Comprehensive School Wellness Program
Healthy students are better learners. Schools play a critical role in promoting the health and safety of young people and helping them establish lifelong healthy behaviors. Establishing healthy behaviors during childhood is easier and more effective than trying to change unhealthy behaviors throughout adulthood. When school health policies and practices are put in place, healthy students can grow to achieve a lifetime of good health.
The Comprehensive School Wellness (CSW) Program at the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is a team of school health specialists dedicated to supporting schools across the state in creating healthy learning environments by utilizing the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child, or WSCC model.
Five Steps to Navigating the CSW Program Website
Follow these 5 steps to get started with the CSW Program. By staying connected, we can ensure students, staff, and schools are equipped with the necessary tools to improve health and academic achievement!
- We realize that every school has a unique set of needs, which is why we are here to help school leaders and staff create supportive school environments. If you have a question, complete the online Technical Assistance Request form and our team will contact you!
- Make sure you sign up for our monthly newsletter, Healthy Happenings, so you can be equipped with the information, resources, and professional development opportunities to support student health and academic achievement through nutrition, physical activity, and the management of chronic conditions.
- The Comprehensive School Wellness Program wants to highlight the great work that is going on in all Arizona schools. Fill out the School Spotlight form to highlight a school’s health initiatives and be featured in Healthy Happenings.
- Become an advocate for School Health in your community! Sign up for the Arizona School Health and Wellness Coalition to help make an impact in Arizona’s school health environment.
- Bookmark this website to stay up to date on upcoming events and helpful resources!
1801 Grant: Improving Student Health and Academic Achievement through Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Management of Chronic Conditions in Schools
The CSW Program is funded by the 1801 “Improving Student Health and Academic Achievement through Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Management of Chronic Conditions in Schools" grant offered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Healthy Schools Branch. CDC provides technical assistance, tools, recommendations, and resources to assist with school health initiatives within the grant. Under the 1801 grant, ADE directly supports five Local Education Agencies (LEAs). These are Destiny School, Mingus Union High School District, Mohave Valley Elementary School District,Tombstone Unified School District, and Vernon Elementary School District.
ADE works along three strategies to provide 1801 grant activities: infrastructure development, professional development, and technical assistance.
Infrastructure Development works to create a health-aware infrastructure among all regions of Arizona to support, assess, and develop health-promoting best practices and strategies that improve physical activity, nutrition, and the management of chronic conditions in schools. This directly enhances a student's social, emotional, and physical well-being. To do this, the CSW Program encourages schools to utilize the School Health Index, to assess and create supportive school environments. In addition, Local School Wellness Policy guides local education agencies and school districts to create supportive school nutrition and physical activity environments.
Professional Development activities promote school health by offering continuing education on important health topics. ADE delivers and partners with state agencies and local organizations to implement strategies that promote a healthy learning environment. In addition, ADE spreads awareness of the opportunities available to out-of-school health staff and officials. Through professional development activities, ADE utilizes the WSCC model to develop training that utilizes school health tools and resources, while highlighting the connections between school health and academic achievement.
Technical Assistance is provided to all schools, districts, and LEAs across the state, free of charge. Our team works with school leaders to support and provide guidance on the health and wellness needs of their staff, students, and community through the development of CSW activities.
Complete the online Technical Assistance Request form and our team will contact you!
To effectively work throughout the state, ADE works alongside internal state partners and external community partners to provide support.
- ADE’s Title IVA Safe and Healthy Students Program aims to provide support to schools and local education agencies (LEAs) so that every student can experience a safe, healthy, and supportive learning environment through a focus on physical and mental health, and safety.
- The 1801 grant works in conjunction with Arizona school nurses and health staff in efforts to manage the prevalence of chronic disease in schools. Please visit the School Nursing and Health Staff webpage for more information on supporting health office staff and students managing their own chronic conditions.
- ADE holds a collaborative partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) which provides nutrition and physical activity support through AZ Health Zone. AZ Health Zone focuses on supporting communities across Arizona to make healthy changes in homes and neighborhoods, both within the school and the home.
This grant focuses its strategies and activities within the context of the WSCC model. The WSCC model has 10 student-centered components: health education; physical education and physical activity; nutrition environment and services; health services; counseling, psychological, and social services; social and emotional climate; physical environment; employee wellness; family engagement; and community involvement. Schools, health agencies, parents, and communities share a common goal of supporting the health and academic achievement of children and adolescents. Through this model, districts and schools are encouraged to re-think and re-structure the way they approach learning and health by systematically focusing on the whole child. Through this model, there is a holistic emphasis placed on learning and health in the context of the local school and community.
Examples of real-world application of the WSCC Model incorporated into the school environment:
Integrating Physical Education and Physical Activity Across the WSCC Framework
Integrating Nutrition Across the WSCC Framework
Integrating School Health Services Across the WSCC Framework
CDC Healthy Schools works with states, school systems, communities, and national partners to prevent chronic disease and promote the health and well-being of children and adolescents in schools. CDC Healthy Schools supports state education agencies (SEAs) in the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based strategies to prevent and manage chronic health conditions prevalent in student populations.
