Linking nutrition programs with Safe Routes to School’s focus on
physical activity is enabling schools in Orange County, Fla., to
target school wellness with a holistic approach designed to
reduce childhood obesity. Orange County Public Schools, the 11th
largest school district in the nation, requires that each of its
schools form a Healthy School Team. Dr. Toni Moody, founder of
the non-profit Health Masters Club, viewed Safe Routes to School
as the physical activity component of health promotion among
schoolchildren. She used SRTS to complement the Team Nutrition
Initiative, a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s program. Her
efforts resulted in the Health Masters Club Step Up to School TM
wellness program. Moody, a pediatrician, founded Health Master’s
Club in 2003 with the primary goal of reducing childhood
obesity. In 2007, the Florida Department of Health and Health
Masters Club applied for a SRTS grant that would complement the
existing school wellness curriculum. The Florida Department of
Health was award