Benjamin Franklin Elementary School has earned
Healthy Champion 5 Star Status for the 2022-2023 program year, according to Penn State’s Pro Wellness Center, which assesses school wellness throughout the commonwealth.
Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention School Health Guidelines for goals and strategies to prevent obesity, schools were awarded "stars" based on answers to questions in the following categories: nutrition and physical activity, psychological and social services, school health environment, and health and wellness policy. Franklin earned the maximum 5-star rating in each area, placing the school firmly in the top 30 percent of the 500 schools assessed.
The goal of the Healthy Champions program, which began in 2013, was to assist schools with identifying areas for improvement through nutrition and activity-focused assessment and delivery of a customized score report and welcome kit with materials to promote healthful behavior change.
Enrollment in the Healthy Champions program is open to private and public K-12 schools across Pennsylvania. From 2013 to 2018, 592 schools enrolled for at least one year, representing 58 out of 67 counties (87%) in Pennsylvania. Mean star status at baseline was 2.89 out of 5; however, schools enrolled for multiple years (51%) saw significant improvement in star status, independent of school size and location.