The CDC Healthy Schools website provides many resources that can be of use to schools across Arizona.
Local Wellness Policy: Local School Wellness Policy | Healthy Schools | CDC
School Health Guidelines: School Health Guidelines | Healthy Schools | CDC
School Health Index: School Health Index: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide (cdc.gov)
School Nutrition: School Nutrition Environment | Healthy Schools | CDC
Video Training: Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs: A Guide for Schools (cdc.gov)
Recess Planning in Schools: Recess Planning in Schools: A Guide to Putting Strategies for Recess into Practice (cdc.gov)
Out of School Time: Out of School Time (cdc.gov)
Chronic Health Conditions: Chronic Health Conditions in School Settings (cdc.gov)
School Health Services: School Health Services | Healthy Schools | CDC
Parents for Healthy Schools: Parents for Healthy Schools | Healthy Schools | CDC
The Arizona School Health and Wellness Coalition (ASHWC) is a collaboration of key school health stakeholders, state and local organizations, community members, parents and individuals whose primary goal is to assist schools in creating healthy school environments and communities. ASHWC serves as an organized platform that provides a voice to those who are passionate about school health. It promotes the multi-disciplinary approach to school health outlined by the WSCC model.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.azschoolhealth.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2020HealthologyAZ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/healthologyaz
The WSCC Federal Funding Guide intends to bring awareness to the funding opportunities for implementation of WSCC activities and to open the door for further exploration using federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) funds and Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.
Each month, the CSW Program sends out a newsletter, Healthy Happenings. Healthy Happenings supports student health and academic achievement through disseminating information and resources for school nutrition, physical activity, and the management of chronic conditions. When reading the newsletter, LEAs are given the opportunity to:
- Learn about CSW’s monthly health theme and ways to incorporate health initiatives into the school environment.
- Stay informed on upcoming professional development opportunities related to nutrition, physical activity, and the management of chronic conditions.
- Become equipped with useful resources such as toolkits, templates, and infographics for the school use.
- See what schools across Arizona are doing and gain inspiration for your own school health initiatives through a School Spotlight!
Archived Healthy Happenings Newsletter
August Newsletter: August 30th, 2022
This month we highlighted students coming back to school. A new school year often brings a mix of emotions for educators and students alike- excitement, exhaustion, energy, anxiety, or perhaps all of the above! The back-to-school period presents a unique opportunity to promote students' health and well-being through fostering a supportive school environment. Schools play a critical role in promoting the health and safety of young people and helping them to establish lifelong healthy behaviors. Students thrive in a healthy school environment and healthy students are better learners. ADE’s CSW Program with the support of CDC Healthy Schools is dedicated to supporting schools in creating a healthy school environment for all students. Please view the full newsletter for more information!
September Newsletter: September 26th, 2022
October in Arizona brings an opportunity for change; the weather starts to cool and students and staff are eager to move their activities outdoors. Active recess plays an essential role in a child's academic success and boosts their physical, social, and emotional well-being. In addition, it allows for children to release energy and reduce stress to then improve classroom behavior. By including safe and structured outdoor active recess, schools have the opportunity to get creative and provide spaces for children to be physically active throughout the school day. Please view the full newsletter for more information!
The Comprehensive School Wellness Program is here to support your school. Through incorporating evidence-based health practices, we can ensure sustainability for healthy initiatives. There are many resources available to help guide the effective incorporation of health initiatives in schools.
- CDC Healthy Schools Website: Healthy Schools | CDC
- SHI Template:
- Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program
- Smarter Lunchroom Scorecard
- Smart Snacks
- Empower Guidebook
- Language of Health Style Guide: Style Guide - AZ Healthzone
- Let’s Play Recess Toolkit: Recess Toolkit - bleeds (reduced) (azhealthzone.org)
- Back to School Online Toolkit
- Local Wellness Policy Tools and Resources
- USDA Resources for Menu Planning
- WSCC Team Training Modules
Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities
We strive to provide ample opportunities to build knowledge that supports student health and academic acheievement. We encourage participants to attend events for the opportunity to engage, connect, and receive credible resources from around the nation. Please view the upcoming trainings, webinars, conferences and/or other professional development events offered.
The Walking Classroom program will host a webinar on September 21st at 6 PM EST. This program addresses learning loss while also improving student engagement, increasing physical activity, and bringing joy to learning for kids in grades 3 through 8. The Walking Classroom aims to increase physical activity, learning and retention, social-emotional learning, and joy in your classrooms, out-of-school time programs, and more. Please click the link below to register.
Learn how The Walking Classroom:
- Aligns with ESSER funding requirements
- Fits your curriculum
- Helps students learn and retain more information
- Addresses different learning styles
- Builds health literacy and increases physical activity
- Supports social and emotional learning
- And most of all, it makes kids happy!
The A
rizona Department of Education Comprehensive School Wellness Program welcomes the University of Connecticut Collaboratory on School and Child Health for a discussion on the CDC's Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model. The webinar will take place on September, 29th from 3 PM - 4 PM MST.
