhood Centres

Ensuring Children are active, healthy and ready to learn

The aim of the Let's Beat Diabetes Programme is to work alongside education and health providers to develop programmes that encourage physical activity and healthy food environments in education settings.

Current Activities

Activity levels in Counties Manukau children are 15% below the national average. It is often schools that service the most at-risk communities which have the least resources to support good nutrition and physical activity. Anecdotal evidence states that schools have been placing less emphasis on physical activity over the past decade in favour of spending extra time on academic subjects. However, emerging international evidence shows that improved nutrition and physical activity levels in schools support improved behavioural and academic outcomes (and also financial outcomes) for schools. Schools need to understand that by becoming health promoting environments they are improving their children’s potential for learning success. The nutrition and physical activity environments in schools are characterized by multiple providers and programmes with no overall co-ordination or direction. Schools are confused and fatigued due to external providers raising expectations which cannot be met with internal school resources. During 2005/2006, Let’s Beat Diabetes (LBD) will focus on:
enhancing the coordination of existing health promotion providers to minimise schools’ confusion and fatigue
establishing a leadership hub to oversee strategy development
enhancing and supporting the AIMHI/NEW pilot in selected high risk secondary schools
trialling and rolling out the ‘healthy canteen’ business model, and supporting schools to improve ‘drinks’ environment in and around schools
developing new funding streams to support schools to make sustainable changes, and
supporting Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa and Pacific early childhood centres (ECEs) to enhance or develop and implement nutrition and physical activity policy and programmes.
Interventions/Initiatives for 2005/2006 The interventions/initiatives that are being implemented within this action area in 2005/2006 are:
Interventions/Initiatives KPIs/Milestones
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

7.1 Supporting Kohanga Reo to enhance or develop and implement nutrition and physical activity guidelines and programmes

Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB) Maori Health is developing a partnership relationship with Te Kohanga Reo Regional Unit to work together to support education and health outcomes for tamariki.

LBD will support this by contracting provider(s) to:
Review 70% kohanga in Counties Manukau to assess their existing nutrition and physical activity policy and programmes
Work with the staff to enhance or develop and implement nutrition and physical activity policy and programmes
Provide training for kohanga staff.
Provide resources
Link kohanga to local health promotion providers to provide mentoring/ongoing support.
Key partners
Te Kohanga Reo Regional Unit, CMDHB Maori Health, Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS), National Heart Foundation (NHF).
Key linkages
LBD 1.2 – 1.3; action area 2; 5.2 – 5.4; action area 6; action area 7; and evaluation.
CMDHB Child and Youth Health; Maori Health.

By Sept 2005, contracts for provision in place.
70% of kohanga in Counties Manukau have nutrition and physical activity guidelines and programmes.
70% of kohanga in Counties Manukau have received training.
70% of kohanga are linked to local health providers.
7.2 Supporting Pacific Language Nests to enhance or develop and implement nutrition and physical activity guidelines and programmes as part of programme delivery
LBD will establish a partnership relationship with Ministry of Education (MOE) Pasifika and Early Childhood Units, ARPHS and the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs. The target group for 2005/2006 is the licensed Pacific Early Childhood Centres (ECEs) in Counties Manukau. There are 33.
Review 100% of the licensed Pacific ECEs in Counties Manukau to assess their existing nutrition and physical activity policy and programmes
Work with the staff to enhance or develop and implement nutrition and physical activity policy and programmes
Provide training for ECE staff
Provide resources (to be developed & costed as part of health promotion action area) - Link ECE staff to local health promotion providers to provide mentoring/ongoing support.
Work with MOE Pasifika Unit it ensure ‘active’ guidelines and programmes are a key requirement for future ECEs.
Key partners
MOE Pasifika and ECE Unit, APRHS, TaPasefika, NHF, CMDHB Pacific Health.
Key linkages
LBD 1.4 & 1.5; action area 2; 5.2 – 5.4; action area 6; action area 7; and the evaluation.
CMDHB Child and Youth Health; Pacific Health.
Partnership relationship established.
By Sept 2005, provider(s) contract in place.
100% of licensed Pacific ECEs in Counties Manukau have nutrition and physical activity guidelines and programmes.
100% of licensed Pacific ECEs in Counties Manukau have received training.
100% of licensed Pacific ECEs are linked to local health providers.
'Nutrition and physical activity’ a key requirement for future ECEs.
PRIMARY/INTERMEDIATE

7.3 Supporting Kura Kaupapa to enhance or develop and implement nutrition and physical activity guidelines and programmes

CMDHB Maori Health is developing a partnership relationship with Kura Kaupapa (kura) to work together to support education and health outcomes for tamariki.
LBD will support this by contracting provider(s) to:
Review 70% kura in Counties Manukau to assess their existing nutrition and physical activity policy and programmes
Work with the staff to enhance or develop and implement nutrition and physical activity policy and programmes
Provide training for kura staff
Provide resources
Link kura to local health promotion providers to provide mentoring/ongoing support.
Key partners
Kura, CMDHB Maori Health, ARPHS, NHF.
Key linkages
LBD 1.2 & 1.3; action area 2; 5.2 – 5.4; action area 6; action area 7; and the evaluation.
CMDHB Child and Youth Health; Maori Health.

