Enriching Health Education

Build health literacy, equip students for lifelong wellness

“

Health education is more than just information, it's a pathway for students to build habits and skills that last a lifetime. By implementing evidence-based health education, schools empower students to make informed, healthy decisions both now and in the future.

— Madeline Moritsch, MS, RDN
Whole Child Health National Advisor, Nutrition & Food Access

Our evidence-based approach helps schools:

Develop lifelong healthy habits

Teach students essential skills in health literacy to make positive health choices in any environment.

Strengthen decision-making skills

Equip students with the ability to assess and choose behaviors that enhance their well-being.

Promote personal and social responsibility

Instill self-advocacy, refusal skills, and the confidence to support healthful behaviors.

Get Recognized for Enriching Health Education

Meet these criteria to qualify as one of America’s Healthiest Schools.

1

Our school:

To be eligible for an award, you'll need to be doing this.
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✅ Great job! The award application will ask you to:

  • Describe how often students had health education instruction and whether health education lessons were standalone or integrated into other instruction such as science, physical education (PE), or English language arts (ELA).
  • Upload the health education requirement sent to families stating that instructional staff provided health education to all students.

2

Our school requires all health education teachers to use a curriculum that is:

To be eligible for an award, you'll need to be doing all of these things.
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✅ Nice going! The award application will ask you to:

  • Provide the health education curriculum''s name(s) used by all teachers that provide health education instruction (e.g., ETR''s HealthSmart, SPARK''s Healthy Lifestyle Choices, or district-written curriculum).
  • Select the health education curriculum topics that were taught this school year.
  • Describe how the curriculum sequence was aligned to national or state health education standards and how the selected health education topics were informed by student and community health needs. 

3

All health education teachers at our school provide all students opportunities to practice the skills needed to maintain and improve their health by:

To be eligible for an award, you'll need to be doing each one of these things.
Find resources to help >

✅ Way to go! The award application will ask you to:

  • Select the health education skills that students practiced during health education instructional time this school year.
  • Upload at least one (1) health education lesson or unit plan that included opportunities for students to practice or rehearse one or more health education skill.
  • Describe the health education skill(s) in the uploaded lesson or unit plan and how students practiced or rehearsed using real-life scenarios.
Could you be one of America's Healthiest Schools?

Let’s make your vision a reality!
My team is here to help you become one of America’s Healthiest Schools.

—Naomi, Member Engagement & Support Team

Call 888-543-4584, book a chat, or send an email

Resources to Enrich Health Education

Nemours' KidsHealth

Free health-related lesson plans for Pre-K to 12 grades aligned to the National Health Education Standards.

Health Education Skills PK-12 Guides (RMC)

How to teach the seven (7) key health skills using manageable steps and learning activities, aligned with the National Health Education Standards and their performance indicators.

Introduction to Aquaponics

This curriculum will equip you with the needed knowledge to run your own Farm-to-Table experience with operating a sustainable aquaponics system.

Explore Other Topics

School Health Services
Health Education
Local School Wellness Policy
Social-Emotional Health & Learning
Nutrition & Food Access
Tobacco-Free Schools
Physical Education & Activity
Family & Community Engagement
Staff Well-Being