Topic: Nutrition/Diet, Physical Activity, Alcohol/Drugs/Tobacco, Emotional Competency, Sedentary Behavior
Target Population: Early Childhood, Parents
Sector: Community-Based, School-Based
This program is for children in child-care settings who are 3 to 6 years old and their parents.
Healthy Alternatives for Little Ones (HALO), a school- and community-based holistic health-education and universal substance-abuse prevention program, is designed to provide children with information that can help them make healthy life choices.
No peer-reviewed publications evaluating the effectiveness of this program were located.
The HALO program focuses on healthy eating, exercise, emotions, and substance-use prevention. The curriculum consists of the following 12 units:
The curriculum includes hands-on activities that involve educational songs, videos, group activities, and books. The curriculum is flexible, and lessons and activities can be adapted and implemented as determined by the teacher to meet the physical, social, and emotional needs of the children. A Family Connection letter is sent home with each unit explaining the lessons and giving parents suggestions for reinforcing the HALO content outside of class.
HALO at Home is a free, online version of the program that can be implemented in children’s homes. Each lesson includes at-home activities and a Family Connection letter. A pretest and posttest are available and should be completed and emailed to LangleTR@evms.edu. Please visit the website in Source to learn more.
HALO, first implemented in 1990 in Omaha, Nebraska, has been used in more than 500 child-care sites and has reached over 16,500 children.
When implemented in a preschool setting, this program is delivered by child care providers. Training is provided in person or by viewing a 1-hour HALO Teacher Training video. Certification is available and can be obtained by completing an online quiz. Please visit the website in Source, or use details in the Contact section to learn more.
Considerations for implementing this program include gaining administrative, teacher, and parent buy-in; finding time to incorporate the curriculum into a site's existing schedule or making time to complete lessons at home; acquiring any needed materials or equipment (e.g., scissors, glue, construction paper, markers, crayons) for activities; and ensuring the program is delivered with fidelity.
The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
If you are interested in implementing HALO, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
HALO may be taught in 12-weekly, 30- to 45-minute sessions.
Information on implementation costs was not located. Please use details in the Contact section to learn more.
To move HALO to the Promising category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one evaluation should be performed demonstrating positive effects lasting at least one year from the beginning of the program or at least six months from program completion.
The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu
You may also contact the Consortium for Infant and Child Health by mail Eastern Virginia Medical School, EV Williams Hall, 855 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, VA 23501, phone 1-757-446-6039, fax 1-757-446-8951, email CINCH@evms.edu, or visit http://www.cinchcoalition.org/contact-us/
