The Strategic Alliance supports the following principles:

  • Preschool, school, and after-school programs should provide healthy food options, quality physical education, and facilities and equipment for active play.
  • Fast food, junk food, and soft drinks and the marketing of these products should be eliminated from these settings.
  • Every facility should have working water fountains or other sources of free drinking water.
  • Children should have safe walking and biking routes to school and other key destinations.

Neighborhood Environments

The design and resources available in local neighborhoods greatly influence our daily eating and activity patterns.

Preschools & Daycare

Early education and childcare settings provide a foundation for shaping future lifestyle behaviors.

School Environments

Schools have immense potential in affecting children’s health throughout their lifetime by serving as a model environment for promoting and supporting healthy eating and activity behaviors.

After-School Programs

After-school activities are opportunities for children to develop positive lifestyle behaviors and to foster healthy eating and activity patterns.

Workplace Environments

Workplace environments, where many adults spend a significant portion of their time, introduce and reinforce positive eating and activity behaviors to employees and visitors alike.

Government Environments

Government plays a key role in influencing eating and activity behaviors through its own facilities, policy development, regulation, and funding practices, and can set the standard for other industries and organizations to follow.

Health Care Environments

Through its clinical practices, facilities management, and advocacy efforts, healthcare has the opportunity to influence solutions to poor nutrition- and inactivity-related chronic diseases.

CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTS

[Image]Schools, preschools, and after-school programs play a critical role in shaping children's eating and activity behaviors. Most children spend a large part of their day in these settings, creating the opportunity to provide at least one healthy meal or snack, and the space and time to be active. Research shows that children are increasingly suffering from the health consequences of poor eating and inactivity, including diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. As institutions dedicated to children's education and well-being, preschools, schools, and after-school programs should serve as models for healthy practices and support healthy choices and behaviors.