Coalition Accomplishments

2019

• The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) celebrated five years of its Commit to Health campaign, which is guided by the NAA HEPA Standards developed by HOST. Nearly 500,000 youth nationwide have improved access to healthy foods and physical activity opportunities annually via the more than 2,000 park and recreation sites nationally who have signed on to the campaign, as shown by this infographic.
• A study in the Journal of School Health looked at three after-school sites run by Danville Parks and Recreation in Danville, Va., that adopted the NAA HEPA Standards. It found that adopting standards for healthy snacks may not be enough to enough to improve snack quality in after-school programs, and suggested that programs also implement ongoing efforts to train staff, establish environmental supports (such as turning off vending machines during after school time), and engage parents in supporting their children’s healthy eating habits.
• Alliance for a Healthier Generation produced a series of downloadable Healthy Out-of-School-Time Roadmaps to guide the implementation of the NAA HEPA Standards, including tips to take action, trainings for staff, and resources to explore. In collaboration with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, each roadmap also includes guidance on integrating social-emotional health into a healthier out-of-school time for kids.
• The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with NRPA and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (Healthier Generation), in 2019 issued a brief on “Afterschool: Fostering Protective Factors that Can Last a Lifetime,” which looks at risk factors that increase the likelihood that one will take part in unhealthy behaviors as well as protective factors that spur healthy behaviors and development.
• Six states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas) have now introduced policies related to HEPA, with support from Voices for Healthy Kids/American Heart Association.
• The Girls Collaborative Project, Alliance for a Healthier Generation, the National Afterschool Association, and the Afterschool Alliance issued an updated STEM and Wellness Guide for educators that includes a call to adopt the NAA HEPA Standards.
• There have been annual increases in federal funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) and Child Care and Development Block Grants (CCDBG) to support OST programs that include physical activity and healthy eating--in spite of proposed elimination by the Administration. Tennessee’s 21st CCLC application specifically asks applicants to show support for healthy eating and physical activity.
• HOST continues to share healthy eating and physical activity news, events, tips, and more from its members through regular posts on the HOST Coalition website, Facebook page, and Twitter account.

2018

• HOST released the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards 2.0, a revised, streamlined, and user-friendly version of the Standards it first launched in 2011. The standards were adopted by the National AfterSchool Association and named the NAA HEPA Standards for Out-of-School Time. Along with the new standards, HOST organizations launched online and offline self-assessment tools to help OST and other youth development professionals assess their progress towards these standards.
• CDC Healthy Schools begins funding states to address physical activity, nutrition, and the management of chronic conditions in school-based OST programs. As part of this five-year cooperative agreement (2018-2023), 16 state departments of education (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Washington) will be working to enhance connections between the school-day and OST as part of a comprehensive approach to supporting children’s health, and readiness to learn.
• HOST members met at the NAA Convention to discuss integration of social-emotional learning (SEL) with healthy eating and physical activity.
• The Afterschool Alliance’s issue brief on the intersection of social-emotional and physical health, “A Big-Picture Approach to Wellness: Afterschool Supporting Strong Bodies and Minds,” cites the NAA HEPA Standards as a useful component in helping OST programs take a holistic approach to wellbeing.

2016

• California becomes the first state to create a voluntary recognition program for healthy eating and physical activity in out-of-school time: and successfully implemented the program. To become certified, programs must show evidence of fulfilling requirements that are largely consistent with the National Afterschool Association’s Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) Standards, developed by HOST.
• The HOST Coalition is featured in RTI International's annual report.
• The 2016 National AfterSchool Association Convention featured multiple HEPA focused workshops and included a HOST Coalition meet-up.
• Adoption of HEPA Standards continues to grow, as these stories show:
  • Youth Today looks at how different states and organizations are promoting adoption of the HEPA Standards and helping to reduce obesity.
  • Alliance for a Healthier Generation shares how Maryland Out-of-School Time has worked with the Maryland Food Bank to promote the Healthy Out-of-School Time Framework, which includes the HEPA Standards, and to change youth attitudes towards healthy food.
  • Afterschool Alliance shares how the HEPA Standards have provided the Santa Clara YMCA with "a sense of commitment to a shared effective practice, and a common language to talk about it with our colleagues locally and across the nation."
• The CDC funded Healthier Generation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America through a five-year cooperative agreement to work with their constituents on increasing youth opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating in OST. Both national organizations provide professional development and engage in technical assistance to equip school health and education leaders with greater knowledge, skills, and abilities to implement proven strategies that create healthier environments for students.

2015

• Launch of HOST Coalition Facebook page.

2014

• Publication of a special issue of New Directions for Youth Development, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National AfterSchool Association and edited by Jean Wiecha and Georgia Hall (NIOST), which presents​ recent research findings on healthy eating and physical activity in the ​OST ​field.

2013

• Publications:
  • "Development of Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Quality Standards for Out-of-School Time Programs" (Wiecha/Hall/Gannett/Roth)
  • "Comments on Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Mid-course Report"
  • "Expanding Minds and Opportunities: Leveraging the Power of Afterschool and Summer Learning for Student Success" (Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)/Alliance for a Healthier Generation (AFHG))
• HOST member appearances at state, regional, and national conferences. NAA HEPA standards disseminated to tens of thousands of out-of-school-time professionals and supporters.
• Coalition welcomes coordinator Jennifer Hofman, Specialist, Health Partnerships and Policy Healthy Living/Government Relations YMCA of the USA.
• Creation of working groups:
  • Advocacy and Policy
  • Marketing and Communications
  • Implementation and Technical Assistance
  • Research and Evaluation

2011

• Adoption of NAA HEPA Standards by the National AfterSchool Association (NAA) Board of Directors, YMCA of the USA, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

2010-11

• Development of the NAA HEPA Standards for out-of-school time programs through research, literature review and input of coalition members.

2009

• HOST Coalition created by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College, the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB), and the YMCA of the USA.