UConn's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health Launches New Tool for School Wellness Assessments

The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health at the University of Connecticut has launched a new version of the Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) website. This tool is designed to help users assess written district wellness policies and practices. In addition, it can help School Food Authorities meet federal Triennial Assessment requirements.

The WellSAT was originally developed in 2006 by a team of researchers funded by Healthy Eating Research (a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation). It has been updated multiple times with input from partners to reflect the changing policy landscape and best practices in school health.

Since its inception, the WellSAT tools have been used by researchers, state government agencies, and individual school districts around the country.  School wellness policies are evaluated based on the degree to which they address 65 policy items. These items are categorized into six sections: Federal Requirements, Nutrition Environment and Services, Nutrition Education, Physical Education and Physical Activity,  Employee Wellness, and Integration and Coordination.

At the Rudd Center, Director Marlene Schwartz points out, “we believe that strengthening the school environment to support student health is a crucial step in ensuring that all children have the opportunity to learn and thrive to their fullest potential. Assessing school policies and practices can help make that possible.”

The redesigned website is at www.wellsat.org

The redesign and update received essential support from the Connecticut Department of Education, and ongoing support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Eating Research program.