G-2306-19141

For over 15 years, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (Healthier Generation) has worked with schools, youth-serving organizations, businesses, communities, and families to promote health equity environments that support whole child health. Healthier Generation has extensive experience outlining equitable policy language that incites school and community systemic change. Through the creation of the Model Local School Wellness Policy (LWP), Healthier Generation has laid a foundation to support K-12 schools to implement a healthy learning environment where all children thrive. Their LWP surpasses federal standards and is recommended by key organizations, including the USDA, CDC, and National Association of School Nurses (NASN).

While Healthier Generation is a national organization, it has deep relationships with multiple organization (in addition to schools) in several states. In Western Kentucky, Healthier Generation works in partnership with multiple organizations including those that submitted letters of support for this proposal; Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club and Feeding Kentucky. It these organizations that have voiced the desire to work with Healthier Generation to include oral health in overall health for the youth they serve.

With funding, Healthier Generation will utilize Kentucky Oral Health Coalition’s landscape analysis coupled with information gathered from families, local clinical providers, school staff and other community organizations in Kentucky to glean their perspectives on what works to facilitate access to oral health care for youth and families. Their project will engage various members of the school community in three different counties in Western Kentucky (Warren, Graves, and Christian) through interviews, surveys, and/or focus groups. In addition, Healthier Generation will work with community partners to engage relevant surrounding counties. The results of that information will be summarized in the document, “Opportunities to Promote Oral Health in the School Community.” The document will highlight key findings and suggested next steps for policy and practice changes within school, clinical and community organizations. While the document will be based on the work in Kentucky, it will help inform the incorporation of oral health into the model LWP policy.

In future years, Healthier Generation hopes to use the information to support communities in implementing policy and practice changes outlined in the report.

The requested budget indicates most of the grant funds will be allocated to salaries and incentives for participation (school district and individuals). The remaining grant funds will support travel to the communities this work will involve, marketing and communications and technology needs. Overall, this proposal presents an opportunity to integrate oral health into the model school wellness policy and is being recommended for funding at the requested amount, which is equivalent to less than 1% of the organization’s budget.