School Health

Schools play a critical role in promoting the health of young people and helping them establish lifelong healthy behaviors. Research shows that healthy schools can help improve students' academic performance and overall health.

Well-Ahead Louisiana works to support healthier schools through partnership development and technical assistance to schools and school districts. Our goal is to ensure all youth have a healthy start to a healthy future.

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School Health 411

Well-Ahead works with state agencies, school systems, schools, and community partners to prevent chronic disease and promote the health and well-being of children and adolescents in schools. The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model is our framework for addressing health in schools. The WSCC model is student-centered and emphasizes the role of the community in supporting the school and the importance of evidence-based policies and practices.

Take Action

Well-Ahead Louisiana is here to help schools and school districts take action to positively impact the health of students and school staff. Well-Ahead supports healthy schools by providing direct WellSpot technical assistance, providing professional development, and cultivating statewide partnerships. 

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE! 

School WellSpot Designation

Through its WellSpot Designation Program, Well-Ahead Louisiana works with schools to help them meet wellness benchmarks.  These benchmarks include best practices like creating a School Wellness Committee, incorporating physical activity energizers in the classroom, and promoting healthy food and beverage choices. 

Becoming a School WellSpot is a great first step to implement a "whole child" approach to health and education at your school. There are many resources that can help your school implement components of the WSCC model and WellSpot Benchmarks. Visit our school resources page to learn more.

Supporting Healthy Eating

Most US children attend school for 6 hours a day and consume as much as half of their daily calories at school. The school nutrition environment and services is a fundamental component of the WSCC model and can help shape lifelong healthy eating behaviors.

CDC recommends that schools implement policies and practices to create a nutrition environment that supports students in making healthy choices. A healthy school nutrition environment provides students with nutritious and appealing foods and beverages, consistent and accurate messages about good nutrition, and ways to learn about and practice healthy eating throughout the time children spend on school grounds—including before and after school.

Promoting Physical Activity

Schools are in a unique position to help students attain the nationally recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Physical education and physical activity represent one component of the WSCC model and can help students establish and maintain physically active lifestyles throughout childhood, adolescence and into adulthood.

CDC recommends a multi-pronged approach by which school districts and schools plan and organize opportunities for students to be physically active, meet the nationally-recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day, and develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be physically active for a lifetime. This approach is referred to as a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP). The goal of a CSPAP is to increase physical activity opportunities before, during, and after school and increase students’ overall physical activity and health.

Geaux Tobacco-Free

Lawmakers cleared the air for every student in the state in 2017 by passing Act 351. The legislation prohibits smoking across more than 1,400 schools statewide. Talk about breathing room! Click here to learn more about implementing a tobacco-free policy at your school. 

While cigarette use has steadily declined among youth, new vapor (or e-cigarette) products targeted to youth have changed the tobacco landscape. In Louisiana, vaping increased by 48% among high school students (from 8.3% to 12.3%) and 65% among middle school students (from 5.2% to 8.6%) between 2015 and 2017!

Check out Well-Ahead Louisiana’s Memorandum for School Administrators, School Nurses, Health Educators, and Coaches to learn how you can be a leader in stopping the vaping epidemic and ensuring a healthy and bright future for Louisiana’s youth! Vaping and tobacco resources can also be found here.

Creating Healthy Smiles

Healthy children learn more easily, and it is estimated that 51 million school hours are lost each year to dental-related illness. In addition, an estimated 17 million children in the U.S go without dental care each year. Dentists, physicians, community leaders, and schools can help create healthy smiles in Louisiana.  Click the links below to learn more about Well-Ahead Louisiana’s oral health efforts.

Healthy Schools Training Krewe

Well-Ahead Louisiana works to coordinate professional development and identify resources that can assist schools and school districts in making healthy changes. The Healthy Schools Training Krewe was launched in 2016 with the help of federal funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy Schools program (CDC Healthy Schools). As a statewide network of experienced trainers, the cadre collaborates with the Louisiana Department of Education, content leaders, and state organizations to deliver professional development. Since 2016, the Krewe has been sustained through federal funding provided by Louisiana Department of Education through CDC Healthy Schools. To view a list of current trainers, please click here. 

 

Vision: Healthy schools, healthy children

Mission: To enhance the knowledge and skills of those working to create healthier schools

 

CLICK HERE TO GIVE US YOUR INPUT!

