Healthiest Next Generation Initiative
Every child deserves to grow up healthy. Unfortunately, some experts believe that, for the first time, the current generation of children may have shorter lives than their parents. Recognizing that Washington's future depends on the health of our children, Governor Jay Inslee launched an initiative to join with families across the state in making our next generation the healthiest ever. The goal is to help our children to maintain a healthy weight, enjoy active lives and eat well.
Strategies to create healthy early learning settings, school, and community environments are centered on these areas:
- Healthy Eating: Making sure children are well-fed and fed well, including having water to drink.
- Physical Activity: Helping schools create active environments where students get 60 minutes of daily physical activity through quality physical education and physical activity before, during and after the school day.
- Breastfeeding: Supporting breastfeeding-friendly places to encourage and promote breastfeeding.
As part of the Healthiest Next Generation Initiative, the Governor created an innovative public-private partnership, including a multidisciplinary strategic work group focused on health, early learning and K-12 environments. OSPI is proud to partner with the Governor on the initiative along with the Departments of Health and Early Learning. This work group will recommend state policies that support community-led changes to provide choices for encouraging children to be more active and eat better.
- Healthy Kids – Healthy Schools Grants: The Legislature appropriated $5 million dollars in the 2015-2017 capital budget for OSPI to administer a new grant program that will help schools remove barriers and bridge the gaps that stand between best practices, processes and policies for improved student health.
- Health and Physical Education Learning Standards - The Health and Physical Education Standards and grade-level outcomes describe what students should know and be able to do. They establish the concepts and skills necessary for safe and healthy living, and in turn, for successful learning.
Governor's Council for the Healthiest Next Generation
See list of members (PDF)
- Visit our partner websites for information about efforts to create the healthiest next generation in Washington:
- Read more about the Healthiest Next Generation Initiative:
- Join us at hashtag #HealthiestNextGen
- See how this initiative connects with Results Washington, the Governor's continuous improvement system.
- Healthiest Next Generation Program Tackles Child Health (NPHIC, Feb. 2015)
- State partners in healthy weight research as part of #HealthiestNextGen (DOH, October 13, 2015)
- #HealthiestNextGen: Walking and Biking to School Helps Everyone (DOH, May 5, 2015)
- Healthy early learning settings are part of the goal for #HealthiestNextGen (DOH, April 14, 2015)
- #HealthiestNextGen celebrates farmers markets season in Port Townsend (DOH, April 3, 2015)
- Nutrition wins with new $5.86 million grant for SNAP participants in WA (DOH, April 2, 2015)
- Childhood Obesity Prevention: Let's All Help Washington Kids Get Moving! (DOH, October 7, 2014)
- Governor Inslee Launches the Healthiest Next Generation Initiative to Reduce Childhood Obesity (GOV, September 18, 2014)
- Drop in Youth Obesity Epidemic Tied to Public Health Investments (DOH, February 20 2014)
Lisa Rakoz, Healthiest Next Generation Program Supervisor, OSPI