Increasing Access to Drinking Water in Schools: New CDC Microlearning Modules Available
Schools can help students stay hydrated by ensuring there is access to safe drinking water at no charge throughout the school day. Drinking water provides a healthy alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages, improves cognitive function, including memory and attention, helps children maintain a healthy weight status, reduces risk for some chronic diseases, such as type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and helps prevent dental cavities, if fluoridated.
Yet 1 in 5 children and adolescents do not drink any plain water during the day and about half of school-aged children are underhydrated.
To address this, CDC Healthy Schools has developed a series of professional development microlearning modules, with each video lasting less than 5 minutes, for school administrators, teachers, wellness coordinators, and school health committees and teams to learn more about the steps to take, and resources available, to help schools:
Ensure water is safe,
Make clean, free drinking water easily available in multiple places at school,
Meet free drinking water requirements in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, and
Promote water as an ideal beverage choice.
Visit the CDC Healthy Schools website for more professional development resources.
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