January 28, 2025
Transforming Healthy Schools into Thriving Communities
Since 2013, Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools have employed a multitude of strategies with schools and districts from across the country to advance health and learning. What makes a healthy school? Dedication to student and staff health? A commitment to changing lives? Seeking feedback from staff? How about collaborating with community partners for the benefit of students, staff, and families?
Learn from some of the health champions turning schools into thriving communities.
Prioritizing Staff Wellness
Teacher wellness is foundational to student wellness and academic success. Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, Salem-Keizer School District in Oregon, Seattle Public Schools in Washington, and Paul D. West Middle School in Georgia have experienced this firsthand.
Seek Feedback
Creativity goes a long way when school teams seek feedback about well-being from educators. Scott Showalter, coordinator of psychological services at Prince George's County Public Schools, recommends going beyond the survey and “incorporating feedback [from staff] into what we actually do."
Showalter’s team sought feedback by first evaluating school climate and staff wellness using the Cultivating Staff Well-Being section of the Thriving Schools Integrated Assessment (TSIA). Based on their assessment, the team then set up a series of focus groups involving Black and Latino educators. From the feedback, they developed a comprehensive, culturally responsive wellness program, equipped with professional development opportunities, the Get Connected Toolkit, and a peer support network to foster a positive work culture for Prince George's County Public Schools’ diverse staff for years to come.
Create Wellness Spaces
Staff burnout is a common concern and reality for educators. In fact, the 2024 State of the American Teacher Survey conducted by the RAND Corporation found that twice as many teachers as comparable working adults reported experiencing frequent job-related stress or burnout. At Salem-Keizer School District, new relaxation spaces are helping to rejuvenate teachers throughout their workday while strengthening trust and gratitude among staff.
Using the Building Staff Relaxations Zones Toolkit, the district created 28 new wellness spaces where staff can enjoy everything from meditating, to exercising, to practicing gratitude.
"Employees are finding "these spaces provide a warm, welcoming, inclusive, and calming place,” says Allison Silbernagel, program associate for Salem-Keizer School District, attributing the transformation to the “generosity of Kaiser Permanente & Healthier Generation.”
Resolve Conflict and Build Trust
The Seattle Public Schools Employee Mental Health Group prioritizes the needs of its Black and Brown educators. After a series of listening sessions, employees were able to address their primary and secondary traumas stemming from racial conflict, which led to a continuous improvement process of building trust, engaging in professional learning opportunities, and practicing gratitude. Measurable improvements in staff retention as well as “efforts to create greater access and additional feedback pathways are transforming the culture at Seattle Public Schools,” says Employee Wellness Manager, Shane Baguyo.
One employee highlighted their heightened sense of belonging, saying, “I really appreciate the feeling of camaraderie and joy this inspired!”
Focus on Health Outcomes
When Dr. Erika Edwards, professional counselor and wellness ambassador at Paul D. West Middle School, noticed that decreased staff and teacher wellness was leading to increased absenteeism and student learning loss, she turned to Kaiser Permanente and the Fulton CARES Wellness Initiative to convert an ordinary teachers’ lounge into a wellness lounge.
Seeking feedback from her staff, Edwards transformed the lounge into a wellness haven featuring a stationary bike for exercise, mindfulness bulletin boards, and a massage chair for relaxation. As Edwards inspired others in her circle to implement their own wellness projects, staff attendance increased, and now, students and families at Paul D. West Middle School and throughout the school community are more willing to disclose their social-emotional support needs.
Feeding the Community
Students at Adams County School District 14 in Colorado are feeding the community and learning hands-on skills for success in school and beyond through the School to Work Alliance Program (SWAP). SWAP features – greenhouses, sheds, soil, raised beds, seeds, and more — are helping students grow produce for the local Hope Center community food bank. Thanks to support from Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools, SWAP has expanded to three sites across the district, increasing access to fresh, nutritious foods for Adams 14 families while bolstering community spirit.
Melissa Crawford, SWAP coordinator for Adams County District 14, says it’s a blessing that the SWAP program has accumulated nearly 750 pounds of produce to date.
Accessing an Active Lifestyle
Using the TSIA to identify opportunities to make physical education more equitable, Physical Education Teacher Nasara Gargonnu and other leaders at Morse High School in San Diego Unified School District identified water safety as an important priority for their students. Thanks to support from local community partner The Jackie Robinson YMCA, over 250 students of different skill levels benefitted from a free and fun swim program that included transportation to the facility and supplies, learning safety and new skills and games along the way.
Gargonnu highlighted the importance of community partnerships, saying “showing a true interest in collaboration and building a strong rapport with them is beneficial for more opportunities that will benefit our youth.”
Optimizing School Health Services
“The TSIA provided us with a common language to discuss health and wellness...” - Jaime Brown, coordinator of physical education and athletics, Madera Unified School District
Madera Unified School District in California used the TSIA to identify the importance of involving school nurse staff in offering health and wellness activities for both students and staff. Since strengthening their relationship with the School Nurse Department, more than 24 schools have earned America’s Healthiest Schools recognition for bringing school health services to more families more efficiently. The district’s goal for 2025 is to increase participation in wellness committees and councils across departments.
As a consistent America’s Healthiest Schools sponsor for topics Strengthening Social-Emotional Health & Learning and Cultivating Staff Well-Being, Kaiser Permanente’s role in bringing health education and outcomes to schools across the nation remains vital. In 2024, a total of 397 schools were awarded in these topic areas. Kaiser Permanente plans to continue their support of thriving schools in 2025.
To apply to become one of America’s Healthiest Schools for Strengthening Social-Emotional Health & Learning, Cultivating Staff Well-Being, and more health topics, visit HealthierGeneration.org/Apply.
To assess your school’s health strengths and needs, start with the Thriving Schools Integrated Assessment (TSIA).
For more ideas on how to meet the health needs of your students and staff, check out these additional Action Center learning resources and visit the Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools’ website.
More Staff Well-Being Learning Resources
- Get Connected: Creative Ideas for Building Staff Relationship
- Microlearning: Building Staff Relaxation Zones
- Collaborator Analysis Tool
- Video Series: Staff Well-Being