All well and good

Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition — WE CAN! — is a new public education outreach program to help children 8 to 13 maintain a healthy weight by improving food choices and increasing physical activity. The program is a collaboration of four institutes with the National Institutes of Health.

For a free WE CAN! handbook with tips and information about your family's health and wellness, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

Keep it green

The American Federation of Teachers has released a guide to building and maintaining schools that are healthy, environmentally responsible and cost efficient.

As a part of its "Building Minds, Minding Buildings" campaign, the AFT's Our Union's Road Map to Green and Sustainable Schools details why going green is a union issue, what makes a school green, important health and productivity issues, and ways to save costs.

The guide, as well as a green school survey, are available at www.aft.org/buildingminds.

Action needed

Go to www.nycosh.org to download a model letter protesting proposed state cuts to the New York State Occupational Safety and Health Training Program.

Administered by the state Department of Labor's Hazard Abatement Board, this program is funded by an assessment on employer-paid workers' compensation premiums.

It provides grants for safety and health training to a broad range of workers including employees of small and medium sized businesses, union members, and teenagers who are about to enter the workplace. This training is often the only safety and health training available to these workers.

Valentine's school treats

On Valentine's Day, when children receive a lot of candy, educators should be mindful of students with allergies.

Some Valentine's candies are not processed in the same facilities as the regular candy, and also may not have an ingredient label. Some students may also receive unwrapped candy in their cards.

For more information, go to www.kidswithfoodallergies.org.