Learn more about the healthy schools program and comprehensive school health.
The Fraser Health Healthy Schools Program aims to create vibrant and healthy schools through strong partnerships and collective action. Public Health Nurses dedicated to the program work alongside school districts and identified schools to promote physical, emotional and social well-being using a comprehensive school health approach.
Health and education
Health and education are interdependent: healthy students are better learners, and education is an important determinant of health. All children and youth deserve opportunities in every aspect of their school experience to foster their healthy physical, mental, social and intellectual development.
Healthy school environments can support the well-being of the entire school community. Research demonstrates that a holistic, whole-school approach, such as comprehensive school health is effective at creating healthy school environments. Canada’s Joint Consortium for School Health states that comprehensive school health is an internationally recognized framework for supporting improvements in students' educational outcomes while addressing school health in a planned, integrated and holistic way.
Wellness goals
The Healthy Schools Program focuses on the following areas of wellness, using a comprehensive school health approach:
- Mental wellness: Social and emotional competencies, school connectedness, mental health literacy, trauma informed practices and mental wellness policies
- Active living: Daily physical activity, physical literacy, active transportation
- Healthy eating: Food literacy, school meal programs, healthy eating policies
- Sexual health: Comprehensive sexual health education and policies
- Substance use: Delay age of onset of substance use, and prevent harms related to substance use
What we do
The following examples of “what we do” can be applied to all of the wellness topics. Each school community is unique and therefore actions are tailored to fit the needs of the specific school community.
- Provide professional development sessions for school and school district staff.
- Support data collection, and share, analyze and interpret data with schools and school districts to increase understanding and inform action.
- Share and interpret evidence for program planning and policy development, review and implementation.
- Work with school districts to review and implement healthy living policies and procedures.
- Lead evaluation of health promotion initiatives.
- Promote health and wellness in physical spaces, such as outdoor learning environments and indoor spaces, through applying for grants and sharing resources.
- Promote student voice by organizing youth summits, student focus groups, and dialogues.
- Share and apply for healthy living grants.
- Lead information sessions for parents.
- Link to resources, programs and services available through Fraser Health or in the community.