Schools
From kindergarten through to high school, kids and youth spend the majority of their day at school. Aside from learning the alphabet and arithmetic – they are gaining knowledge and developing skills to live a healthy, active life.
Live 5-2-1-0 encourages community collaboration, offering students the opportunity to connect what they are learning in school to their experiences in different environments and settings. The school sector can help educate students and families on the 5-2-1-0 guidelines and create settings that support healthy eating and physical activity while children are in school.
What can the school sector do?
There are lots of opportunities for local governments to promote the 5-2-1-0 guidelines and support healthy behaviours in their settings and across the community.
- Frame the development of healthy school policy around the four evidence-based behavioural guidelines
- Help connect families with other health promoting programs, resources, and services offered in the community
- Share the Live 5-2-1-0 message in school communications (e.g., newsletters, website, social media)
- Distribute Live 5-2-1-0 resources and tools to families (e.g., Live 5-2-1-0 Fact Sheets, Around the World Outdoor Games Booklet)
- Support kids to be active both within and outside of school using resources for BC educators
- Share the message with parents through Parent Advisory Committee meetings and family information nights
- Where appropriate, integrate the Live 5-2-1-0 message into lesson plans
- Encourage students and staff to use active transportation to and from school (e.g., provide sufficient bike racks, coordinate walking school buses)
- Promote water as your school’s drink of choice (e.g., ensure access to water bottle filling stations)
- Consider signing up to the BC School Fruit and Nutritional Program – an initiative that provides free produce to schools on a regular basis throughout the school year.
- Start a school garden to give children first-hand experience of growing fruits and vegetables. Click here tips on how to create a garden in your school.
- Support teachers, staff, and school administration in understanding the importance of the 5-2-1-0 behaviours by circulating resources, tools, and links to the Live 5-2-1-0 Teacher Training Module
- Download our Checklist of Ideas for Sharing and Supporting Live 5-2-1-0 - School
How are partners in the school sector using Live 5-2-1-0 resources?
The following is a list of examples of how different communities have used the Live 5-2-1-0 resources and tools available for download from the Live 5-2-1-0 Resource Hub:
"Share via a district-wide healthy schools focused newsletter that goes to all 11K families served by (school district)."
Vancouver Island community
"I am planning to use it help support my teaching of PHE (Physical Health) programs."
Vancouver Island community
"We will be tracking our eating, exercise, and screen use for five days to encourage healthy habits."
Fraser Valley community
"We would like to get a Playbox for the local public park that we use as our school playground."
Vancouver Coastal community
"As a school principal I’m hosting an event for the parents of incoming Kindergarten students and am using these resources as part of my “Kindergarten Readiness” conversation."
Interior community
"Always looking for great new relevant info to share with students and parents! Love your ideas. Will look at having some students help prepare a bulletin board in the school to show the importance of 5-2-1-0."
Outside of BC
"Just received this link from my principal and would love to incorporate it into our health and fitness program. Really want to increase parent awareness and involvement."
Fraser Valley community
"I am involved with the Classroom Champions program and our April theme is Healthy Living. I thought that this is a great resource to get students thinking about healthy habits. I love the addition of screen time, rather than just nutrition and exercise."
Outside of BC
"Wow fantastic – I was just looking for school planner content for our Seventh Generation Club members, who represent about 7,000 First Nations students in schools across BC. These will be helpful – thanks for making it easy"
Lower Mainland community
"I plan to use this for my Physical and Health Education class - focusing on the Healthy and Active Living competency! Thank you for creating a great resource with a focus on reducing screen time; I have noticed a big impact with increased tech usage on children's mental health, and this can help remind parents and teach students the importance of cutting down for their well-being!"
Lower Mainland community
How is the school sector supporting Live 5-2-1-0?
The following is a list of examples of how stakeholders in different communities have implemented action in their sector to support Live 5-2-1-0:
- Abbotsford shared posters and fact sheets with their elementary schools; they also introduced Live 5-2-1-0 to students by incorporating the message into the back cover and bookmarks in all elementary students’ agendas.
- Elementary schools in Hope and Abbotsford promoted the ‘0’ guideline through the implementation of a school-wide, month-long Healthy Drinks Challenge to encourage students to drink more water.
- Live 5-2-1-0 messaging was integrated into Maple Ridge’s ‘Welcome to Kindergarten’ initiative through resource hand-outs and Live 5-2-1-0 merchandise that were distributed to families.
- After-school programs in Surrey have incorporated elements of Live 5-2-1-0 into their programming, including 60 minutes of outdoor play and replacing unhealthy snacks with fruits, vegetables and other healthier options.