Well-Ahead welcomes input on the professional development and training needs for the 2020-2021 school year, as it relates to healthy eating, physical activity, and managing students’ chronic health conditions. Please click the link above to complete our needs assessment survey. This survey is open to parents, teachers, school staff, district administrators, and community stakeholders.

What Training Topics Does the Healthy Schools Training Krewe Provide?

The Krewe is funded by Louisiana Department of Education to provide professional development and training to schools and school districts on the topics listed below.

 

Physical Activity

Plan and organize opportunities for students to meet the nationally-recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day, and develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be physically active for a lifetime. 

  • Supporting Play and Physical Activity During Recess
  • Integrating Physical Activity into the Classroom
  • Increasing Physical Activity in Before-School and After-School Programs
School Nutrition

Create a nutrition environment that supports students in making healthy choices.

  • Healthy Classroom Celebrations
  • Healthy Rewards for Positive Behavior
  • Food and Beverage Marketing 
  • Healthy Eating Before and After School

Management of Chronic Conditions

Help keep students healthy and ready to learn.

  • Determining Classroom Implications with Chronic Health Conditions
  • Educating Students and Families to Improve Self-Management of Chronic Health Conditions
  • Understanding the Role of School Nurses in Managing Chronic Conditions and Supporting Academic Success

These topics are not a comprehensive list of all topics related to implementing the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model. The Krewe focuses on topics that cut across best practices and can be implemented by a variety of school leaders.

 

For topics outside of the scope of the Krewe (i.e. physical education, school meals, adverse childhood experiences, etc.), Well-Ahead works with the Louisiana Department of Education, state associations and partners to promote existing training available that supports a Whole Child approach to health in the education setting. To view state organizations that provide additional resources and professional development, please click here. 

How Do I Attend a Training?

Well-Ahead Louisiana will host a regional professional development series, known as Healthy Schools Academy (Academy). The Academy is an in-person, full-day workshop held during the 2020 – 2021 school year. The goal of the Academy is to reach a variety of audiences in different geographical locations and empower school staff with new skills and knowledge critical to support local change in schools.

 

After attending the Academy, participants will receive follow-up support from Well-Ahead and the Krewe to support them in making healthy changes in their school environment. Follow-up support may be provided in the form of a booster webinar, facilitated Community of Practice, or direct technical assistance. Strategies are chosen based on suitability, feasibility, and the participant’s self-reported needs and perceived barriers to implementing best practices for school health.

Registration for Healthy Schools Academy will be posted to Eventbrite when available.

How Do I Request a Training for My School District?

Please request in-service training by emailing wellahead@la.gov. In your email, please include the name of the school, school district, in-service date, training topic(s), preferred trainer (if applicable), and contact information for the training coordinator. Well-Ahead will connect you with a member of Healthy Schools Training Krewe.

 

For these requests, school districts work directly with Krewe members to coordinate all details. This includes payment, logistics, and training topics.

How Does Well-Ahead Evaluate the Healthy Schools Training Krewe?

It is essential to evaluate professional development to assess how training can be improved and to ascertain the impact of training over time. Well-Ahead uses surveys to inform professional development design and delivery by leveraging identified strengths and addressing identified limitations and barriers. Please see below for more information about the surveys.

 

Event Feedback Survey

This survey is intended for participants of professional development and aims to collect information about the immediate influence of the training, including new knowledge and skills acquired.

 

Have you recently attended a training provided by the Healthy Schools Training Krewe? Click here to take this survey.

 

Event Impact Survey

This survey aims to collect information about the application and impact of training and follow-up support. This survey is sent to participants six months following a training.

 

Did you receive training and follow-up support by the Healthy Schools Training Krewe in the last year? Click here to take this survey.

 

Healthy Schools Technical Assistance Request System

Participants of professional development can request direct technical assistance to implement knowledge or skills learned during a training. The Louisiana Department of Education manages the Healthy Schools Technical Assistance Request System and fulfills requests.

 

Click here to request technical assistance.

Interested in Becoming a Member of the Healthy Schools Training Krewe?

Trainer applications are now open for the Healthy Schools Training Krewe!

Join the effort to equip schools and school districts with the knowledge and skills necessary to improve student health and academic achievement in Louisiana. For more information about the benefits of joining the Krewe and who should apply, please read the Training Krewe Application Announcement. 

 

Applications are due June 30, 2020.

 

To Interested applicants should complete and submit an online Trainer Application. Application review and selection process will begin on May 1, 2020. Selected applicants will be notified of next steps by phone or email.

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