Physical health is a key component of early childhood development and school readiness. By keeping children healthy and decreasing the chances of disease outbreaks, immunizations help early childhood programs create a safe environment for children. While overall vaccination rates are high nationally for most vaccines routinely recommended for…

The tool kit Mobilizing Rural Communities to Prevent Childhood Obesity is the product of a seven-state multidisciplinary research project focused on enhancing obesity prevention efforts by integrating community coaching into the work of rural community coalitions. The interactive tool kit is available at no cost both in print form and online, and…

Background: The US education system must find creative and effective ways to foster the healthy development of the approximately 2 million newly arrived immigrant and refugee adolescents, many of whom contend with language barriers, limited prior education, trauma, and discrimination. We identify research priorities for promoting the school…

Purpose/Objectives: The Mississippi Recipes for Success (MRS), a customizable selective menu system resource, was developed for child nutrition program (CNP) directors to comply with USDA nutrition regulations. The resource is available in printed and online formats and includes recipes, menu matrixes, food safety, and training materials for meal…

This article defines the concept of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) and describes how it provides the foundation for lifelong health and well-being. The authors provide policy recommendations that include the need to: (a) establish cross-agency leadership for IECMH, (b) ensure Medicaid payment for IECMH services, (c) invest in…

The reciprocal relationship between health and education has garnered increased attention among public health professionals. The evidence is clear that the level of an individual's education is related to health outcomes in adulthood and that healthier children are more likely to be academically successful than those with health issues. Unpacking…

Dialogue journals are a form of writing in which a student and a teacher carry on a conversation over time. This paper addresses the benefits of using dialogue journals for promoting a positive social-emotional learning (SEL) environment for children in school settings. Educators and researchers have increasingly acknowledged the importance of SEL…

Digital technologies are now considered important in shaping young people's engagement in and with health and physical activity. Recent discussions show that the use of digital technologies to track health and fitness may over-emphasize the linear understanding of the body and health generally underpinned by Western health ideologies such as…

Given that preparing preservice classroom teachers (PCTs) for movement integration (MI) has gained traction in recent years as a focus of policy and research related to children's school-based physical activity (PA) promotion, the purpose of this study was to examine PCTs' field experiences of learning to integrate movement in elementary…

Children of immigrants--specifically children under the age of 18 who reside with at least one foreign-born parent--are propelling the growth of the child population in the United States (Pew Research Center, 2015). As of 2017, more than 18 million children in the United States lived with at least one immigrant parent (Migration Policy Institute,…

The federal child nutrition programs provide assistance to schools and other institutions in the form of cash, commodity food, and administrative support (such as technical assistance and administrative funding) based on the provision of meals and snacks to children. The programs provide financial support and/or foods to the institutions that…

Objectives: Children and adolescents with chronic physical health conditions are also at elevated risk of poor mental health; the mechanisms to account for this relationship remain unclear. In this narrative review, we used the socio-ecological model to examine research on experiences of school for children with chronic health conditions and how…

The role of the school nurse has evolved. It has expanded from administering first aid and promoting hand washing to key participation in program planning for health and educational outcomes for the school-aged child. Nurses provide leadership in promoting a healthy and safe school environment, case management of chronically ill children,…

Children's health and wellbeing are crucial to a prosperous Australia and are at the centre of health-related policy-making. Schools are considered as ideal sites to promote health and wellbeing and thus some of the responsibility of children's health and wellbeing has been assumed by schools beyond the obligations of the health and Physical…

Purpose/Objectives: The study aim was to evaluate parent support for breakfast after the bell programs (BABPs). Methods: Data were collected through an online survey from parents (n=488) of school-aged children enrolled in public schools in Utah. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equation (GEE) regression methods. Results: Parents…