LiveWell Mom Alli Howe is not your average health-minded parent. “Complaining about cookies is short-sighted. I love our school community at Sherman Early Childhood Center and wanted to see healthy changes really stick,” she says. Motivated by her desire to see sustainable, healthy changes at her kid’s school but unsure how to get real results, Howe reached out to LiveWell Colorado for guidance.
LiveWell introduced Howe to one of our partner organizations, Action for Healthy Kids, where she immersed herself in the Parent Advocate Program. Using the organizational leadership skills she gained from the program, Howe spearheaded the first-ever Wellness Team at Sherman Early Childhood Center in Fort Morgan, CO.
It turned out many parents and faculty members had the same concerns Howe did, and with her newly gained skills and practical know-how, her team set to work on making big, lasting changes for kids’ health. Their successes so far include overhauling the non-nutritive foods coming into classrooms, creating a policy that celebrates students through non-food activities and healthy food choices, and successfully advocating for healthy changes to be written into the school handbook.
Read more about Howe’s efforts and learn about other parent-led projects.
