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Office of Healthy Schools

About Us

, DOE Program Director
, DOH Program Director
, Program Specialist, Budget and Grants

325 West Gaines Street, Suite 444
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Phone: (850) 245-0480
In-State Toll-Free Phone: 1-866-312-6497
Fax: (850) 245-5116

Welcome to the Office of Healthy Schools website! Our Vision is "Florida's Children: Healthy, Fit, and Ready to Learn." Our Mission is to create supportive school environments that provide students and staff the opportunity to develop positive health related decision-making skills, leading to optimal academic success and quality of life. Staff members in the Office of Healthy Schools at the DOE are available to assist with health education curriculum and instruction, physical education curriculum and instruction, and the creation of healthy school and district teams.

Staff

, Assistant Director and Health Education Coordinator
, HIV/AIDS Prevention Education Coordinator
, Physical Education Coordinator
, Resource Center Director
, Nutrition and Healthy School Coordinator

The Way We Do Business

The Office of Healthy Schools fully embraces the eight-component Coordinated School Health (CSH) model. This Coordinated School Health approach is designed to address issues of student health and academic success on state, district, and school levels.

The Story of the Coordinated School Health Program

The concept of the eight-component Coordinated School Health model was born in the 1987 article by Diane Allensworth and Lloyd Kolbe published in the Journal of School Health, in which they proposed that in order to be effective, a health educa­tion program should focus on eight component areas:
  • Health Education
  • Physical Education
  • Health Services
  • Nutrition Services
  • Counseling, Psychological and Social Services
  • Healthy School Environment
  • Health Promotion for Staff
  • Parent and Community Involvement

The concept was researched and embraced by the education and health communities leading to the book Health Is Academic: A Guide to Coordinated School Health Programs, edited by Eva Marx and Susan Frelick Wooley: Teachers College Press, 1998. It remains the guiding force in implementing the model.

The eight components identified by Allensworth and Kolbe, when looked at in a coordinated manner, were found to be highly effective in addressing the health risk behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. These behaviors, often established during childhood and early adolescence, include:

  • Tobacco use
  • Unhealthy dietary behaviors
  • Inadequate physical activity
  • Alcohol and other drug use
  • Sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection
  • Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence

In 1992 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began funding states to develop an infrastructure that supports implementation of the Coordinated School Health model. The State of Florida benefitted from this funding for 15 years, from 1992 until 2007, firmly establishing Florida’s Coordinated School Health Program as a collaborative partnership between the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Health.

Florida’s School Health and Education Consortium

The Florida Departments of Education and Health, recognizing the value of collaborative efforts between public agencies and the private sector, organized the Florida School Health and Education Consortium. Comprised of over 40 health, education, and business organizations, the Consortium assisted with program-sponsored training events, advised the program office, and devised action plans to carry out its public awareness mission. The Consortium functioned from 1992 until 2008.

Florida Prevention Partners Unite!

In October 2008 a group of dedicated members from the Florida School Health and Education Consortium, Florida Action for Healthy Kids Partnership, and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation met to form Florida’s Coordinated School Health Partnership. Members represent professional associations, foundations, not-for-profit organizations, businesses, insurers, and health and education agencies. The Partnership is committed to working together to improve the health of children, adolescents, and staff in Florida schools. The 2009 goals focus on advocacy, policy, partnership, access to health care for all children, and educating stakeholders about school health and wellness issues. The mission of Florida’s Coordinated School Health Partnership is: Health literate and health practicing students and staff in all Florida schools.

Five-Year Goals and Strategies of Florida’s Coordinated School Health Partnership (PDF)

Florida Coordinated School Health Partnership Directory 2009 (PDF)

Documents to Download

Linking Student Health and Academic Achievement