Healthiest Next Generation Initiative

Every child deserves to grow up healthy. 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. His 2015-2017 budget makes strategic investments in programs around the state to help make sure that the next generation is the healthiest one ever. Read the policy brief here. 

The Governor's Healthiest Next Generation initiative is an innovative public-private partnership that aims to create a multidisciplinary strategic work group focused on health, early learning and K-12 environments. The work group made recommendations for state policies that support community-led changes to provide choices for encouraging children to be more active and eat better.

Governor's Council for the Healthiest Next Generation

See list of members

• 2015 recommendations
• 2014 recommendations

Contact

Jason McGill, Health Policy Advisor, Governor's Office
(360) 902-0448
Jason.McGill@gov.wa.gov

Key Successes

• 2015 funding aligned with recommendations from the Governor’s Council for the Healthiest Next Generation.
• Over 60 multi-sector public and private partners and the Department of Health received a United States Department of Agriculture grant to promote the purchase of fruits and vegetables by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients through supermarkets, farmers markets and health systems. ($5.86M)
• Launch of Breastfeeding Friendly Washington Hospitals.
• Success stories highlighting the work of communities that inspired the initiative.
• New regulation of e-cigarettes and vapor products passed in 2016.

Current Work

• 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 K-12 Learning Standards Revision: The first revision of the standards since their adoption in 2008 has been underway since Fall 2014. These standards establish the concepts and skills necessary for safe and healthy living and, in turn, for successful learning.
• Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) Project: Department of Health is working with the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health on a yearlong Learning Community State Partnership with the CHOICES Project. The outcome of the project is the hypothetical modeling of three tailored, state-specific healthy weight interventions and corresponding cost-effectiveness estimates.
• Integration of evidenced based national best practice standards on healthy eating, physical activity and screen time limits in child care into Early Achievers, Department of Early Learning’s Quality Rating and Improvement System and the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP).
• Development of a Breastfeeding Friendly Washington Child Care Recognition Program. 

Healthiest Next Generation on Twitter

Note: This Twitter feed is not monitored by the Governor's Office

#healthiestnextgen Tweets

Resources