School & Community Wellness Partnerships Becky Kennedy, M.Ed. Program Coordinator Coordinated School Health Programs Indiana School Health Network/ Indiana State Dept. of Health
Goals -Describe Benefits of Partnerships - Identify Goals of School / Community Partnerships - Clarify Needs of Program Initiatives - Identify Potential Partners
School / Community Wellness Partnerships are vital to an effective Coordinated School Health Model
Coordinated School Health Programs
Family / Community Involvement “An integrated school, parent, and community approach for enhancing the health and well-being of students” (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention)
Coordinated School Health Programs
Benefits of a School / Community Wellness Partnership - active involvement of parents, community organizations, local government, and businesses - gain community support - sustain programs & continue momentum
Cont’d. - identify new partners & funding in the community - fund programs & initiatives supportive of school wellness - identify future grant opportunities to sustain initiatives
Starting Points: - Clarify your goals - Set priorities - Timeline (starting with the end in mind, applying “the backward design” concept) - “Buy in” of the “team” to move towards creating a stronger school & community collaboration
Communicating a clear message: Themes such as: “Making the Healthy Choice The Easy Choice”; “The choices we make are driven by the choices we have”
Maximizing Opportunities - don’t overlook existing school/community partners -keep the focus on the students
- “share the wealth”.. of program responsibilities and volunteer opportunities
Tools for Advocacy Research Data Legislation Policies Position Papers Reports Case Studies
Use state and federal reports, data, and position statements to communicate your message and the need for your programs
Policies to improve the school health environment which in turn impacts Health & Academic Achievement
School wellness policy Fuller implementation Increasing physical activity Healthier vending Lindsey Bouza – ISDH Schools Coordinator
Case Studies: personalized to your school & community
“Joint-use agreements”
Who are your potential community partners?
On a piece of paper, create 4 columns: 1. Goal 2. Need 3. Potential Partner 4. Strategies to acquire partnership
Activity: 1. Pair with school team member 2. Select 1-2 goals from your action plan 3. Describe needs associated with specific goals 4. Identify potential community partners 5. Select strategy for initiating communication to create school / community partnership
“Sustaining initiatives” “Maintaining the momentum”
It’s OK to have a “Paper Trail” (e.g., timelines, action plans, reports, case studies, data, documents)
The Partners of the Indiana School Health Network - IN Dept. of Education; IN Dept. of Health; Family & Social Services Agency - School Administrators, Teachers, Nurses - Health Care Providers - University Faculty - Non-profit Organizations
CHILDREN MUST BE FIT and HEALTHY TO LEARN … AND CHILDREN MUST LEARN TO BE FIT and HEALTHY.
Next Steps
Q & A
Q & A Becky Kennedy Program Coordinator: Coordinated School Health Programs