Five Best Practices

These five best practices are a roadmap to improving student and staff health, nutrition and wellness in every district across Colorado. Healthy schools provide nutritious meals, snacks and beverages, and require that students are physically active every day. They teach students what it means to be healthy, offer access to health care services and have effective social, emotional, and mental health services, along with workplace wellness programs. These best practices can help districts develop a comprehensive and coordinated approach to healthy schools.

1. Policies. School board members adopt and annually review and/or update local wellness policies that foster healthy schools and that are consistent with best practices and legislation identified by state and federal agencies as well as professional education and health organizations.
2. Staff qualifications. District leaders ensure that all staff who are focused on nutrition, school health services, health education and physical education are properly credentialed and well-qualified.
3. Assessment. The district provides tools for schools to take an inventory of their policies, activities and programs such as the Healthy School Champions’ Score Card, School Health Index, Wellness School Assessment Tool, Barometers of School Safety climate survey or a similar self-assessment tool. The data collected can be used to drive systemic and programmatic decisions, garner buy-in, and measure efficacy.  The local data can also be incorporated into overall school and district improvement plans.
4. District leadership. District leaders provide strategic direction and opportunities for enhanced nutrition, physical activity, health education, school health services, workplace wellness and social, emotional, and mental health.
5. Getting it done. The district promotes parent, community and student engagement, advocacy and partnerships in its schools (including through district wellness committees) to achieve high-quality nutrition, physical activity, health education, school health services, safe and inclusive school climates and workplace wellness.

Interested in knowing more about different approaches to coordinated school health? Click here and here!

To download the PDF, click here.