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.

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.

Reopening Schools During COVID-19

COVID-19 has provided unique challenges to our schools, and Louisiana has come together to work through solutions. Well-Ahead is working to connect school administrators, teacher and nurses to resources, education and trainings that support safe reopening.

Click here to learn more!

Healthy Schools Academy

Well-Ahead Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Education present the Healthy Schools Academy on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 8:45 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. This virtual professional development opportunity is for any school or district employee who wants to better understand the link between learning and health.

Participants will learn how to support healthy eating, physical activity, and chronic care management for the students they serve so that children develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to become healthy, successful adults.

View the full agenda and register here.

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!

Did YOU KNOW?

Healthy Schools Training Krewe

Well-Ahead Louisiana works to coordinate in-person and virtual 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 Kind of 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 learning about nutrition and making healthy choices.

Healthy Classroom Celebrations
Healthy Rewards for Positive Behavior
Implementing Nutrition Education
Healthy Eating Before and After School

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

For specialized topics outside 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 available training. 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.

Can Well-Ahead Coordinate Training in Any Other School Health Topics?

Yes. Well-Ahead can coordinate training school districts in overarching school health topics, such as:

Building Engaged School Wellness Committees
Implementing a Coordinated School Health Program
Assessing the School Health Environment
Healthy Out-of-School Time

How Do I Request In-Service 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.

Self-Paced Virtual Learning

School Health Advisory Council

The Louisiana School Health Advisory Council (LA SHAC) was established in 2017 by the Louisiana Department of Education and Well-Ahead Louisiana. The LA SHAC provides resources and support for school districts and schools statewide for implementing coordinated school health programs so children in Louisiana develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to become healthy, successful adults.