School Systems and Universities

If you are a school or school system and are interested in implementing We Can!, here are some resources to get you started.

• Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active!® is 10-lesson curriculum funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) that focuses on helping young people ages 11 to 13 understand the connections between media and health. Media-Smart Youth is most popularly implemented in afterschool and summer camp settings.
• CATCH Kids Club is a health education curriculum designed to motivate heart-healthy behavior in children in grades K–5 in afterschool and summer camp settings.
• SPARK PE and SPARK After School are curricula designed to promote physical activity in youth from K through 12, and ages 5–14, respectively. The programs include curricula, training, equipment, and follow-up support components.
• S.M.A.R.T. (Student Media Awareness to Reduce Television) is a classroom curriculum for 3rd and 4th grade that motivates children to reduce their television watching and video game usage.

We Can! also offers toolkits, fact sheets, and tip sheets for both parents and youth. The We Can! Energize our Families: Parent Program (4.4 MB) curriculum is available in four- and six-lesson versions. These resources can be used with We Can! curricula or they can be handed out at school events, community events, and even at parent meetings:

• U R What U Eat Tip Sheet (1.4 MB)
• Secrets to Making Healthy and Fun School Lunches
  Tip Sheet (162 KB)
• How Much Sugar and Calories are in Your Favorite Drink?
  Tip Sheet (111 KB)
• Healthy Snacks—100 Calories or Less (81 KB)
• Be Active and Have Fun (113 KB)
• Help Your Kids Reduce Screen Time and Move More (1.3 MB)
• We Can! Screen Time Chart (141 KB)
• Keep the Beat™ Recipes: Deliciously Healthy
  Family Meals (8.9 MB)

Elementary and middle schools are successfully implementing We Can! in classrooms and in afterschool settings. Even colleges are universities are using We Can! to conduct research and educate communities. The Univ of Maine Cooperative Extension works with educators in two counties to implement Media-Smart Youth, S.M.A.R.T., and CATCH Kids Club (229 KB). Additionally, The University of San Diego made headlines for We Can! with the publication of its study "Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition—A Pilot Project With Latina Mothers" in the Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing.