Many of these schools lacked the resources for professional counselors and, in many cases, didn’t even employ a nurse for student health issues. I had a very diverse, predominantly high-risk set of students throughout my five-year career, which was spent in a Pennsylvania School Mental Health Resources mix of both public and charter schools. A local school wellness policy (wellness policy) is a written document that guides a local educational agency (LEA) or school district to create supportive school nutrition and physical activity environments. The Wellness Together Conference is a curated experience to connect, equip, & inspire the best minds in education & mental health for meaningful impact.

Your Partner in Health Education

Preventative care is a forward-looking approach that emphasizes wellness for the mind, body, and heart. However, the downside to this is that it does not address the root causes of mental wellness issues. These are often tailored to the individual student’s needs and focus on stabilizing the situation at hand. When a student is struggling with acute anxiety or stress, short-term interventions like one-on-one counseling or crisis management are essential. Preventative care, on the other hand, involves strategies that aim to mitigate mental wellness challenges before they escalate. While these efforts are essential, they are often short-term and focused on addressing an immediate crisis rather than building emotional resilience or preventing future issues.

Our free, easy-to-use resources help start conversations and build mental health and wellness skills for your students. In SBHCs where school and community health and mental health staff interface, negotiating exchange of information about students may be a particular challenge and can affect service operations in diverse ways (23, 24). Too many schools are struggling to keep up with the rising mental health and behavioral challenges among students. WEL is a FREE online practical & empowering mental health training for students 13+, parents/guardians, and educators/school staff.

• The space doesn’t have to be huge or hugely expensive- but it should be an oasis of calm that helps students and learners reorient themselves to the task at hand.
• Pictured right, a rain chain visibly carries stormwater down to a bio-retention rain garden, exposing students to nature and interactive scientific exploration.
• Scavenger hunts are a great way to get students up and moving, which has been found to improve health and wellness.

Assessing and Improving School Health

Education Commission of the States is the trusted source for comprehensive knowledge and unbiased resources on education policy issues ranging from early learning through postsecondary education. Learn about healthy eating, fitness and exercise, food groups, nutrition facts labels, and more with these great sites. Good health is important at any age, and teaching youth healthy habits is a great place to start! In 2012, Ashleigh received a Graduate Student Teaching Award (University of Alberta – Faculty of Education), and has taught an early childhood education course at Concordia University of Edmonton (2015). Her teaching experiences range from early childhood education to instructing at the post-secondary level at the University of Alberta (physical education teacher education). Clive also served on numerous education committees and worked on provincial curriculum resource development.

Policymakers, clinicians, and advocates identify schools as a key institution for health and mental health intervention (1). Despite barriers, providers and schools have begun to implement novel solutions for operational problems and family engagement in mental health services. Staffing and operational models are critical in the success of health-mental health-education integration. Of high school students feeling so sad or hopeless that they could not engage in their regular activities for at least two weeks during the previous year. As one of the largest providers of in-person and online school mental health services, Wellness Together attracts and retains qualified mental health professionals from top universities. We think that is an absolute key to improving student wellness in our schools.”

Everfi’s lesson library and free health and wellness resources help your students develop whole-child education skills through digital, evidence-informed curriculum aligned to standards. The mission of the FPSH is to promote coordination and collaboration across Federal agencies in order to assist these agencies continue their work in supporting the physical and mental health of all students and healthy, physical school environments. Furthermore, for novel SBHCs providing services to community members as well as students, future research should study downstream effects on community and population health, including how these SBHCs address health and mental health disparities. Finally, engagement of parents and students in a school-based integrated care setting can help ensure that services are patient-centered and relevant to the community. Linking de-identified educational data to health records could optimize the value of integrated SBHCs, such as by providing data to school administrators to assess who benefits from Wellness Center services.

Funding remains a major challenge for districts that aim to improve student mental health support systems. By identifying the risk factors and warning signs of mental health challenges, districts can scale resources for the students who need it the most. This Virtual Wellness Center includes activities and resources to support the well-being of staff, students, and parents by promoting health and wellness.