The North Carolina Healthy Out-of-School Time Program (NC HOST)
In 2016, the North Carolina General Assembly recognized the role that out-of-school time programs have in encouraging healthier eating and physical activity through House Bill 1030/Session Law 2016-94, Section 12E.2. As a result, the North Carolina Healthy Out-of-School Time Recognition Program (NC HOST) launched in April 2017. NC HOST offers a voluntary recognition for out-of-school time programs that meet a set of standards that are a subset of the National AfterSchool Association Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards (HEPA).
Who is it for?: Any qualified out-of-school time program that wants to be recognized for their healthy eating and physical activity practices can apply for the NC Healthy Out-of-School Time Recognition Program. Qualified out-of-school time programs:
- provide regularly scheduled, structured and supervised activities where learning opportunities take place outside the typical school day
- occur before school, after school, weekends or during summer, seasonal and track breaks.
- include private and public programs operating in a variety of settings
- settings include public facilities such as schools, libraries, parks and recreation, community centers, colleges and universities, as well as private facilities
- providers include school districts, municipalities, national and local not-for-profit organizations, faith-based organizations and for-profit agencies
- deliver activities to promote positive youth development which may include but are not limited to the following:
- academic support; educational enrichment; STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), cultural and social development; recreation; sports; fitness and wellness.
Levels of Recognition: NC HOST recognition will be awarded at a bronze, silver or gold level.
- Bronze denotes programs that meet a minimum number of required standards.
- Silver denotes programs that meet all of the minimum standards and demonstrate progress in meeting additional standards.
- Gold denotes programs that consistently meet all standards.
How do you get it?: Out-of-school time programs that want to be recognized for their healthy eating and physical activity practices can apply for the NC Healthy Out-of-School Time Recognition Program. The NC HOST Standards can be downloaded here.
Step 1: Complete the NC Healthy Out-of-School Time assessment for your site online at eatsmartmovemorenc.com/NCHOST.
Step 2: Complete the NC Healthy Out-of-School Time Recognition Program application online at eatsmartmovemorenc.com/NCHOST.
If you have questions about how your site can meet the standards, contact The Alliance for a Healthier Generation Member Engagement and Support Team.
- Phone: 1-888-543-4584, Monday – Friday, 9am-7pm EDT
- Email: host@healthiergeneration.org