The WSCC model advocates for integration of child learning, health, and well-being efforts within schools and communities. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of the WSCC model and its potential to support positive childhood development. We will offer educators resources on how to implement this model. Although the model advocates for integration across domains of child development, school efforts are often conducted in silos. Finally, we will share a number of materials aimed to build educators’ knowledge of the WSCC model and to explore coordinated implementation of the WSCC model in their setting. Please see the flyer below to learn more information and register!
Meal Talk: Taste-Test Events Webinar: In honor of National School Lunch Week, on Wednesday, on October 12, USDA’s Team Nutrition initiative will present a Meal Talk webinar on Taste-Test Events. This webinar will be held from 3 to 4 pm Eastern Time. Register today! Team Nutrition staff and guest speakers from the Pennridge School District in Pennsylvania and Kern County Superintendent of Schools in California will share tools, tips, strategies, success stories, and best practices related to hosting taste-test events with elementary and secondary school students. Attendees will hear about new ideas and tools for conducting taste-test events as well as strategies for incorporating taste-test results into menu planning.
Date: October 12th, 2022
Time: 3 pm to 4 ppm EST
Learning Objectives
- List three benefits of hosting taste-test events.
- Identify three tips for hosting successful taste-test events.
- Name two ways incorporate results from taste-test events into menu planning.
On-Demand Opportunities
We strive to provide ample opportunities to build knowledge that supports student health and academic acheievement. On- demand learning can allow for easy access to great resources and information at your convenience. Please see below for updated on-demand learning opportunities.
The CDC has created a webinar series that introduces CDC’s Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT) and its many uses for schools, including assessing and revising curriculum, developing scope and sequences, and preparing lessons and assessments webinar discusses recent updates to student knowledge and skill content that are important for primary prevention in schools. Through these webinars, viewers can access tools and resources that are related to characteristics of effective health education curriculum, developing a scope and sequence and supporting teachers with unit or lesson planning.
Topics of this series include:
- HECAT Overview
- 2021 HECAT Updates
- Alcohol and Other Drug Use Prevention
- Mental and Emotional Health
- Sexual Health
- Violence Prevention
CDC’s Virtual Healthy School (VHS) is an interactive tool that shows schools how to support the health and academic achievement of students through the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model.
The CDC Virtual School can provide examples within the school environment that allow for students to improve their dietary and physical activity behaviors and manage their chronic health conditions. Click the link below to navigate through a virtual healthy school!
The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model webinar delivered by the Oregon Department of Education is based on The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model: A Guide to Implementation. As their Department of Education states, schools strive to help students to reach their highest academic potential. In order to achieve this, students need to be academically challenged as well as healthy, safe, engaged, and supported. Each student enters a classroom with unique needs related to learning and health. During this webinar, Oregon will discuss the term health as not only physical health and safety, but also social and emotional well-being. One of the most challenging tasks for educators is finding a way to reach every student to ensure learning takes place. The WSCC model can help schools take a coordinated approach to help students achieve their full health and academic potential.
In this recorded webinar, USDA Team Nutrition staff and guest speakers from South Carolina’s Local Wellness Policy State Technical Assistance Team and Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education share how to energize, strengthen and assess local school wellness policies. This webinar presents new ideas for increasing engagement and excitement about school wellness in their communities, including among administrators, teachers, parents, students and more.
In this 30-minute Healthier Generation on-demand course, you will learn the connection between staff and students' health behaviors. In addition, this course delivers strategies to increase staff modeling healthy behaviors and environmental changes that can be made to ensure school staff are continuing to model healthy behaviors in front of students.
Continue to Stay up To Date on All Comprehensive School Wellness Professional Development Events!
Through the CSW calendar, you have the ability to save these events to your personal calendar. We encourage you to check regularly as Professional Development events are added on a recurring basis.
The Comprehensive School Wellness team is composed of many Arizona school health champions. Through the inclusion of the 1801 grant, this team is lucky to partner with talented individuals that represent different perspectives of school health. This includes a AZ Health Zone School System Specialist from the Arizona Department of Health Services, an evaluation team from Arizona State University and a School Nurse Health Consultant; in addition to the Comprehensive School Wellness team.
Michelle Cabanillas: Michelle serves as the Co-Director for the School Safety and Social Wellness Programs at ADE. Michelle directly supervises the 1801 grant and the Comprehensive School Wellness Program, as well as other wellness programs to include Project AWARE and the School Safety Program. She is a graduate of the School of Social Work at Arizona State University, where she earned a Master of Social Work with a concentration in Planning, Administration, and Community Practice.
Samantha Reeves: Samantha serves as the School Health and Wellness Specialist, focusing on the Comprehensive School Wellness Program and supporting School Nursing and Health Services. Through this, Samantha supports the 1801 grant and improves physical activity, nutrition, and the management of chronic conditions across Arizona schools. She is a native of Arizona, in where she received her Bachelors of Public Health and Master of Public Health from the University of Arizona, Beardown!
Sarah Erickson: Sarah serves as the School Health and Wellness Specialist, focusing on the Comprehensive School Wellness Program and supporting nutrition and physical activity initiatives through the 1801 grant. She is a graduate of the University of Florida where she earned a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Contact Us
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