VITAHLS Timeline

YEAR 8: 2018-2019 School Year

A Valley Community Foundation grant helps the PRC and school partners find ways to better identify and manage chronic health conditions among K-12 students.
Mini-grants help schools provide children’s yoga, pedometer-based PE lessons, intramural sports, floor hockey equipment, fitness testing equipment, and kinesthetic pathways.

YEAR 7:2017-2018 School Year

Valley Health Challenge campaign shares weekly health promotion messages with students.
Surveys and interviews with administrators and staff in four school districts help the PRC to determine the perceived impact of the VITAHLS initiative.
Mini-grants help schools provide cooking classes, walking clubs, active recess, movement-promoting classroom equipment, fitness equipment, and a student fitness competition.
Focus groups elicit K-12 students’ opinions about school breakfasts to be shared with school food service managers and school district administrators.
Naugatuck Public Schools joins the VITAHLS initiative.
Physical activity videos are produced by a team of high school students, led by their physical education teachers, to help incorporate student exercise into the school day.
Healthy cooking classes sponsored by the PRC and Valley YMCA are offered to 70 children from Naugatuck Valley communities at a YMCA Summer Day Camp.

YEAR 6:2016-2017 School Year

Focus groups elicit K-12 students’ opinions about school breakfasts to be shared with school food service managers and school district administrators.

YEAR 5:2015-2016 School Year

Naugatuck Public Schools joins the VITAHLS initiative.
Physical activity videos are produced by a team of high school students, led by their physical education teachers, to help incorporate student exercise into the school day.
Healthy cooking classes sponsored by the PRC and Valley YMCA are offered to 70 children from Naugatuck Valley communities at a YMCA Summer Day Camp.

YEAR 4:2014-2015 School Year

Your Road to Health nutrition program for middle school students is revised and expanded.
VITAHLS Family Cookbook is produced using recipes from the Annual Healthy Cooking Challenge.
Student wellness club is formed at Derby High School, with a PE teacher serving as advisor.
Couch to 5 K training is provided to staff in one school district through a partnership between the PRC and the Valley YMCA.

YEAR 3:2013-2014 School Year

VITAHLS newsletter and social media are launched.
NuVal Nutritional Scoring System is piloted and evaluated in additional schools.
Your Road to Health nutrition program for middle school students is developed and pilot tested in schools.
School gardens are created at six schools with the help of Massaro Farms and FoodCorps, and PRC funding.
Annual Healthy Cooking Challenge takes place for the first time in 4 school districts.
Student focus groups elicit students’ opinions of videos designed to promote healthy eating.
Teacher nutrition workshop focusing on skill-building and a cooking demo/tasting is offered to school staff from VITAHLS school districts.

YEAR 2:2012-2013 School Year

NuVal Nutritional Scoring System is piloted to help high school students “trade up” for foods with more health benefits.
Massaro Community Farm begins to sponsor field trips and healthy food demonstrations for students.
Cooking Matters program is piloted in fifth grade classrooms in one school district.
Healthy dessert cooking competition is hosted by Griffin Hospital featuring culinary arts students from Emmett O’Brien Technical High School.
VITAHLS fundraising events are sponsored by the Jones Family Farm and Griffin Hospital.

YEAR 1:2011-2012 School Year

VITAHLS initiative begins with invitations to Lower Naugatuck Valley districts/schools to work together to reduce childhood obesity and improve learning.
Fall Kickoff event is held at Ansonia High School for Valley educators and other community members.
Nutrition Detectives program is taught for the first time in elementary schools.
ABC for Fitness Program is offered for the first time in elementary school classrooms.