Director, Office of Healthy Schools
Florida Department of Education

325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 444
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Phone: (850) 245-0480

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Introduction

The Office of Healthy Schools provides support to districts in their efforts to help students develop positive habits that will remain with them throughout adulthood, and in their efforts to create healthy teaching and learning environments which support healthy habits for students and staff. The Coordinated School Health (CSH) model is a system designed to connect health (physical, emotional, and social) with education. This coordinated approach employs the support of families, communities, and schools working together to improve student health and to increase learning capacity.

By definition all Coordinated School Health components work together to improve the lives of students and their families. Although these components are listed separately, it is their continuous merging that allows CSH to have significant impact.

Eight Components of Coordinated School Health

The CSH approach consists of eight major components:

• Health Education
• Physical Education
• Health Services
• Nutrition Services
• Counseling, Psychological, and Social Services
• Healthy School Environment
• Health Promotion for Staff
• Parent and Community Involvement

Effective policies and practices in the eight component areas of the CSH model lead to sustainability and success in the area of school health and wellness. Intra and interagency collaboration, school district administration leadership, School Health Advisory Committees (SHACs), and Healthy School Teams (on the school level) create an effective support system.

Many positive changes are occurring in Florida districts. Below you will find exciting information about Florida’s Healthy District Collaborative and a newly released healthy district self-assessment tool.

The Healthy District Collaborative

School district policies and administrative support are essential to sustaining programs and activities that remove barriers to learning. In 2007, a review of school wellness policies from around the state allowed Florida’s Coordinated School Health Program to identify 16 school districts, representing over 1,700 schools, that have committed to using a coordinated school health (CSH) approach and having a healthy school or wellness team in every school. Currently, participating districts include Brevard, Broward, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Hardee, Hillsborough, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, and Sarasota.

• “Districts Partner for School Health and Wellness” (Article from the Fall, 2008 Florida Healthy Schools Newsletter) (PDF)

Florida Healthy School Districts

Florida Healthy District Self-Assessment Tool

This self-assessment is based on district infrastructure, policy, programs, and practices identified from national and state guidelines, best practices, and Florida statutes. The tool will help school districts assess existing policies and practices and guide them toward achieving the highest standards. Districts are encouraged to include school superintendents, school boards, school administrators, component area experts, parents, and the School Health Advisory Committee in the assessment process.

Florida Healthy District Self-Assessment Tool (PDF)

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