CATCH My Breath, a Youth E-cigarette Prevention Program,
Now Available for Middle Schools

CATCH My Breath, a new program developed by the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at UTHealth School of Public Health, has officially rolled out this month. The program educates pre-teens and teens on the facts about E-cigarettes, increases their awareness of deceptive advertising campaigns and gives them the tools to resist peer pressure. To learn more and/or sign-up for the program, click here. Also, check out what the media are saying around the country!

CATCH Returns to NOLA!

Thanks to an $80,000 charitable grant provided by the Humana Foundation, CATCH launched on Aug. 10 in eight elementary schools within the Jefferson Parish Public School System. The program will serve approximately 4,200 kindergarten through fifth-grade students in the New Orleans metropolitan area. Click here to learn more about the initiative.

Free Lesson Samples Now Available on Digital CATCH

Digital CATCH is now stocked with 15 nutrition lesson samples and over 100 physical activities for K-8th grade students in both school and after-school settings. Lessons for pre-K coming soon! 

This is a great opportunity for CATCH users to supplement their current teaching, or for newcomers to test drive the CATCH curriculum, at no cost! On top of that, Digital CATCH is fully tablet and phone compatible so you can use it in the gym, on the field, or on the run!

 Sign up or log in here to access these digital freebies. 

CATCH Teams Up with Let's Move! Active Schools

Let's Move! Active Schools – part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative – announced CATCH Global Foundation as part of its national collaborative on Aug. 30, along with eight other partners. Each collaborator is dedicated to ensuring 60 minutes of physical activity a day is the norm in K-12 schools across the country. Learn more about this exciting new partnership here. 

CATCH Comes to Carnegie, Oklahoma

Thanks to the support of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, the CATCH program kicked-off in Carnegie, Oklahoma on Aug. 10. 
According to the Trust for America’s Health, more than 17% of children ages 10-17 are obese in Oklahoma, the 14th highest childhood obesity rate in the nation. Learn more about the Western Oklahoma CATCH Coordinated School Health Initiative.

This summer, Dr. Shreela Sharma, creator of the CATCH Early Childhood curriculum and co-founder of Brighter Bites, was given the opportunity to testify in front of a Congressional committee on Capitol Hill. Her statement was part of a top-to-bottom  review of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). To learn more about Shreela's exciting trip to Washington D.C., read Brighter Bites' blog post here.

Legislative Update

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

This federal education legislation passed at the end of last year provides increased access to funds for health and PE programs (including professional development) and allows states and school districts to set their own priorities for funding and accountability.  This is huge news for CATCH supporters, and coordinated school health.

It’s critical to have a voice for health and physical education at the table as decisions are made in the months ahead. Our friends at SHAPE America have created the following tools to help you become that voice in your school district: http://www.shapeamerica.org/advocacy/essa.cfm/

Ruling Sets New Requirements for School Wellness Policies

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) finalized a new set of requirements governing school wellness polices. The ruling affects all schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program and must be completed by June 30, 2017. Learn more about what the ruling entails and how it will affect schools here. 

For a great animated summary of the ruling, check out this video from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

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