Local and State Health Departments

If you are a public health department and are interested in implementing We Can!®, here are some resources to get you started.

• We Can! Energize our Families: Parent Program (4.4 MB) is a curriculum for parents, available in four- and six-lesson versions. Both versions include activities that help parents encourage a healthy weight in their family. Several community sites find this curriculum to be adaptable to both parents and youth.
• Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active!® is 10-lesson curriculum funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) that focuses on helping young people ages 11 to 13 understand the connections between media and health. Media-Smart Youth is most popularly implemented in afterschool and summer camp settings.
• CATCH Kids Club is a health education curriculum designed to motivate heart-healthy behavior in children in grades K–5 in afterschool and summer camp settings.
• SPARK PE and SPARK After School are curricula designed to promote physical activity in youth from K through 12, and ages 5–14, respectively. The programs include curricula, training, equipment, and follow-up support components.

We Can! also offers toolkits, fact sheets, and tip sheets for parents and youth. These resources can be used with We Can! curricula or they can be handed out at community events.

• Families Finding the Balance: A Parent Handbook (1.4 MB)
• Be Active and Have Fun (80 KB)
• Get Started! Eating Healthy and Moving More (91 KB)
• Secrets to Making Healthy and Fun School Lunches
  Tip Sheet (85 KB)
• How Much Sugar and Calories are in Your Favorite Drink?
  Tip Sheet (306 KB)
• U R What U Eat Tip Sheet (1.4 MB)
• Reaching the Media: A Toolkit for We Can! Communities (587 KB) will assist you in engaging local and state media, to help spread the word about We Can!.

Local and state health departments across the country are implementing We Can! and using the program to plan or supplement local and state-based obesity prevention efforts. The Coastal Health District in Savannah, Georgia, hosts We Can! events and implements We Can! curricula. They have also been involved in local policy change activities focused on healthy eating. The Boston Public Health Commission implements the Parent Program and has translated the curriculum and its resources in order to accommodate Spanish-speaking members of the community.