-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

This year, families in Granville County Public Schools may ‘CATCH’ their kids exploring healthy habits as a part of an expanded effort to use the Coordinated Approach To Child Health in all district elementary schools.  The C.A.T.C.H. program has been used in schools across the country to encourage good nutrition and physical activity among students. Stovall-Shaw Elementary School piloted use of the program during the 2015-2016 academic year.

Last year, the CATCH program expanded to Butner-Stem Elementary School and West Oxford Elementary School. This summer nearly 100 teachers and administrators received training on the CATCH program to enable every elementary school in the district to utilize the coordinated school health program. Granville County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Alisa McLean offered her perspective on the initiative, stating, “The CATCH program is so vitally important to our work in educating children. Increasing our focus on the health and well-being of our students will only help improve their academic success.  It’s a true win-win for everyone!”

The Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) unites multiple school-based players to create a community of health. CATCH teaches children to identify healthful foods and increase the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity they participate in each day. In-class lessons on nutrition and physical activity are supported by coordinated messaging throughout the school community, with the ultimate goal of changing the school environment and policies to support these healthy choices.

Principal Mary Ann Crews of Mt Energy Elementary School explains how these activities are implemented on a daily basis. “There may be some days when instead of children having free time at recess, our teachers may instead lead them through a structured yoga class, with a focus on mindfulness and core physical fitness. Other days there may be a 5 or 10 minute structured mini-lesson during recess. It is amazing the impact it has on how they feel during the school day.”

The Working on Wellness (WOW!) Coalition has been an integral part of the effort to bring the CATCH program to Granville County Public Schools. The WOW! Coalition brings together organizations and people to help kids stay healthy. The WOW! Coalition is one of ten North Carolina coalitions funded through Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas to implement and evaluate the impact of evidence-based interventions.

Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas is a bold initiative of The Duke Endowment, which aims to improve community health outcomes with a focus on nutrition, physical activity and prevention of chronic disease.  “Right before the start of the school year, we were able to train our teachers across all nine elementary schools. I have heard so many positive comments about CATCH – and not just how it is helping our students, but also our staff too. It’s starting to change the entire conversation at school about health, wellness, exercise and diet. It’s been wonderful”, says Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Michael Myrick

The WOW Coalition has adopted the overarching goal of improving child health and well-being in Granville County, North Carolina, through health promotion efforts targeting nutrition and physical activity.  Poor nutrition, obesity, and physical inactivity have been connected to poor school performance as well as chronic conditions that impact health across the lifespan.

By targeting interventions during childhood, health-promoting behaviors are more easily adopted and maintained, thereby improving health across the lifespan and avoiding adverse health outcomes in adulthood.  One 5th grader described CATCH in this way, saying “I think it is good to know which foods are best for us. I also tell my mom about this and we try to do this at home too. Being healthy is good.”

Principal Courtney Currin offered her perspective on its impact on academics, saying, “CATCH makes a difference in the academic achievement and overall discipline of students.  We saw double-digit growth the first year when we implemented the program with our third graders!”

Want to get involved?  Consider joining the effort by attending one of the upcoming WOW Coalition meetings held at Granville Vance Public Health in Oxford on the 4th Wednesday of each month.