Starting a Healthy School Team

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Starting a Healthy School Team
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Why is Health Important?

• Good health is necessary for academic success
• It is difficult for students to be successful in
  school if they are
• Depressed
• Stressed
• Tired
• Being bullied
• Sick
• Hungry

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Why is Health Important?

• A childs physical, emotional, social, mental
  health directly affects capacity to learn

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Health Risk Behaviors of Young People

• Behaviors that may result in unintentional
  injuries and violence
• Sexual risk behaviors
• Alcohol and other drug use
• Tobacco use
• Unhealthy dietary behaviors
• Inadequate physical activity

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Florida Statistics High School Students 2005

• 1 in 4 is overweight /or at risk for overweight
• 14.5 of students seriously considered suicide
  during the past year
• 1 in 6 students are current cigarette smokers
• 2 of 5 students reported current alcohol use
• 40 of students report 3 hours daily TV on
  school day

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Obstacles to Academics

• Poor health
• Food insecurity
• Physical condition of a school
• Absences
• Discipline problems
• Mental health issues

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Why Schools?

• Most young people enrolled in school
• School health programs can improve students
• Health knowledge, attitudes, and skills
• Health behaviors and health outcomes
• Social outcomes
• Educational outcomes

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What is Coordinated School Health (CSH)?

• Systemic method of promoting health that brings
  together teams of people in eight areas who are
  able to address all aspects of student health
• Healthy students are fit and ready to learn
• Schools deliver consistent health messages
• Schools coordinate existing resources
• Individualized means to wellness

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What is Coordinated School Health (CSH)?
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CSH A Solution to Problem

• Keeping kids healthy over time
• Supporting a students capacity to learn
• Help students develop knowledge and skills to
  make smart choices for life
• Reinforcing positive behaviors throughout the day
• Making it clear good health and learning go hand
  in hand

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Benefits of CSH Approach

• Reduced school absenteeism
• Fewer behavior problems in classroom
• Improved student performance
• More positive spirit among educators and students
• Reduced duplication between schools and community
  activity

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Steps for Healthy School Team Success

• Gather team members
• Identify school needs
• Identify local school resources
• Write a School Health Action Plan
• Manage and monitor implementation
• Market success

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Step 1 Gather Team Members

• Seek faculty/staff who have a commitment to the
  cause
• Look for community partners to join team
• Secure administrator support
• Set time for regularly scheduled meetings

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Step 2 Identify School Needs

• Investigate state local survey results
• Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)
• Local YRBS in Broward, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade,
  Orange, and Palm Beach
• Identify health issues concerns of students,
  families, school staff by completing the School
  Health Index A Self-Assessment and Planning
  Guide

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School Health Index

• Uses a coordinated school health approach
• Identifies strengths and weaknesses of their
  health promotion policies programs
• Develops an action plan for improving student
  health
• Involves teachers, parents, students community
  in improving school programs, policies, services

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Step 3 Identify Local School Resources

• Look up your districts Wellness Policy posted in
  the Food and Nutrition section of district
  website
• Contact your districts School Health Advisory
  Committee (SHAC) for support
• Work with your School Advisory Council (SAC)

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Step 4 Write a School Health Action Plan

• Use results of needs assessment to develop action
  plan
• Consider short long-term goals for team
• Document actions, steps to complete actions, and
  person date responsible
• Sponsor/promote projects for students, parents,
  school

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Step 5 Manage Monitor Implementation

• Reflect on action plan to monitor progress
• Meet regularly with team members
• Recognize members for accomplishments

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Step 6 Market Success

• Celebrate successes
• Spread the word about successful healthy school
  team accomplishments
• Remind key stakeholders about benefits of healthy
  students staff, which in turn affect
  educational success

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Summary

• Coordinated school health approach can
• increase healthy behaviors
• impact students academic achievement
• Empower students with knowledge, skills,
  judgment to help them make smart choices in life
• Creating a Healthy School Team manual available
  from Florida Department of Education
  www.fldoe.org/BII/CSHP