Coordinated School Health
What is Coordinated School Health?
1. Coordinated School Health is an organized, effective and efficient approach to maximizing the health and well-being of both students and school staff. It is a model for success that looks different in every system.
2. It shares two common goals: to support health, and to address health in a coordinated, inclusive manner.
Why is Coordinated School Health needed?
1. Health is critical to the success of any educational system. It is the foundation on which growth, development and learning can occur. For children to thrive, health must be wrapped around them and reflected back to them through the environment of the school, the relationships with the staff, and even their life outside the school.
2. Creating a holistic, healthy environment requires active partnerships with school staff, students, family and the community.
3. Health is addressed in our schools in a variety of ways but it is not coordinated so the message and supports for health are inconsistent and there are gaps.
What does Coordinated School Health include?
The model of Coordinated School Health developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) includes 8 interconnecting components. Each component makes an important contribution to students' well-being and readiness to learn. With a coordinated approach, the components complement each other and have a greater impact than each piece could have by itself.
In addition to the CDC site and our Washington state site, here are some additional resources about Coordinated School Health from around the country:
• Department of Education
• Florida Department of Health
How do we get started?
1. Form a council with interested partners
2. Start meeting
3. Assess the school system finding strengths and needs
4. Set small goals and get started!
The National Association of State Boards of Education's State School Healthy Policy Database provides references to Washington state law that impacts school health. It is a great place to help you compare what your school is currently doing in comparison with state law.
