Chesterfield County, VA – Chesterfield County Public Schools (CCPS) has made important updates to its School Wellness Policy to ensure that students have increased access to water throughout the school day. This change will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the health and well-being of students throughout the division and their overall academic success, with 62,500 students covered under the policy revision and having access to the support they need to stay hydrated during the day. By prioritizing the well-being of its students, CCPS is setting a great example for other school divisions to follow.
This updated policy was developed in collaboration with the Rev Your Bev campaign, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth’s (VFHY) healthy hydration campaign, and its statewide, award-winning high school program Y Street.
VFHY and Y Street are committed to supporting Virginia school divisions’ efforts to maintain a positive, healthy learning environment and serve as a resource for Virginia schools. “The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth is thrilled to have Chesterfield County Public Schools join as a partner to support healthy hydration. Adequate water consumption is a great habit for youth to develop and a key component to creating positive health outcomes,” said Executive Director Marty Kilgore.
CCPS’s revised wellness policy now ensures water is accessible in high-traffic areas and that schools throughout the division are promoting healthy hydration behaviors. To celebrate, CCPS hosted a celebratory event on January 9, 2024, at James River High School in Midlothian, VA. During the event, students, teachers, and staff participated in fun water-related activities and wrote Thank You messages, thanking CCPS for their efforts to empower their school community to make drinking water a habit. Students like Chaya McLean at James River High School are appreciative and shared, “Water plays a bigger role in our lives than giving credit to. It is amazing to see the positive impact Rev your Bev has had on my school and community. The campaign has been received with open arms, and everyone is really on board with it. The support is absolutely amazing. This policy win means so much to me and our whole student body.”
The Rev Your Bev campaign donated and distributed over 1,000 water bottles to support the division in implementing its policy and provided water promotion posters, dispensers, and a Toolkit.
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About the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY)
Established in 1999 by the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices by reducing and preventing youth tobacco and nicotine use, substance use, and childhood obesity. VFHY takes a comprehensive approach to prevention work that includes reaching about 50,000 children each year through classroom-based prevention programs in public schools, after-school programs, community centers, day cares and prevention programs across the state. VFHY’s award-winning marketing campaigns deliver prevention messaging to more than 500,000 children annually. In addition, VFHY’s research program provides scientific insight on methods to effectively reduce tobacco use. Since 2002, VFHY has funded 40 large research projects at universities throughout Virginia. For more information, visit www.vfhy.org.
