At a glance
- School physical activity programs are more successful when family and community members are involved.
- When schools, families, and communities work together to increase physical activity, they also improve youth learning and health.
- CDC works to support family and community engagement.
Overview
Family and community engagement in physical activity means that parents, school staff, out-of-school time providers, and community members are working together. These joint efforts increase opportunities for physical activity before, during, and after the school day. The efforts also improve the learning, development, and health of children and adolescents.
Family and community engagement benefits students by:
- Improving grades and test scores.
- Encouraging better student behavior.
- Enhancing social skills.
- Increasing physical activity.
Facts
The data brief Involve Families in Physical Activity in Schools helps by:
- Defining family engagement in physical activity.
- Providing a snapshot of current family engagement practices to support physical activity in the United States.
- Highlighting ways to improve family engagement in physical activity through national guidance, strategies, and resources.
What CDC is doing
Supporting family and community engagement in physical activity
CDC developed the following:
- Parents for Healthy Schools—Provides resources schools can use to engage parents in positively changing the school environment regarding physical activity.
- Parent Engagement: Strategies for Involving Parents in School Health—Defines and describes engagement between parents and school staff. The document also identifies strategies for all three aspects of parent engagement in schools: connect, engage, and sustain.
- CDC | Promoting Parent Engagement in School Health: A Facilitator's Guide for Staff Development—Helps schools develop a plan for engaging parents in school health activities.
Resources
- CDC | Ideas for Parents for Physical Education and Physical Activity
- Active People, Healthy NationSM
- CDC | Parent Engagement: Strategies for Involving Parents in School Health
- A Decade of Promise: Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs Practices for Physical Educators and Physical Activity Professionals
Content Source:
Division of Adolescent and School Health; National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parent Engagement: Strategies for Involving Parents in School Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2012. Accessed September 25, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/protective/pdf/parent_engagement_strategies.pdf
- Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child: A Collaborative Approach to Learning and Health. 2014. Accessed September 25, 2024. www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/siteASCD/publications/wholechild/wscc-a-collaborative-approach.pdf
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. School health guidelines to promote healthy eating and physical activity. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2011;60(RR-5):1–76.
- Institute of Medicine. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. National Academies Press; 2013. Accessed September 25, 2024. http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=18314&page=R1
- Wang Y, Wu Y, Wilson RF, et al. Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs: Comparative Effectiveness Review and Meta-Analysis. Comparative Effectiveness Review No. 115. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2013. Accessed September 25, 2024. https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/obesity-child_research.pdf [PDF – 14 MB]