COORDINATED SCHOOL HEALTH
The Coordinated School Health Program is based on the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model, which is the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) and Association of Supervision and Curriculum Directors (ASCD) nationally recommended framework for addressing health in schools.
The WSCC model is student-centered and emphasizes the role of the community in supporting the school, the connections between health and academic achievement, and the importance of evidence-based school policies and practices.
The WSCC model has 10 components:
Physical education and physical activity.
Nutrition environment and services.
Health education.
Social and emotional climate.
Physical environment.
Health services.
Counseling, psychological and social services.
Employee wellness.
Community involvement.
Family engagement
The idea is to address the needs of the students utilizing the ten components listed above, so that you are addressing the needs of the “whole” child. The North Little Rock School District is committed to assessing its progress and implementing changes to address the needs of the students based on the above areas of concern. The North Little Rock School District by ourselves cannot, and should not be expected to, address the nation’s most serious health and social problems. However, we can provide a hub in which many agencies can work together to maintain the well-being of our students. Families, health care workers, the media, religious organizations, community organizations that serve youth, and young people themselves must be systematically involved.
A coordinated approach increases the likelihood that staff and students’ full ranges of needs are addressed and a full array of programs and services are provided. The implementation of Coordinated School Health can result in positive impacts ranging from reduction in financial and personal costs involved in treating and/or living with behaviorally induced illness to improvement in student health and learning outcomes. Other possible positive results include:
Reduced absenteeism - Fewer classroom behavior problems - Improved academic performance - Greater interest in healthy diets - Increased participation in fitness activities - Delayed onset of certain health risk behaviors - Less smoking among students and staff - Lower rates of teen pregnancy
Students are more likely to succeed academically and socially when communities are economically healthy, organized, and provide opportunities for youth involvement and when schools present a positive climate and involve students and their families as well as the community partners in their organizational structure.
Coordinated School Health is consistent with Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which proposes that children’s chances for success are greatly reduced without efforts to enhance their physical and emotional well-being.
The North Little Rock School District is working to optimize programs in our schools and community that help our children and staff learn and live healthier lives!