School Program
- We encourage children to drink more safe and clean water in school;
- We educate children and families how to help protect and save finite freshwater resources in communities we live in;
- We aim to raise awareness of the health benefits to children of drinking
water regularly throughout the school day, and to improve the quality of
provision and access to fresh drinking water in schools.
Public Education Program
Our Mission
- We help ensure access to clean and safe drinking water in schools;
- We raise awareness that "regular water intake throughout the school day is vital for health, well being and learning";
- We work with schools, educators, health professionals, PTA's and private groups, as they have a key role in promoting health and providing a healthy learning environment.
School Fundraiser Program
- Your school or PTA can sponsor a Water Fundraiser in your community; you are
in control of donations and the proceeds will go to your
school or PTA.
Water and School
- Many children do not drink enough water during the school day;
- Even mild dehydration can contribute to a range of
short and long-term health problems. As a matter of fact, it can result in a significant
deterioration in mental performance;
- Regular water intake throughout the school day is a vital role for schools in promoting health and providing a healthy learning environment.
Keys To Success
- A fast online reference to qualified potable water topics for young people, parents, educators, and health professionals;
- Customized turnkey awareness campaigns and fundraisers for communities, schools, PTA's, and private groups;
- Collaboration with key organisations, individuals and communities;
Water and Health
- It doesn't matter if you drink bottled water or tap water: Just drink more water!
- Caloric beverages is the major cause of our overall caloric increase, and it's clearly linked with the increase of obesity;
- Water has none of the health problems associated with drinks containing sugar, additives, sweeteners, acids or caffeine;
- Regular and adequate water intake throughout the school day can protect health and contribute to well-being;
- Water may help prevent a range of short and long-term health problems from headaches, bladder, kidney and bowel problems to cancer.
Water and Learning
- The key to boosting the capacity to learn is to keep well hydrated throughout the day;
- When you are thirsty, your mental performance deteriorates by 10%;
- Well hydrated students can concentrate better because they are not distracted by the effects of dehydration such as thirst, tiredness and irritability;
- Children will achieve more when both their health and learning needs are met;
- Water improves healthy learning environment.
How much Water?
- Young people
spend at least half their waking hours in school. During school days,
they should be drinking at least half their daily requirement, spread
regularly throughout the day;
- The standard recommendation is at least 6-8 glasses a day;
- Drink regularly throughout the day; at least 3-4 glasses while at school;
- They should drink more during warm weather and/or when exercising;
- They should drink before, during, after exercising and active play in the playground, or periods of running around;
- Teenage boys aged 14 and over may require a higher average fluid intake, about 11 large glasses of water;
Exercise, Water and School
- It is in a school's best interest to promote water when exercising;
- Mild dehydration not only has an adverse effect on physical and mental performance and temperature regulation during exercise, making exercise feel harder and more tiring, but will also affect the subsequent mental performance, energy levels and mood of a child back in class;
- In the long-term, the effects on health from failing to rehydrate between bouts of exercise are significant;
- Children's drinking should be supervised, as they do not instinctively drink enough during exercise. An hour of just moderate and/or intermittent exercise can mean a child weighing 30kg can lose around half a litre of water, and in warm weather this loss could be much higher. Researchers advise that to restore normal fluid balance after exercise, we should consume at least the equivalent of 1.5 times (i.e. 150%) the fluid lost during exercise;
- The key to avoiding dehydration is to drink before exercise and at regular intervals during and after;
- If children are well hydrated, exercise feels easier and more enjoyable, helping to develop positive attitudes towards exercise and encouraging children to exercise more willingly another day.
Dehydration
Recommendations for Schools
- Clean drinking water should be easily, and readily available to all students every day free of charge;
- Improve your drinking water facilities, increase number of drinking water points around the school;
- Encourage students to bring in a bottle of tap water from home to drink at school;
- Install modern, clean and regularly maintained dispensers, water coolers, modern water fountains, taps and sinks;
- Enable students to drink at least 3-4 full glasses of water per day at school; boys aged 14 and over need at least 5-6;
- All students, whatever their age, need to increase these amounts when exercising and in warm weather;
- Give student a minimum of 3-5 fluid breaks per day at school with at least one in the afternoon;
- Students should be encouraged to drink a full glass of water at each drink;
- Provide facilities and access that encourage children to drink water regularly throughout the school day - in numerous safe, hygienic and easily accessible locations conducive to drinking, and not in toilet areas;
- The water should be palatable in both taste and temperature.
Tips for Students
- Bring a bottle of water to school, and carry water with you;
- Drink water during breaks and lunch time, before, during and after exercise, and during extra curricular activities.
Tips for Parents
- Ask how frequently and how much your child actually get to drink water at school, during PE, active play, and in warm weather;
- Find out if your children usually come out of school thirsty;
- Go and have a look at the drinking vending machines, drinking water fountains and facilities. Do they sell water? Would you drink water from a tap or fountain at school?
- The facilities can be there but do your children use them? What about the taste of the tap water? Do they have easy access to drinking water?
- With the help of other parents, raise the issue with the teachers, and other staff at school;
- Set a good example at home. Drink plenty of water and limit soft drinks. Children need encouragement to drink more water!
Tips for Health and Education professionals
- Raise Drinking Water awareness in your schools and community;
- Encourage your school to implement practical measures that allow children free access to cool and palatable fresh water from an adequate number of attractive facilities in sites conducive to drinking;
Here's What You Can Do
We can help your school get started today!
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