222879 Building staff capacity to provide health education in after-school settings

Monday, November 8, 2010

Joanne De Simone Eichel, MA , Office of School Health Programs, The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY
Moncia Serrano, MPH , United Neighborhood Houses of New York, New York, NY
Abigail Wiener, BA , Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY
Gardith Marcelin, PhD , Office of School Health Programs, The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY
Edward Diller, MPH , Office of School Health Programs, The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY
The New York Academy of Medicine, Office of School Health Programs is collaborating with United Neighborhood Houses of New York (UNH) to develop and implement a program, Building Staff Capacity to Provide Health Education in After School Settings. The pilot program is designed to improve the skills of those staff members at UNH member agencies who work with early adolescents to promote healthy eating and physical activity to reduce the risk of obesity, address issues of healthy sexuality and relationships, and promote mental and emotional health including stress management. Program components include curriculum development, a series of professional development training workshops and reconvening sessions, implementation by the member agencies at after-school sites, and on-site consultation and technical assistance.

After school programs provide a unique educational opportunity to reach young people with important health promotion messages and skills. This project targets after school staff who work with early adolescents ages 11-14. Professional development training workshops provide opportunities for participants to practice dynamic hands-on strategies and activities for each health topic and assist them in tailoring approaches to meet needs of specific program settings and populations of young people. Follow-up visits provide individual consultation and technical assistance at each of the sites. Peer education/networking symposia and general reconvening sessions provide opportunities to share and discuss successes and challenges, provide and receive feedback, problem-solve, re-assess staff needs, identify issues associated with utilization of the curriculum, address content questions, and strengthen staff facilitation skills.

Data will be presented. Capacity building handouts will be provided.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe two of the program components that build the capacity of after school staff to provide health education 2. Describe two reasons why after school settings can be an important component to the overall delivery of school health education programs

Keywords: Community-Based Health Promotion, Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I help design, develop and facilitate professional development (for school-based staff )in the area of public health education.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.