By Sept 2005, contracts for provision in place.
70% of kura in Counties Manukau have nutrition and physical activity guidelines and programmes.
70% of kura in Counties Manukau have received training.
70% of kura are linked to local health providers.
7.4 Establishing a leadership hub and ongoing strategy development for approach to primary/intermediate schools, including explicit support for approach from national and district based MOE/Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC), health agencies/providers

Maintain existing schools working group and develop into a sustainable leadership hub for schools action area.

Develop explicit strategy to plot year on year actions required to improve the nutrition, physical activity and education environments in all Counties Manukau schools over a five year period.
Aug 2005, schools leadership hub convenes.
By Jan 2006, explicit medium term strategy is completed and supported by Ministry of Health (MOH), Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) and MOE.
7.5 Improving school principals’ and Boards of Trustees’ awareness of the strong evidence supporting improved educational outcomes when children are achieving appropriate physical activity levels and nutrition (breakfasts)

Develop an awareness/educational strategy for all school leaders that highlights importance of the ‘fit, healthy and ready to learn’ message.

Awareness/education programme is likely to have many strands including social marketing/existing schools providers and specific programme for LBD.

Note: Needs to link with existing Kids First school nursing role and Health Promoting Schools.
Key partners
ARPHS, KidzFirst, Counties Manukau Sport, ProCare, NHF.
Key linkages
LBD 1.2 & 1.3; action area 2; 5.2 – 5.4; action area 7; and the evaluation.
By Nov 2005, all schools contacted in initial communication.
By June 2006, 20% of schools receive dedicated educational visit for principals and trustees
SECONDARY

7.6 Enhancing and supporting NEW/AIMIHI intervention in selected high risk secondary schools, and aligning it with University of Auckland OPIC intervention/research.

Support existing NEW/AIMHI programme in selected high risk secondary schools (Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate, Southern Cross Campus, Mangere College), and align it to, and collaborate with, the University of Auckland (UOA) OPIC study for a co-ordinated approach to interventions across the three schools.

Note: The secondary school strategy is initially focused on a high intensity intervention in a small number of schools, with rigorous associated evaluation. Results will be available in three years and will inform a broader district strategy for secondary schools.
Key partners
UOA, DPT.
Key linkages
LBD 1.2 – 1.5; action area 2; 4.3 – 4.5; 5.2 – 5.4; action area 7; and the evaluation.

By Aug 2005, negotiations with UOA/OPIC about design and funding completed.
By Sept 2005, contracting with Diabetes Projects Trust (DPT – the existing provider) for enhancements completed.
From Feb 2006, enhanced interventions delivered (some likely to start earlier).
7.7 Trialling of the ‘healthy canteen’ business model.

Trial ‘healthy canteen’ model at Tangaroa College.

This model will be communicated to secondary schools during 2005/2006. To provide a tool for the development of healthy tuckshops in schools.
Key partners
Tangaroa College. NEW.
Key linkages
LBD 1.2 – 1.5; action area 2; 4.3 – 4.5; 5.2 – 5.4; action area 7; and the evaluation.
During 2005/2006, healthy canteen model information trialled at Tangaroa College.
During 2005/2006, healthy canteen model promoted to all secondary schools in Counties Manukau.
SECTOR-WIDE

7.8 Developing new funding streams to support schools to make sustainable changes

The scope of the changes required in the school environment is larger than LBD resources can support – and there appear to be few other direct resources available at present from other sources.

The opportunity to work with the South Auckland Health Foundation (SAHF) to develop potential funding/sponsorship resources for schools has been mooted. A fundraising design that is acceptable to schools/ the health sector/SAHF and sponsors will need to be developed.

There are also opportunities to apply to SPARC’s national funding pool for innovative initiatives. A proposal will be developed in collaboration with Counties Manukau Sport.

Key partners
UOA, DPT, SAHF, Counties Manukau Sport.
Key linkages
LBD 1.2 – 1.5; action area 2; 4.3 – 4.5; 5.2 – 5.4; action area 7; and the evaluation.
By Sept 2005, SPARC funding application completed in collaboration with CM Sport.
By Nov 2005, funding/sponsorship approach with SAHF support completed.
7.9 Supporting schools to improve ‘drinks’ environment in and around all schools

Working with principals and the Food Industry to reduce access to sugar drinks on schools premises, while working with Food Industry to reorient advertising and displays in the schools environment and vicinity to promote non sugar drinks.
Key partners
Food Industry, ARPHS.
LBD linkages
LBD 1.2 – 1.5; action area 2; 4.3 – 4.5; 5.2 – 5.4; action area 7; and the evaluation.
By Oct 2005, approach agreed to with the Food Industry.
By April 2006, action completed.
Progress Updates
Click here for progress updates on these interventions/initiatives

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